SEO & AI Optimisation Specialist (AIO)

TravelLab Africa Group; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 200 000 - 300 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading travel agency in Cape Town is seeking an SEO & AI Optimisation Specialist to enhance visibility across traditional and AI-driven search platforms. The ideal candidate will possess proven SEO experience in travel or e-commerce, with a strong understanding of AI optimisation techniques. You will collaborate with various teams to create high-quality content and monitor performance. This position offers competitive compensation and an opportunity to shape future search experiences.

Benefits

Competitive compensation based on experience

Collaborative team environment

Qualifications

• Proven experience in SEO, preferably in travel, e-commerce, or content-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of technical SEO and on-page optimisation.
• Demonstrated interest in AI optimisation and content strategies.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute Travelstart’s SEO and AI optimisation strategy.
• Optimise content for traditional and AI-driven search results.
• Conduct keyword research reflecting modern search behaviors.

Skills

SEO fundamentals

AI optimisation

Analytical skills

Content creation

Technical SEO

Tools

Google Search Console

GA

Ahrefs

SEMrush

Screaming Frog

Job description

Travelstart is one of Africa’s leading online travel agencies, helping millions of people discover, plan, and book travel every year. Organic discovery remains a core growth channel for us - but the way people search, discover, and decide is evolving rapidly.

We approach SEO with a modern, performance-driven mindset, embracing AI-powered search, LLMs, and new discovery surfaces alongside traditional organic search.

About the role

We’re looking for an SEO & AI Optimisation Specialist (AIO) to own and evolve Travelstart’s organic visibility across traditional search engines and AI-driven discovery platforms.

This role goes beyond classic SEO. You will be responsible for ensuring Travelstart is visible, relevant, and competitive across:

• Google Search (classic + AI-enhanced results)
• AI-powered search experiences
• LLM-driven discovery (e.g. conversational search and AI answers)
• Emerging search and recommendation surfaces

You’ll combine strong SEO fundamentals with an understanding of how AI models interpret, rank, and surface content, ensuring our content and structure are optimised for how modern travellers search and discover travel options.

What you’ll be doing

• Own and execute Travelstart’s SEO and AIO strategy with a clear focus on traffic quality, conversion, and bookings.
• Optimise content and site structure for:
• Traditional organic search
• AI-driven search results and summaries
• Conversational and intent-based queries
• Identify and prioritise opportunities where AI-powered search can drive incremental discovery and demand.
• Conduct keyword and intent research that reflects how modern travellers search, including long-form, conversational, and exploratory queries.
• Work closely with content, creative, and product teams to:
  • Create AI-readable, high-quality, authoritative content
  • Improve content structure, clarity, and usefulness
• Partner with engineering and product teams to deliver technical SEO improvements that support both classic search engines and AI systems.
• Monitor performance across organic and AI-driven channels, analysing impact on visibility, traffic, and conversions.
• Stay on top of changes in search algorithms, AI search experiences, and LLM behaviour, translating insights into practical action.

What we’re looking for

• Proven experience in SEO, ideally in travel, e-commerce, or a large content-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of core SEO fundamentals:
  • Technical SEO
  • On-page optimisation
  • Search intent and site architecture
• Demonstrated interest or experience in AI optimisation (AIO), including:
  • Optimising content for AI-generated answers
  • Understanding how LLMs consume and surface content
  • Adapting SEO strategy for AI-enhanced search experiences
• Experience with SEO and analytics tools (e.g. Google Search Console, GA, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Screaming Frog, or similar).
• A commercial mindset - you understand how organic discovery contributes to bookings and revenue, not just traffic.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to explain complex SEO and AI concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience optimising content for conversational or long-tail search behaviour.
• Experience with structured data and schema.
• Exposure to international or multi-market SEO.
• Experience working closely with content and engineering teams at scale.

Why join Travelstart

• Own organic and AI-driven discovery for a major travel platform.
• Work at the intersection of SEO, AI, and performance marketing.
• Shape how Travelstart appears in the next generation of search experiences.
• Collaborate with experienced product, marketing, and growth teams.
• Competitive compensation based on experience.