Royal Air Maroc Partners with Merkle MENA for SEO, Content and GEO

Royal Air Maroc has selected Merkle MENA, a dentsu company, as its SEO, content and generative engine optimisation (GEO) partner following a competitive pitch.

The partnership will support the Moroccan national carrier in expanding its digital visibility and strengthening connections with travellers across the Middle East, Africa and international markets.

Integrated Search and Content Strategy

Under the partnership, Merkle MENA will develop and implement an integrated organic search and content programme for Royal Air Maroc. The strategy will aim to increase the airline’s visibility across conventional search engines as well as emerging AI-powered discovery platforms.

The remit covers technical SEO, content strategy and production, and GEO, bringing established search practices together with approaches designed for the growing role of generative AI in online discovery.

Adapting to AI-Powered Travel Discovery

The partnership comes as generative artificial intelligence increasingly influences how travellers discover destinations, compare airlines and plan their bookings.

Merkle MENA will focus on helping Royal Air Maroc strengthen its position within this evolving digital search ecosystem, addressing both traditional search behaviour and the increasing influence of large language models on brand discovery.

Saida Najioullah, VP, E-commerce, Royal Air Maroc, said the airline wants to strengthen its presence wherever travellers are searching.

“Our ambition is to be the airline of choice for travellers connecting Africa with the world. Achieving that means being present and compelling wherever our customers are searching – whether that’s on Google, or increasingly, in AI-powered tools. Merkle MENA demonstrated a clear understanding of this landscape and a bold vision for how we can lead it,” Najioullah said.

Reaching Travellers Across the Customer Journey

By combining technical SEO, content and GEO, the programme is designed to engage high-intent travellers throughout different stages of the customer journey.

This includes reaching audiences during the initial inspiration and research phases, while also supporting travellers as they move closer to making a booking.

The approach reflects the changing search environment, where travellers are increasingly using both traditional search engines and AI-powered tools to find information and evaluate travel options.

Merkle MENA on the Partnership

Andreas Skopal, CEO, Merkle MENA, said the Royal Air Maroc brief reflects the changing role of search as AI becomes increasingly involved in how consumers discover brands and make decisions.

“We’re excited to partner with Royal Air Maroc on a brief that sits right at the forefront of where search is heading. SEO and content remain foundational, but GEO is quickly becoming the next frontier for brands that want to stay visible as AI changes how people find and choose travel. We’re looking forward to building a strategy that works across all of these dimensions,” Skopal said.

The partnership places SEO, content and GEO at the centre of Royal Air Maroc’s efforts to strengthen its digital presence across key international markets and adapt to emerging patterns in travel discovery.