The Cost of Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency in UAE (2025)
If you’re buying digital marketing in the UAE, you’ll see a wide spread of pricing. The spread reflects the outcomes you’re after, the seniority of the team, and the complexity of your market—especially in Dubai’s fast-moving verticals. Below you’ll find fair ranges, the levers that move the numbers, and a simple way to turn proposals into a clean comparison so you can choose confidently.
UAE Pricing at a Glance (2025)
Retainers fund ongoing growth: planning, channel execution, content, and measurement. Projects fund finite outcomes: a launch, migration, or rebuild. Hybrids do both—keep a steady base and add sprints when needed.
| Category | Typical Range | What it usually covers |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Retainer | Entry → Growth → Enterprise (by scope) | Strategy cadence, SEO/SEM, paid social operations, content plan, dashboards |
| Project-Based | Scoped to deliverable & timeline | Launch campaigns, site/app launches, audits, migrations, creative sprints |
| Hybrid | Retainer + add-on projects | Stable base with seasonal or product spikes |
Detailed Price Bands — UAE (with Dubai notes)
Use these ranges to set expectations internally. In Dubai, you’ll often see the upper end due to senior talent density and competition.
| Service Model | Typical Range (UAE) | Snapshot of inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Small Retainer | $2,000 – $4,000 / month | SEO fundamentals, light paid ads, monthly reporting, content starter |
| Growth Retainer | $5,000 – $9,000 / month | Multi-channel (SEO/SEM/Paid Social), 1–2 campaigns per month, dashboards, CRO support |
| Enterprise Retainer | $10,000 – $15,000+ / month | Dedicated squad, strategy, creative, CRO, advanced measurement, multi-market (common in Dubai) |
| Website Revamp Project | $8,000 – $25,000 | IA, UX/UI, copy, SEO migration, analytics, QA, CMS build |
| Product Launch Campaign | $12,000 – $35,000 | Creative toolkit, media plan/buy, landing hub, tracking, dashboards |
| Audit & Roadmap | $5,000 – $8,000 | SEO/SEM/social/analytics audit with a prioritised 90-day plan |
Service-Specific Pricing (UAE)
These bands help you benchmark common components. In Dubai, expect the upper end due to senior talent and demand.
| Digital Marketing Service | Typical Range (UAE) | What’s Included (snapshot) |
|---|---|---|
| SEO Monthly Program | $1,500 – $5,000 / mo | Tech fixes, content plan, on-page, link strategy, reporting (pages & keywords agreed) |
| Performance Marketing Management | $1,800 – $6,000 / mo (excl. media) | Search + social ads ops, budgets, creatives rotation, scripts, weekly optimisation |
| Social Media Management | $1,200 – $4,500 / mo | Monthly calendar, copy & design, community moderation (hours/SLA defined) |
| Content Production Pack | $1,500 – $8,000 / pack | Photo/video set, motion graphics, long/short copy variations, thumbnails |
| Influencer Campaign Management | $2,000 – $7,000 (mgmt fee) | Shortlisting, outreach, contracting, briefing, tracking; creator fees billed separately |
| Marketing Automation / CRM Setup | $3,000 – $12,000 (project) | Platform setup, pipelines, email/SMS workflows, lead scoring, handover training |
| Analytics & Tracking Implementation | $1,200 – $4,000 (project) | GA4/CM360 stack, pixels, server-side (if needed), dashboards, QA |
| CRO Sprint | $2,000 – $6,000 (2–4 weeks) | Heuristic review, test plan, variant design/dev, A/B setup, results readout |
| Landing Page (Design + Dev) | $1,500 – $5,000 / page | UX copy, design system fit, build, analytics & form integration, QA |
| Email Marketing Program | $1,000 – $3,500 / mo | List hygiene, segmentation, 4–8 sends/mo, templates, automation touches, reporting |
What retainers actually include
A strong retainer reads like a rhythm: quarterly direction, monthly plans, weekly execution. Search and paid social do the heavy lifting; content and conversion make the lift visible. Reporting isn’t a PDF—it’s a dashboard that explains where results come from and what you’ll try next. In Dubai, expect higher creative throughput for luxury, real estate, hospitality and events.
When projects make more sense
Choose projects when the outcome is finite—a migration, a launch, a rebuild, an analytics overhaul. Many UAE brands keep a steady retainer and add project sprints for spikes around product drops, peak retail, or new market entries.
What really drives price
Scope & outcomes. Full-funnel work (strategy → creative → media → CRO) costs more than single-channel execution. Seniority. Leads and strategists add cost but cut waste and time-to-impact. Industry & compliance. Luxury, real estate, healthcare, and finance need experienced teams and more testing budget. Location. Dubai commands a premium for speed, polish, and sector expertise.
How to hire the right UAE agency
Lead with outcomes. Shortlist vendors from the UAE directory and, if city matters, say it—ask for live experience in Dubai. Issue one RFQ and require the same sections from every provider: scope, team & seniority, timelines, KPIs, reporting, and commercials with media/tooling separated. Reading three or four proposals side by side makes the decision obvious.
Copy-paste RFQ brief (UAE)
KPIs: Qualified leads/month, CPL, ROAS, CTR, CVR, CAC, pipeline value.
Channels: SEO, SEM, Paid Social (Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn), Landing Pages, Analytics.
Audience: ICP + geos + languages (EN/AR).
Budget: Media + services (separate).
Deliverables: Strategy, monthly plan, creatives, tracking, dashboards, reporting cadence.
Timeline: Kickoff → first wins → 90-day outcomes.
Requirements: Sector case studies, team seniority, references.
Submission: Please respond via Entasher RFQ with a comparable structure.
Timelines that set expectations
Weeks 1–4: foundations and first campaigns live; by the end of month one you should see directional signals. Months 2–3: optimisation and scale—creative/keyword expansion, CRO sprints, budget rebalancing, and a reporting cadence that explains what’s improving and why.
GCC & Neighbours — Quick Links
Jump to each country’s directory or go straight to the capital’s page.
Deepen your selection process and pricing insight with these resources:
- The Cost of Hiring a Digital Marketing Agency in Saudi Arabia (2025)
- How to Choose the Right Agency for Your Next Project (2025 Guide)
- Multi-Channel Advertising for Service Providers
- How to Write an RFQ for Social Media Management (Template)
- RFQ Template (Free) — Copy-Paste Example
- SEO Companies in Egypt — 2025 Expert Guide
