Royal Air Maroc has appointed Merkle MENA as its SEO, content and generative engine optimisation partner, as the Moroccan national carrier looks to strengthen its visibility across traditional search engines and emerging AI-powered discovery platforms.
The account was awarded following a competitive pitch process. Under the partnership, Merkle MENA, part of dentsu, will develop and execute an integrated organic search and content strategy for the airline, with a focus on reaching travellers across the Middle East, Africa and other international markets.
The scope covers technical search engine optimisation, content strategy and production, as well as generative engine optimisation, commonly referred to as GEO. The latter focuses on improving how brands and their information are discovered, interpreted and surfaced through generative AI and large language model-powered platforms.
For Royal Air Maroc, the strategy is intended to address different stages of the travel journey, from early destination research and inspiration to higher-intent searches closer to booking.
Saida Najioullah, Vice President, E-commerce at Royal Air Maroc, said the airline wants to be visible wherever travellers are searching for information, including Google and increasingly AI-powered tools. She added that Merkle MENA demonstrated an understanding of the changing search environment during the pitch process.
The appointment comes as the way consumers discover travel information continues to expand beyond conventional search results. Generative AI tools can increasingly respond directly to complex travel queries, creating another discovery environment for airlines, hotels and destination marketers alongside established search engines and online travel platforms.
This shift has also increased attention around GEO as marketers examine how their content appears within AI-generated responses. However, GEO remains an evolving area of digital marketing, and approaches to measuring visibility and business impact across generative AI platforms are still developing.
Andreas Skopal, CEO of Merkle MENA, said SEO and content remain foundational to brand discovery, while GEO is becoming an additional consideration as AI changes how consumers search for and evaluate travel options.
The Royal Air Maroc mandate will bring these areas together rather than treating conventional search and AI discovery as separate strategies.
For the airline, the partnership forms part of a wider effort to strengthen digital visibility as it seeks to connect travellers between Africa and international destinations. The appointment also reflects a broader change in search marketing, with brands beginning to consider visibility across both traditional search results and AI-generated answers as part of their organic discovery strategies.
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