Website & AI Systems Build - drbarker.co.za
(2015-01 - 2026-04)
Freelance work
- Designed and built a 25+ page WordPress site, live at drbarker.co.za (2015 – 2026)
- Drove the site to rank 4th in Google's local map results for "Botox Green Point" — the highest-volume search term in the niche — ahead of competitors with significantly higher review counts
- Secured early, niche-relevant backlinks (WhatClinic, Fotona, Aptos) that have anchored the site's domain authority for over a decade
- Built and deployed a live AI booking assistant (n8n + OpenAI API) handling new/returning patient intake, consent confirmation, and appointment booking — currently running on the site (Jan – Apr 2026)
- Built a live AI skin-analysis tool (drbarker.co.za/skin-scan.html) mapping scan results directly to treatment recommendations (Jan – Apr 2026)
- Implemented SSL, CSP security headers and GDPR-readiness measures across the site
- Runs end-to-end on ~R350/month (chatbot, skin-scan tool, hosting and APIs combined); scales to ~R500/month under heavier load — lead capture alone makes the running cost negligible against its marketing value
- A grade on securityheaders.com; 92 Performance / 100 Best Practices / 100 SEO on Google PageSpeed (desktop)
Web Developer - Third Culture by Milenne
(2025-01 - 2026-04)
Freelance work
- Built a bilingual (English/Portuguese) site end-to-end: contact forms, GA4, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile
- Delivered plain-language handover documentation so the client manages content independently, with no developer needed
- Built lean and hosted free, with no recurring infrastructure cost, while serving both local and international (online) clients
- Redeployed the site and resolved its security configuration, achieving a full A grade on securityheaders.com across all major headers (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and others)
- 98 Performance / 100 Best Practices on Google PageSpeed (desktop)
Independent Project — Audio ML Dataset Pipeline (Google NSynth) - Self-directed
- Built a complete feature-extraction pipeline — MFCC, chroma, spectrograms, spectral shape, tonnetz, zero-crossing rate — across 300,000+ audio clips
- Merged 58 processed batches against full metadata into a single, labelled, training-ready X/y dataset
Website, Business & Innovation Strategist - MH Hubza - Cape Town
(2024-01 - 2025-12)
company since closed
- Designed and launched the corporate website, supporting service expansion and retail e-commerce development
- Built an expandable WooCommerce platform designed to host 1,000+ products from multiple vendors
- Reference available on request
Founder & Research Lead - The Toothache Protocol
(2014-01)
- Invented and developed a rinse-and-spit oral pain relief product using osmotic principles; 1st place, The Innovation Hub's GAP Medical Competition
- Researched the underlying chemistry independently, with no formal background in chemistry or dentistry — proof of working ability to research and write credibly in unfamiliar technical territory
- Secured R350,000 in early-stage funding (The Innovation Hub & Technology Innovation Agency); South African patent granted
- Designed and launched toothacheprotocol.com end-to-end: conversion copywriting, full SEO/OG metadata, and "Build Your Rinse" — a free interactive 9-question personalisation tool (live at toothacheprotocol.com/build-your-rinse)
- A grade on securityheaders.com; 96 Performance / 100 Best Practices / 100 SEO on Google PageSpeed (desktop)
Project Manager - Highbury Safika Media
(2004-01 - 2006-12)
- Co-created a national youth development publication marking the 30th anniversary of the June 16, 1976 Soweto uprising; secured R10m+ in sponsorship and reached 10,000+ readers per issue
