SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION AS A STRATEGIC TOOL FOR INCREASED INTERNET VISIBILITY: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Internet usage is increasing daily, and all industries need to adapt to the changes this brings for marketing methods. Traditional marketing methods are not enough anymore to gain a competitive advantage, and almost every company needs an online presence. This is the same for hotels. The hospitality industry is highly competitive in nature. Therefore, their marketing methods require modernization as well. Hotel X is a hotel operated by Tourism and Hospitality students in Bursa, Turkey. This thesis was created for Hotel X as a qualitative single case study. Staff interviews were carried out, and personal interviews were done with a small number of hotel guests. Interviews were utilized to collect information about the hotel’s current practices and customers’ experiences. Secondary data was collected through a number of sources, such as books, journals and online publications. A study about the search engines and how they work was done; this was important in defining the requirements for search engine visibility for hotels. In line with the obtained results, suggestions were given for the utilization of search engine optimization techniques for the case hotel to increase its visibility in the search engines, contributing to the existing knowledge of Search Engine Optimization in online marketing. Currently the hotel depends on word of mouth, and it was found out that the case hotel had little to no marketing budget. Despite the efforts of the management to modernize the marketing efforts, it was also found that the management somewhat lacked the understanding of modern online marketing and the suggestions given to optimize their online presence. It was concluded that it is essential for the hotel management to create a marketing budget, and potentially hire a consultant if it is not possible to hire a full time marketing professional.