Journal
Notes, mostly late at night.
On building websites, running ads, and shooting cars in Dubai. Written between jobs.
- SEOWebsites
Why your website only shows up when you search your own name
Someone Googles their own business name, sees their website, and decides it's working. It isn't. Your customers don't know your name - they search for what you sell.
- VideoPhotography
Do you need a permit to shoot a car in Dubai?
Short answer: sometimes. It depends on where you're standing, what the footage is for, and whether a drone is involved. Here's how I actually handle it.
- VideoMarketing
Does video actually sell more cars for a Dubai dealership?
The honest answer for a dealer weighing the spend: sometimes yes, sometimes it's money set on fire. Here's where the line is.
- VideoPhotographyMarketing
End-to-end content for a Dubai car dealership
A dealership doesn't need a photographer, a video guy, and a web guy who've never met. It needs one system where the cars sell themselves online.
- MarketingWebsites
GA4 and conversion tracking in Dubai, done properly
Most Dubai businesses have GA4 installed and still can't tell you which ad sold a car. Here's what a real setup tracks - and why WhatsApp is the whole game.
- Websites
How I rebuilt a 4-second website to 0.4 seconds
A Dubai supercar dealership had a site that took four seconds to show a photo. Here's what was actually slow, and what I did about it.
- VideoPricing
How much does a car video cost in Dubai?
The honest AED ranges for a car video in Dubai, and why a 15-second reel and a full brand film are different products at different prices.
- Photography
How to photograph cars in Dubai heat and hard light
Two enemies here: the sun straight overhead and a curved panel that mirrors everything around it. Here's how I beat both, plus why I keep setting 5am alarms.
- PhotographyVideoWebsites
One person for the photos, the video, and the website
Most brands hire a photographer, a video guy, and a web agency who never speak to each other. Here's why one person doing all three tends to win.
- Video
Rolling shots: how car chase footage actually gets made in Dubai
The shot where a moving car looks alive - wheels blurred, city sliding past - isn't luck. It's a second vehicle, a gimbal, and a lot of radio chatter.
- Automation
The WhatsApp bot that sends car photos to a Dubai sales team
For months I was a human photo index. A salesman would text asking for a car's shots, and I'd stop everything to go dig. So I built a bot to be the index instead.
- WebsitesPricing
Website development cost in Dubai - an honest breakdown
What a website actually costs in Dubai, tier by tier, and why the cheapest quote usually turns into the most expensive one about a year later.
- PhotographyPricing
What a car photoshoot in Dubai actually costs
Real AED ranges for a car shoot in Dubai, and the six things that actually move the number - so you can price your own job before anyone sends you a quote.
- Video
Shooting timelapse in Dubai: iPhone, Android & Sony FX3
A practical guide to shooting clean timelapse videos in Dubai, from quick phone clips to client-grade FX3 sequences. Real settings, gear and locations from my own shoots.
- WebsitesSEO
How website speed affects your Google ranking in Dubai
A Dubai dealership lost a page-one spot because their homepage took nine seconds to load on a phone. Here's how speed actually moves your ranking, and what I do to fix it.
- Marketing
Why digital marketing matters for small businesses in Dubai
Why small businesses here win or lose on Google, Instagram and a fast website, with practical steps, AED budgets and real local detail.