Hafees Aboobakkar

Digital & Web Experience Leader | SEO · GEO · Paid Media · Web Analytics · Higher Education

Dubai, United Arab Emirates · +971 55 526 7297 · hafees1261@gmail.com · linkedin.com/in/hafees-aboobakkar

Awards · Middlesex Employee of the Year 2021 Innovation Award 2023, 2024 Hidden Hero 2025 Resilience Award 2026
Awards · Eton Gold Long Service Award 2015 The Superman Award 2014 Spirit of Eton Award (Best Employee) 2012, 2013

Summary

Web and digital leader with 16+ years in higher education. I run university websites, admissions platforms and digital marketing across the whole student journey, from first enquiry to enrolment. I took the university website from invisible in search to top-10 rankings for every programme, set up lead generation from scratch, led several website migrations, and introduced email marketing and a WhatsApp bot. I lead paid campaigns on Google and Meta. Strengths: technical SEO, GEO, GA4 and Power BI reporting, AI-assisted workflows, and hands-on development in PHP, .NET, React and Next.js.

Key Achievements · Middlesex University Dubai

  1. 01Top 10 in Google for every programme. Took the website from not showing in search engines to top-10 rankings through technical SEO, schema markup and GEO for AI search visibility.
  2. 02Introduced the latest technologies. Modern web, CRM, tracking and AI tools, including React, Strapi CMS and HubSpot.
  3. 03Email marketing and WhatsApp bot. Introduced email marketing, automated workflows and a WhatsApp bot.
  4. 04Website migrations. Led website migrations several times.
  5. 05Paid media and agency management. Manage paid campaigns on Google, Meta and other platforms with the agency, including reporting and analytics; also digital platforms, third-party websites, radio advertising and vendor sourcing.
  6. 06Admissions growth (team effort). Contributed through lead tracking, paid campaign leads and website form integration; the team now brings 20,000+ leads a month and student intake grew from 2,000+ to 7,200+.

Experience

Middlesex University Dubai

May 2017 – Present
  1. Assistant Manager, Web Experience & Digital OperationsNov 2025 – Present
  2. Senior Webmaster & Data LeadSep 2022 – Nov 2025
  3. WebmasterMay 2017 – Sep 2022

Selected delivery

  • Web platforms: brand new website (front end and back end on current technologies); Strapi CMS for faster content publishing; MDX Blog and Mdxmindset Blog to power content and SEO; MDX Studio and That Design Fest websites; AI features for the website; accessibility upgrades; Digital Twins Future Lab.
  • Systems and integrations: CCAvenue payment gateway integration with a new dashboard; E2S app integration; facilities ticketing system; WhatsApp bot.
  • Lead generation and CRM: initial setup of email marketing, automation workflows and lead generation; new email marketing system; HubSpot form integration with the website; HubSpot pipelines and workflows.
  • Tracking and data: data layer tracking system; Facebook Conversions API setup; tracking implementation; leads-to-pay dashboards; applications and leads dashboards; data management technologies.
  • Events: full digital support for major conferences, including ACARI and ERPBSS.

Eton Institute

Nov 2010 – Oct 2016

Webmaster; earlier Web Developer, Graphic Designer & IT Consultant

Earlier Experience

learningonline.xyz — Web Administrator · Level Infinity Advertising Agency — Web & 3D Designer · CADD Centre — Grafx Engineer

SEO and GEO Practice

Higher website rankings through strong technical and on-page SEO. Ongoing work includes:

  • Technical audits: broken links, duplicate content, schema markup
  • On-page SEO: structure, keywords, meta tags, headings
  • Fully responsive, mobile-first website
  • Page speed, with a React front end
  • Local SEO through Google Business Profile
  • Quality content with the content team
  • Competitor analysis and strategy updates
  • User experience improvements for engagement
  • Regular monitoring and reporting with analytics tools
  • GEO enhancements for AI search visibility

Consulting Projects

Almasar Education — tracking, social, paid campaigns, IPO support · Amanat Holding — social and website · Thailand Post — Zero Net Emissions platform · Indian Genes — website

Skills

  • SEO and GEOTechnical SEO, schema markup, generative engine optimisation (GEO), AI search visibility
  • Analytics and dataGA4, GTM, Power BI, Excel, R Studio
  • Web and developmentPHP, .NET, React, Next.js, WordPress, Strapi, Sitefinity, GitHub
  • Marketing and CRMHubSpot, SendGrid, paid media (Google, Meta)
  • AIAI workflow optimisation; Claude, ChatGPT and similar AI platforms

Education

Master of Computer Applications (MCA) · Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) · Diploma in Multimedia Technology

Certifications

AI Workflow Optimisation Advanced (2026) · AI Skill Starter (2026) · Data Analytics (2023) · Customer Experience Strategy and Design (2023)

Languages

Malayalam (native) · English, Hindi, Tamil (full professional) · Arabic (elementary)