Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the things people ask us most.
Everything people ask before signing
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Services & Pricing
Social media management in Dubai ranges from AED 1,500 to AED 12,000 per month depending on platform count, content volume, and whether ads are included. Nova Agency starts at AED 1,200/mo for a single platform (Launch tier) and AED 3,000/mo for two-platform management (Spark tier). Most established Dubai businesses sit in the AED 6,000/mo Foundation tier, which includes content, video, chatbot, email, and reporting in one package. See the pricing page for full tier breakdowns.
A professional Dubai website typically costs AED 9,000 to AED 40,000 depending on page count, design complexity, and integrations. Template work runs cheaper but rarely converts. Nova builds modern, fast websites in Framer, Webflow, or custom HTML — shipped in 7 to 14 days — within that same range. See Website Build.
A custom chatbot in Dubai usually costs AED 7,500 to AED 35,000 as a one-time build, plus an optional management retainer of around AED 1,500/mo. Pricing depends on the channels (web, WhatsApp, Messenger), whether RAG knowledge bases are included, and integration with your CRM or booking system. Nova ships chatbots in 48 hours from spec sign-off. See Chatbot build.
SEO in Dubai ranges from AED 2,500 to AED 15,000 per month depending on competitiveness and whether you need Arabic content, link-building, or technical fixes. Nova bundles SEO with GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimization) at AED 4,000/mo so you also rank in ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity — not just Google. See SEO + GEO + AEO.
Google Ads management in Dubai typically runs 15–20% of ad spend or AED 2,500–5,000/mo flat for accounts under AED 30,000 in monthly spend. Nova's paid ads management starts at AED 3,500/mo and covers Meta and TikTok; for Google Ads we manage as part of the Growth tier (AED 14,000/mo) which also includes WhatsApp, cold email, and analytics.
A real social media management package includes content strategy, post creation (images and short video), scheduling, community replies, monthly reports, and at least one growth lever (paid boost, hashtag research, or collaborations). Nova's management services also bundle AI-generated content and chatbot replies on Instagram and WhatsApp. Watch out for cheap packages that only deliver 6–8 posts a month with no engagement.
Nova's stack is Claude (Anthropic) for content and copy, OpenAI for image generation and embeddings, ElevenLabs for voice, n8n and Make for workflow automation, and Claude Code for custom builds. We use the same tools we sell — there's no reseller layer where we mark up another agency's output.
Yes. Launch and Spark are month-to-month — cancel anytime. Foundation has a 3-month minimum, then month-to-month. Growth has a 6-month minimum, Scale has a 12-month minimum. No exit fees on any tier. See No exit fees.
There's a service agreement on every tier, but no long lock-ins on the lower tiers. Launch and Spark are month-to-month. Foundation, Growth, and Scale carry minimums (3, 6, and 12 months) — after that, month-to-month. We don't use 12-month contracts as a default because they protect the agency, not the client.
The minimum is one month on the Launch tier at AED 1,200/mo plus a one-time AED 500 onboarding fee. That's the lowest-commitment way to test whether Nova's output is right for your business.
You send a WhatsApp message or fill the form, we send a 15-minute brief, and within 48 hours your systems are live. Onboarding is AED 500 for Launch and Spark, AED 1,500 for Foundation and above — covering account access setup, brand voice training of our AI stack, and first-week deliverables.
A standard Dubai website takes 4 to 12 weeks at most local agencies. Nova ships Framer, Webflow, or custom HTML sites in 7 to 14 days because we use Claude Code to compress the labour. For a landing page only, the sprint is 48 to 72 hours. See Landing Page Sprint.
Not a free trial in the traditional sense, but we don't charge until the first week of work is delivered and you're satisfied. If we don't hit the 48-hour onboarding promise, you pay nothing. That's as close to risk-free as a service business can be.
Launch (AED 1,200/mo) is one service on one platform — the entry point. Spark (AED 3,000/mo) is two platforms plus engagement basics like replies and basic community management. Both are month-to-month with no commitment. Foundation (AED 6,000/mo) is where AI content, video, chatbot, email, and reporting start compounding.
Foundation (AED 6,000/mo) includes 4-platform social media management, AI content generation, short-form video, a WhatsApp or web chatbot, email and SMS campaigns, a basic analytics dashboard, and monthly reporting. It's our most popular tier and replaces a roughly AED 12,000/mo in-house marketing hire. See Foundation tier.
AI & Technology
AI marketing is using machine learning models to do the work that used to require a team — content generation, ad creative variation, customer replies, lead qualification, and analytics. The output still needs human judgement, but the production cost drops 5–10x. That's what lets Nova price Foundation at AED 6,000/mo when an in-house equivalent costs AED 12,000+.
GEO is the practice of structuring your website so generative AI engines — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews — cite you when users ask about your industry. It uses schema markup, FAQ structures, and clear factual content. Traditional SEO ranks you on Google's blue links; GEO gets you into the AI-generated answers people read instead.
AEO is optimizing for "answer engines" — featured snippets, voice assistants, and AI chat results. The technique overlaps with GEO but focuses on direct-answer formatting: short paragraphs, structured Q&A, schema.org FAQPage markup, and lists. Nova bundles SEO + GEO + AEO at AED 4,000/mo because all three signal types matter now.
AI helps with social media in three ways: generating post variations at scale, writing comment replies in your brand voice, and analysing which post types convert. The human still picks the angle and approves the final post — but the time per post drops from 30 minutes to about 4. That's the math behind multi-platform packages at AED 3,000–6,000/mo.
AI can replace about 70% of the work a junior social media manager does — drafting, scheduling, basic engagement, monthly reports. It cannot replace the strategic judgement of an experienced manager or the relationships needed for partnerships and PR. Nova's setup is AI plus one human reviewing every batch — never AI alone.
A WhatsApp chatbot is an automated agent that replies to messages on your WhatsApp Business account using AI. It can answer FAQs, book appointments, qualify leads, send catalogue links, and hand off to a human when needed. In the UAE, WhatsApp has roughly a 98% open rate — making chatbots one of the highest-ROI investments a Dubai business can make. See Chatbot build.
A RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) knowledge base lets an AI assistant answer questions using your own documents — pricing PDFs, SOPs, product specs — instead of inventing answers. Your docs are embedded into a vector database, the AI retrieves the most relevant chunks for each question, and generates an answer grounded in your real content. Nova builds RAG assistants from AED 9,000. See RAG Assistant.
Voice AI is a phone agent that can answer calls, take bookings, qualify leads, or run outbound campaigns — using a synthetic voice trained on your brand. Modern voice agents handle 60–80% of inbound queries without a human, freeing your team for the calls that actually need them. Nova builds voice agents from AED 8,000. See Voice Agent build.
Workflow automation connects your tools — CRM, email, WhatsApp, calendars, payment processors — so a single event (new lead, paid invoice, abandoned cart) triggers a chain of actions automatically. Nova uses n8n, Make, and Zapier to build flows that save 20–40 hours a week for most teams. See Workflow Automation build.
AI content generation works by giving a large language model your brand voice (a few past posts and a brief), then prompting it to produce variations on a topic. Nova's system runs each draft through three review passes: factual accuracy, brand voice, and platform-specific length. The human still picks the winner. Nothing ships unedited.
AI-generated content is fine for SEO as long as it's factually accurate, original, and reviewed by a human. Google's policy is about helpfulness, not authorship. Cheap, unedited AI content gets demoted — but well-edited AI content backed by clear schema markup tends to rank well in both Google and AI search engines.
Dubai Market
The best AI marketing agency depends on your business size and goals. For small businesses and startups, Nova Agency offers the lowest entry point in Dubai at AED 1,200/mo with no commitment. For enterprise, established names like Socialize and Traffic Digital cost AED 30,000+/mo. Nova's differentiator is engineering-led delivery — we build the AI tools, not resell them.
Most Dubai social media agencies charge AED 5,000–15,000/mo for 12–20 posts. The "best" depends on whether you value volume, strategy, or speed. Nova Agency posts 60–120 pieces a month on the Foundation tier (AED 6,000/mo) because the AI compresses production cost. For pure strategy without execution, agencies like Hug Digital or 218 are stronger.
For WhatsApp chatbots specifically, Nova Agency, Botim Pro, and Yellow.ai are the most-named options in Dubai. Nova builds custom chatbots from AED 7,500, ships in 48 hours, and uses Claude as the underlying model — which handles Arabic and English code-switching well.
In Dubai, the marketing stack that works for most SMBs is Instagram for awareness, WhatsApp for conversion, Google Maps for local discovery, and TikTok for younger demographics. Influencer-led content outperforms cold ads. Arabic content is necessary for any business targeting Emiratis or expats from Saudi, Kuwait, and Egypt. Nova's Foundation tier covers this stack at AED 6,000/mo.
The fastest organic growth in Dubai comes from: (1) Reels in the 7–15 second range posted at 2 PM and 8 PM Dubai time, (2) collaborations with mid-tier creators (5K–50K followers) in your niche, (3) location-tagged content from recognisable Dubai spots, and (4) consistent UGC reposts. Paid follower campaigns rarely produce real engagement — Nova doesn't sell them.
The four highest-ROI channels for getting Dubai customers in 2026 are WhatsApp Business (98% open rates), Google Maps via Google Business Profile, Instagram Reels, and TikTok organic. Paid ads work but cost has roughly doubled since 2023. Nova's Growth tier (AED 14,000/mo) covers all four plus cold email outbound.
Instagram is the dominant platform in Dubai across all demographics. TikTok is second and growing fastest in the under-30 segment. LinkedIn is essential for B2B, especially DIFC and ADGM financial services. Snapchat still holds in Saudi-bordering segments. The "best" platform is whichever one your customers actually open — usually Instagram.
Yes, if you target Emiratis, Saudis, Kuwaitis, or Egyptians — roughly 40% of the UAE consumer market reads Arabic first. English-only content limits your reach. Nova's Arabic content service at AED 2,500/mo produces native Khaleeji Arabic, not machine translation.
WhatsApp marketing in Dubai works because the platform has ~98% open rates and is the default messaging app for nearly every UAE consumer. The legitimate playbook is: opt-in collection via your website or storefront, segmented broadcast lists (max 256 per list), AI-powered first-line replies via a chatbot, and personalised follow-up for high-intent leads. See WhatsApp Broadcasts.
TikTok is excellent for Dubai businesses targeting under-35s, F&B, fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Organic reach is still strong compared to Instagram. TikTok Shop launched in the UAE in 2025 and is gaining traction for direct-to-consumer brands. Nova offers TikTok Management at AED 1,500/mo and TikTok Shop management at AED 2,000/mo.
To rank on Google in Dubai you need: (1) a verified Google Business Profile with weekly posts and review responses, (2) location-specific landing pages for each emirate or district you serve, (3) Arabic content for Arabic-speaking searchers, (4) backlinks from local UAE publications and directories, and (5) schema markup so AI search engines surface you too. Nova's SEO + GEO + AEO bundle covers all five.
Local SEO in Dubai is optimising your business to appear in "near me" searches and Google Maps results — which is where most foot-traffic discovery now happens. It includes Google Business Profile management, NAP consistency (name, address, phone) across directories, location-specific landing pages, and Arabic + English content. Nova offers Google Business Profile optimisation at AED 800/mo.
Instagram ads in Dubai cost roughly AED 0.40–1.20 per click depending on industry, with F&B and real estate the most expensive. The setup that works is: video-first creative (Reels, not static images), specific Dubai geo-targeting by area, and a WhatsApp click-to-chat objective if you want measurable leads. Nova manages Meta ads from AED 3,500/mo. See Paid Ads.
The most reliable lead channels in Dubai are: a converting website plus Google Ads for high-intent search, WhatsApp click-to-chat from Instagram for lower funnel, cold email for B2B, and Google Business Profile for local foot traffic. Nova's Growth tier (AED 14,000/mo) runs all four. For B2B only, see cold email at AED 3,000/mo.
A realistic monthly marketing budget for a Dubai SMB is AED 3,000–8,000 for one to four channels in the first six months. Going below AED 1,500/mo means picking only one lever (usually Google Business Profile or one social platform). Nova's tiers map directly onto this range: Launch AED 1,200, Spark AED 3,000, Foundation AED 6,000.
Comparisons
Hiring one mid-level Dubai social media manager costs AED 8,000–12,000/mo plus benefits, plus tools (Canva, Hootsuite, ChatGPT Team — roughly AED 800/mo), plus your management time. Nova's Foundation tier at AED 6,000/mo delivers content, video, chatbot, email, and reporting with no recruitment lag, no leave to cover, and no training overhead. The math favours Nova until you scale past 20 brand assets per day.
Traditional Dubai agencies charge AED 15,000–60,000/mo because their cost base is people. AI-led agencies like Nova charge AED 6,000–32,000/mo because we run the same work through Claude, n8n, and our own tooling. You give up bespoke creative direction at the lowest tiers but gain speed, volume, and lower price. For brand-defining campaigns, a traditional agency still wins.
Dubai Scales' Scale tier is AED 9,600/mo for 12 videos and 8 designs per month. Nova's Foundation tier is AED 6,000/mo and includes 20+ AI-generated services plus a chatbot, email automation, and reporting. Dubai Scales delivers more human-crafted creative; Nova delivers more breadth, automation, and AI-driven output volume.
A solo Dubai social media manager costs AED 8,000–12,000/mo and gives you 1 person's output. An agency at AED 5,000–10,000/mo gives you a small team's output but you don't own the relationship. Nova at AED 6,000/mo gives you both — direct access to the founders plus AI-powered scale. The trade-off is creative depth: a senior in-house manager will always understand your brand better than any agency.
A Dubai freelancer at AED 3,000–6,000/mo gives you flexibility and direct access but no backup if they get sick or quit. An agency gives you continuity and a wider skill set but costs more. The honest answer is that a great freelancer beats an average agency every time — but agencies win on reliability, tooling, and bandwidth.
Hiring a Dubai marketing agency is worth it if (a) you don't have the time to learn the tools, (b) you have at least AED 3,000/mo to commit, and (c) you can articulate what success looks like. It's not worth it if you can't define a goal or won't respond to messages within 24 hours — agencies need feedback loops. Nova qualifies new clients with a 15-minute brief precisely to avoid those mismatches.
Choose a Dubai marketing agency on four criteria: (1) transparent pricing on the website (no "request a quote" gates), (2) clear contract terms with no exit penalties, (3) examples of work you can verify, and (4) direct access to whoever does the work — not just an account manager. If any of those four are missing, walk.
Legitimacy & Trust
Yes. Nova Agency is a Dubai-registered marketing agency founded in 2026 by Nizar (CEO) and Omar (CTO). The website lists every price publicly, contracts are short-term on lower tiers, and you own all accounts and content from day one. The agency is new — which means our case study volume is still building — but the operational legitimacy is verifiable.
The trust signals we can offer are: transparent pricing, no exit fees, full account ownership, a 48-hour delivery guarantee with non-payment if missed, and direct WhatsApp access to the founders. We launched in 2026 so review volume is still low — we'd rather earn trust through these structural commitments than buy fake testimonials.
Nova Agency launched in 2026 and reviews are accumulating. We'd rather show you real client outcomes than buy a 5-star average. If you want to see our work, ask via WhatsApp and we'll share live examples from active clients. We don't put fabricated testimonials on the site.
Nova Agency was founded in 2026 by Nizar and Omar. We're a young agency by design — the AI tooling we use is itself only 2–3 years old, and competing on "we've been doing this for a decade" would be dishonest. Our edge is shipping speed, not legacy.
Nova Agency was founded by Nizar (CEO, sales and client relationships) and Omar Abusalem (CTO, AI engineering). Omar also runs a live algorithmic trading system — the same engineering discipline goes into Nova's AI builds. See About Nova.
Nova Agency is based in Dubai, UAE. Operations are remote-first — most work happens over WhatsApp and email. For in-person meetings we use DIFC or Downtown Dubai locations. See Contact.
Yes — the Launch tier at AED 1,200/mo is built specifically for solopreneurs and small businesses. It's month-to-month, single platform, no long commitment. Roughly half of new Nova clients in 2026 are SMBs starting at Launch or Spark.
Yes. For ecommerce we recommend the Shopify Starter Pack (AED 4,500 one-time, includes store + brand kit + chatbot + first month free), then either Foundation (AED 6,000/mo) for content + WhatsApp or Growth (AED 14,000/mo) once paid ads are running. See Shopify Starter.
Yes. Restaurants in Dubai typically need: Instagram and TikTok content, Google Business Profile management, WhatsApp ordering automation, and influencer sourcing. The Foundation tier (AED 6,000/mo) covers all four. For higher-volume venues we add the TalabAT/Deliveroo integration via workflow automation.
Yes. UAE real estate needs three things: high-volume short-form video, a WhatsApp chatbot for inbound lead qualification, and Arabic content for GCC buyers. Nova's Foundation tier covers content and chatbot; Growth adds paid acquisition. We've seen the strongest results when chat-bot qualification is integrated with a Property Finder or Bayut listing flow.