I moved to Dubai in 2022 when I received a lucrative opportunity with Ubrik, a Dubai-based performance marketing agency. The transition revealed a fundamental difference—what costs $1,000 monthly in India commands $5,000 budgets in Dubai for the same services. Dubai businesses take SEO seriously as a long-term investment and expect measurable results. The city serves as a launchpad for big brands, and entrepreneurs there understand that SEO requires serious commitment and sustained vision.
I'm an SEO expert with 7+ years of experience, now launching my own agency goupseo.agency targeting Dubai and Middle East businesses. My identity centers on being the go-to person when companies need organic traffic that converts to leads and revenue—whether they're starting from zero, have underperforming websites, or need team optimization.
I specialize in SEO that drives measurable business results—organic traffic that converts to leads and revenue. My approach focuses on what Dubai businesses care about: ROI and clear business impact. I work with three types of clients: established businesses wanting to expand organic channels, startups needing complete digital presence, and companies with inefficient SEO teams struggling with conversion.
The key differentiator is my result-driven methodology that connects every SEO activity directly to lead generation and revenue impact, not vanity metrics that don't interest stakeholders.
My portfolio demonstrates consistent 4X to 10X growth across sectors. With Citrusbug, I took them from zero organic traffic to thousands monthly visitors and several qualified leads from developed markets. For mintjewels.ie, a Dubai gold business, traffic exploded in 10X monthly visitors after ranking for "gold price in Dubai." Their weekly leads increased in two times.
Most impressively, with Zayed University in UAE, I worked on graduate programs over two years. Starting with just a small number of applicants per program from organic traffic, we achieved nearly a fourfold increase in applications.. They now rank first for all target keywords including "master in finance UAE." The university work was particularly challenging due to government protocols requiring approval for any website changes.
I'm building a focused team of three: myself handling SEO strategy, an experienced content writer, and a dedicated backlink builder, plus a part-time developer. At Ubrik, I helped grow SEO clients from three to six-seven, with several expanding from single-region to multi-region campaigns.
Monthly retainers consistently exceed thousands of dollars, and I've seen client revenue grow 5X monthly. Companies like Atlas Copco started with UAE-only SEO, then expanded to USA, Oman, and Saudi Arabia based on results. I also maintain consultant relationships with previous employers, managing teams I personally hired.
Dubai taught me through mentor Azad: "What you see is what sells." You must communicate results clearly—if you achieve 200% traffic increase, create comprehensive reports showing business impact. Dubai businesses invest heavily but care about leads, conversions, and ROI—not technical metrics that confuse stakeholders.
This transformed my presentations from complex technical reports to clear business impact summaries. Dubai's investment levels demand accountability and clear value communication. Building relationships beyond formal interactions is crucial—when Atlas Copco expanded to US operations, they invited us to stakeholder meetings with sponsored visas because of personal connections we'd built.
COVID-19 was my turning point. Comfortable in my full-time role, the crisis hit hard—salaries were cut in half, forcing me out of my comfort zone. This taught me that marketing professionals need adaptability because our field changes constantly. Google algorithms, AI integration, new search behaviors through ChatGPT and Perplexity—we must stay current.
The crisis showed me the danger of comfort zones. When secure, you decline opportunities and side projects, missing industry evolution. That challenging period pushed me to level up skills and eventually led to the Dubai opportunity that transformed my career.
Three people shaped my Dubai experience. Shehaf, Ubrik's founder, introduced me to Dubai's business culture and relationship-building beyond formal interactions. Azad, with 10+ years in client service, taught me to communicate with clients like friends, creating connections so strong that Atlas Copco invited us to Eid celebrations and expanded services internationally.
Kazim Abbas guided me on paid media aspects, crucial for understanding the full marketing ecosystem and Dubai's comprehensive marketing investment approach. Their collective advice emphasized authentic relationship building, cultural sensitivity, and unwavering focus on measurable results.
Recently receiving a formal appreciation letter from Citrusbug for helping close a $100,000+ healthcare application project. They organized a celebration for the entire SEO team I helped build—five members I personally hired. This recognition validates the long-term value I create.
Another proud moment was Atlas Copco's expansion. Starting with UAE operations, their global team noticed our region outperforming others and requested expansion to US, then Oman and Saudi Arabia. Being invited to US stakeholder meetings proved that consistent SEO work creates international business impact.
I'm adapting to industry shifts where people increasingly use ChatGPT and Perplexity instead of traditional Google searches. We're optimizing for how brands appear in AI responses while Google remains dominant. The challenge is understanding different ranking factors across multiple AI platforms.
Operationally, AI transformed our content production from 10 pieces per quarter to 50 pieces using various tools. We've developed SOPs with AI prompts for writers, junior SEOs, and link builders. GitHub repositories of proven prompts streamline our processes, and tools like Canva AI and ChatGPT enhance everything from image generation to content research.
I'm seeking clients in three categories: established businesses with websites not driving traffic or leads, wanting to expand organic marketing; startups with developed products needing complete digital presence; and companies with inefficient SEO teams producing traffic but no conversions.
My ideal clients are Dubai-based or targeting developed markets like the US, with vision and budget for long-term SEO strategies. They must understand that organic growth requires patience but delivers sustainable results, and be committed to measurable business outcomes over vanity metrics.
"Atomic Habits" transformed my development philosophy. You can't jump from waking at 10am to 6am instantly—sustainable change requires gradual 30-day shifts. This applies to SEO: sustainable organic growth happens through consistent, incremental improvements, not dramatic overnight changes.
For SEO expertise, Brian Dean of Backlinko provides practical frameworks I've used throughout my career. His content marketing courses and link-building strategies, recently acquired by SEMRush, align perfectly with result-driven approaches that Dubai businesses expect.
Happiness comes from building good relationships with people around you. Research consistently shows the happiest people have strong relationships—with family, colleagues, neighbors. You can't be happy in toxic environments, regardless of other successes.
Moving internationally requires open-mindedness and relationship building. My mentor Azad's advice about going beyond formal client relationships proved this—we built connections so strong that clients invited us to celebrations and business meetings. Professional achievements feel meaningful only with the human connections you build along the way. When clients become friends who trust your expertise, work becomes fulfilling rather than transactional.
I moved to Dubai in 2022 for a lucrative opportunity with Ubrik, a performance marketing agency. The transition revealed a fundamental difference—what costs $1,000 monthly in India commands $5,000 budgets in Dubai for the same services. Dubai businesses take SEO seriously as a long-term investment and expect results. This market readiness to invest properly made Dubai incredibly attractive.
I'm an SEO expert with 7+ years experience, now launching my own agency goupseo.agency for Dubai and Middle East businesses. My identity centers on being the go-to person when companies need organic traffic that converts to leads—whether they're starting from zero or have underperforming teams.
I specialize in SEO that drives measurable business results—organic traffic that converts to leads and revenue. My approach focuses on what Dubai businesses care about: ROI. I work with established businesses wanting to expand organic channels, startups creating digital presence, and companies with underperforming SEO teams. The key differentiator is my result-driven methodology connecting directly to lead generation and revenue impact.
Dubai taught me a crucial lesson through mentor Azad: "What you see is what sells." You must communicate results clearly—if you achieve 200% organic traffic increase, create comprehensive reports showing business impact. Dubai businesses invest heavily but care about leads, conversions, and ROI—not technical metrics. This result-focused approach transformed my presentations from complex technical reports to clear business impact summaries.
COVID-19 was my turning point. Comfortable in my full-time role, the crisis hit hard—salaries were cut in half, forcing me out of my comfort zone. This taught me that marketing professionals need adaptability because our field changes constantly. Google algorithms, AI integration, new search behaviors through ChatGPT—we must stay current. That challenging period pushed me to level up and eventually led to Dubai.
Three people shaped my Dubai experience. Shehaf, Ubrik's founder, introduced me to Dubai's business culture and relationship-building beyond formal interactions. Azad, with 10+ years in client service, taught me to speak with clients like friends, creating connections so strong that Atlas Copco expanded from UAE to multiple international markets. Kazim Abbas guided me on paid media aspects, crucial for understanding Dubai's marketing investment levels.
I'm adapting to shifts where people increasingly use ChatGPT and Perplexity instead of Google. We're optimizing for how brands appear in AI responses while Google remains dominant. Operationally, AI transformed our content production from 10 pieces per quarter to 50 pieces. We've developed SOPs with AI prompts for writers and SEO specialists, streamlining processes through tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity.
I'm seeking clients in three categories: established businesses with websites not driving traffic or leads, wanting to expand organic marketing; startups with developed products needing complete digital presence; and companies with inefficient SEO teams producing traffic but no conversions. My ideal clients are Dubai-based or targeting developed markets, with vision and budget for long-term SEO strategies focused on measurable business outcomes.
"Atomic Habits" transformed my development philosophy—sustainable change requires gradual shifts, not dramatic jumps. This applies to SEO: sustainable organic growth happens through consistent, incremental improvements. For SEO expertise, Brian Dean of Backlinko provides practical frameworks I've used throughout my career, focusing on result-driven strategies Dubai businesses expect.
Happiness comes from building good relationships with people around you. Research shows the happiest people have strong relationships—with family, colleagues, neighbors. Moving internationally requires open-mindedness and relationship building. My mentor Azad's advice about going beyond formal client relationships proved this—we built connections so strong that clients invited us to celebrations and business meetings. Professional achievements feel meaningful only with the human connections you build along the way.
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