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I didn't start in marketing. I started in sales.

Jacob AlHailouni

Talking to customers every day taught me what makes people buy, and what makes them walk away. That lesson has shaped everything I've done since.

I studied software engineering in Syria, but the situation there meant I couldn't finish my degree. I kept learning anyway and became a developer, building websites and web apps with React, JavaScript and WordPress.

Then I noticed something. Launching a good website wasn't the end of the job. Businesses still needed the right people to find it, and a way to turn those visitors into customers. So I learned SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads and conversion optimisation, and put the two skill sets together.

Today I'm based in Dubai and have worked on websites, campaigns and online stores for businesses across the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia: more than 20 projects over 5+ years. On e-commerce projects I've also worked on pricing, payments and operations, so I think about profit, not just traffic.

Right now I'm most interested in AI and automation: doing the repetitive work faster, so more time goes into what actually grows a business. My next goal is to build an AI-operated digital agency that does exactly that.

How I got here.

Not the usual path into marketing, and that's the point.

  1. 01

    Sales

    My first job was talking to customers every day. It taught me what makes people buy, and what makes them walk away.

  2. 02

    Software engineering

    I studied software engineering in Syria. The situation there meant I couldn't finish my degree, so I kept learning on my own.

  3. 03

    Developer

    I became a developer, building websites and web apps with React, JavaScript and WordPress.

  4. 04

    Marketing

    I noticed a good website wasn't the end of the job. So I learned SEO, Google Ads, Meta Ads and conversion optimisation.

  5. 05

    Dubai, today

    Now I combine all of it: 20+ projects in 5+ years for businesses across the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

  6. 06

    Next

    Building toward my own AI-operated digital agency.

Three words people use for me

Technical
I have a software background, so I build and fix things myself instead of waiting on third parties.
Resourceful
When something doesn't work, I find another way in. Development, marketing, e-commerce and automation give me a few angles.
Committed
I don't treat projects as a list of tasks. I want to know whether the work is actually helping the business.

What I work with

  • Google Ads
  • Meta Ads
  • TikTok Ads
  • Snapchat Ads
  • Shopify
  • Next.js
  • React
  • WordPress
  • GA4
  • Make.com
  • Arabic SEO
  • Figma

Languages

Arabic (native) and English

Things I believe.

Five lessons from sitting on both sides: selling to customers, and building the systems that bring them in.

  • Cheap leads are not a result.

    A hundred inquiries that never buy cost more than ten that do. I measure cost per customer, not cost per click.

  • A slow website is an expensive brochure.

    If it's hard to use on a phone, or hard to contact you from, the ad budget leaks before anyone calls.

  • Marketing can't fix a missing sales process.

    I've seen campaigns bring in plenty of inquiries that nobody followed up. So I ask about your follow-up before I touch your ads.

  • Website, SEO, ads and sales are one job.

    When different people own each piece, nobody owns the customer journey. I look at all of it together.

  • Get more from what you have before spending more.

    At Eskon, cost per lead came down 30% in two months through optimisation, not a bigger budget.

Updated October 2026

Right now.

  • Day jobWorking in-house at FederalTec on the website, SEO, and Google and Meta ads.
  • On the sideA few freelance projects: websites, Shopify stores and campaigns.
  • LearningAI and automation, and how to take repetitive work off people's plates.
  • Building towardMy own AI-operated digital agency.
  • Based inDubai. I work in Arabic and English.

Let's talk about your project.

Tell me what your business does and what you want more of. The first conversation is free, and you'll get an honest view of what's working and what isn't.

  • First conversation is free
  • Arabic and English
  • You own every account
Let's discuss your projectPrefer email? hello@jacobalhailouni.com