Salman Kureishi, Dubai, UAE
SEO & GEO ConsultantPerformance Marketing ExpertDubai, UAE
Hi, I'm Salman, an SEO and GEO consultant based in Dubai, running an independent search and performance marketing practice for brands across the UAE. I've spent 11 years building IBG Digital from the ground up, and I'm currently running a live generative engine optimization pilot for a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer across the US and Canada.
Real results across Dubai, Abu Dhabi & the GCC
TL;DR: I'm an SEO & GEO consultant based in Dubai, UAE. I run technical SEO, GEO/AI search visibility, Google Ads and Meta Ads for B2B and B2C brands across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider GCC. 9 real case studies, 11+ years running my own practice, and an active GEO pilot for a Fortune 500 manufacturer running right now.
I treat competitive intelligence as the starting point, not an afterthought, so a channel plan is built around what's actually winnable, not a generic checklist.
Skilled in SEO, GEO, competitive analysis, Google Ads and lead generation, with hands-on experience adapting search strategy for the AI Overviews and Google SGE era. Fluent in English and Urdu, and comfortable moving between strategy, execution and reporting.
SEO, GEO & performance marketing services for brands in Dubai & Abu Dhabi
The work usually breaks down into five parts. Here's what each one actually involves:
SEO & GEO
SEO service page →Technical SEO and search content built around what people in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are actually searching, paired with GEO work so the same content has a real shot at being cited inside AI Overviews and ChatGPT answers. See also the GEO & AI SEO page →
Google Ads Management
Google Ads service page →Search, Display and Shopping campaigns built around Dubai and Abu Dhabi's real cost-per-click landscape, one of the more expensive, more competitive ad markets in the region, with account audits and negative-keyword cleanup most retainers skip.
Meta Ads Management
Meta Ads service page →Facebook and Instagram campaigns for B2B and B2C brands, with creative testing and audience segmentation across the UAE.
Lead Generation & Marketing Systems
Lead gen funnel strategy →Lead scoring and follow-up systems that route qualified leads to sales properly, instead of every form-fill, hot or cold, landing in the same inbox.
Marketing Strategy & Competitive Intelligence
Digital marketing consulting →Competitive research, ICPs and go-to-market plans, particularly for B2B and manufacturing brands entering a new market or defending share against established local competitors.
More specialized SEO: Enterprise SEO, Ecommerce SEO, B2B SEO, YouTube SEO. Strategy: Content Strategy, Digital Marketing Consulting (advisory only, no execution).
Who I work with: B2B & B2C brands in Dubai, Abu Dhabi & the GCC
Most of my clients fall into one of three groups: B2B manufacturers and distributors across the GCC that need real competitive intelligence and a search strategy that reflects a long procurement cycle, consumer and retail brands in Dubai running seasonal or launch campaigns, and healthcare or professional-services practices competing for visibility inside a genuinely crowded local market.
If that sounds like you, whether you're based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or running a UAE-facing team from elsewhere in the GCC, that's the kind of work I take on.
An SEO & GEO consultant, not a 50-person agency
Dubai's SEO and digital marketing market is genuinely crowded, dominated by large agencies with 50+ person teams and hundreds of Google reviews. That scale is real and it suits some businesses. It also means most clients end up talking to an account manager instead of the person actually doing the strategy work.
Work with me and that layer disappears: you're talking directly to the person who did the competitive research, built the campaign, and reads the search console and GA4 data every week. That usually means faster decisions, and a lot fewer "let me check with the team" emails.
A large agency can still be the right call, particularly if you need a full production bench of designers and copywriters under one roof. It just isn't what every business in this market actually needs.
Where the work happened
IBG Digital
Dubai, UAE · 2015, Present11+
Years running an independent SEO & GEO consultancy across Dubai and the GCC.
Founder & CEO
Feb 2015, Present- Founded and run an independent SEO, performance marketing and competitive intelligence practice serving clients across Dubai and the wider GCC.
- Delivered 9 documented client campaigns spanning education, e-commerce, healthcare, heavy equipment, dental and B2B contract furniture, each built around a specific market or procurement-behavior challenge rather than a generic channel checklist.
- Combine SEO, Google Ads, Google Merchant Centre and analytics work depending on what each client's actual buyer behavior calls for.
Schneider Electric
North America · Remote · 2025, Present2025
Live GEO pilot launched across the US and Canada for a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer.
GEO / AI SEO Contractor
May 2025, Present- Running a US and Canada GEO pilot, cracking the generative engine optimization approach for company-wide adoption at scale within a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer.
- Applying competitive analysis and search positioning work directly against the shift toward AI Overviews, Google SGE and conversational AI search.
Webology World Australia
Perth, Australia · 2020, Present2020
Directing search marketing strategy for Australian businesses, ongoing.
Director of Search Marketing
May 2020, Present- Help Australian businesses grow through performance marketing, search strategy, AI integration and competitive intelligence.
- Case studies from this market to follow separately.
SearchEdge
Florida, US · 2026, Present2026
Newest venture: competitive analysis and Google SGE-era search positioning for US clients.
Partner
Jan 2026, Present- Partnering on competitive analysis and Google Search Generative Experience (SGE) positioning work for US-based clients.
Case study: healthcare marketing results for a Dubai-based clinic
Holistic Healing Medical Centre in Umm Suqeim has treated roughly 150,000 patients over 30 years, combining homeopathy, Ayurveda and modern diagnostics, but its real patient doesn't search the way a typical clinic's marketing assumes. They're not typing "holistic clinic Dubai," they're searching their exact symptom, exhausted after multiple conventional doctors without answers.
Solution-centred content addressing those specific pain points went live first, then targeted Google Ads and Meta campaigns, with dedicated landing pages, followed to meet that exact search intent. The result was a 280% growth in footfall, calls and inquiries within 6 months.
All case studies →280%
Growth in footfall, calls & inquiries
6
Months to result
150,000
Patients treated over 30 years
Marketing skills, tools & platforms
SEO & GEO
- Technical SEO
- GEO / AI Search Optimization
- Google Search Generative Experience (SGE)
- Search Engine Positioning
- Competitive Analysis
- Competitive Intelligence
Performance Marketing & Strategy
- Google Ads
- SEM
- Performance Marketing
- Lead Generation
- Marketing Consulting
- Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
- AI Strategy
Analytics & Client Relations
- Google Analytics (GA4)
- Google Ads / AdWords
- Customer Experience
- Customer Relations
Multi-market SEO & GEO expertise, not a single-city view
Running client work across Dubai, Perth and North America at the same time means competitive intelligence isn't theoretical, it's a daily comparison of what's actually working in genuinely different search markets, including how AI Overviews and generative search are rolling out unevenly across all three.
That cross-market view is one of the more overlooked advantages a UAE business can get from working with someone who isn't only ever looked at the Dubai market: patterns from an active enterprise GEO pilot in North America inform the SEO and GEO strategy built for a Dubai or Abu Dhabi client, not the other way around.
Straight answers to what people usually ask before hiring an SEO & GEO consultant in Dubai.
SEO agency or SEO consultant in Dubai: which should you hire?
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Most searches for an SEO agency in Dubai turn up large teams, 50+ people, hundreds of reviews, built for businesses that need a full production bench of designers and copywriters. An independent SEO consultant makes more sense if you want direct access to the person actually doing the strategy and the work, without an account manager layer in between, usually at a lower monthly cost too.
What does an SEO expert in Dubai actually do?
+
I run technical and content SEO alongside GEO (generative engine optimization), so a brand shows up both in Google's organic results and inside AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity answers. That's paired with Google Ads and Meta Ads where paid demand makes sense, plus the competitive intelligence work that most retainers skip.
How much does an SEO consultant cost in Dubai?
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Dubai is a more expensive, more competitive market than most of the GCC, reflected in cost-per-click figures that run well above regional averages. Retainer pricing for an SEO consultant depends heavily on site size, competitiveness of the target keywords, and whether GEO and content are bundled in. I quote based on the actual scope, not a flat rate.
What results can an SEO specialist get for a business in the UAE?
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Results depend on the market and the offer, but as real benchmarks from client work: a 570% increase in qualified leads for a Dubai education brand, and AED 1M+ in high-ticket B2B business closed within 12 months for a contract furniture company, both from focused SEO and paid search work, not a generic channel checklist.
Do you offer SEO services in Abu Dhabi as well as Dubai?
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Yes. Most of my UAE-based work already spans both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, since a lot of businesses in this market serve customers across both emirates rather than just one.
What is GEO (generative engine optimization) and why does it matter for a Dubai business?
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GEO is the work of getting a brand cited or recommended inside AI-generated answers, not just ranked in traditional search results. I'm currently running a live GEO pilot for a Fortune 500 industrial manufacturer across the US and Canada, and the same principles apply directly to brands trying to stay visible as UAE search behavior shifts toward AI Overviews and conversational search.
Which industries does an SEO specialist in Dubai typically work with?
+
My case studies span education, e-commerce, healthcare, heavy equipment manufacturing, dental clinics, immigration and compliance services, and B2B contract furniture, mostly across Dubai and the wider GCC. The underlying approach, competitive research first, then a channel mix built around the actual buying behavior, carries across industries.
Should you hire an SEO agency or run Google Ads first in Dubai?
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If you need leads immediately, a Google Ads campaign gets you visibility this week. SEO and GEO take longer, three to six months for meaningful movement, but keep working after you stop paying for clicks. Most of my engagements run both together rather than choosing one.
Let's talk growth in Dubai & Abu Dhabi.
Based in Dubai, UAE. Working with brands across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the GCC.