Abstract (150 Words)
Search engine marketing is becoming an increasingly important strategic tool for online tourism marketing. The goal of this study is to identify a process for benchmarking the visibility of DMO websites by utilizing Google AdWords Keyword Tool to access the tourism domain from the demand side. The analysis of DMO website visibility shows the level of competitiveness in search engine marketing and relative effectiveness of DMOs’ search engine marketing strategies. Also, there seems to be huge gaps between the areas DMO websites are visible to online travelers and volume of search. This may suggest that DMOs need to re-consider their strategies in order to achieve the best outcomes.
Benchmarking the Visibility of Websites in Google: Implications for Search Engine Marketing of Tourism Destinations
Search engine marketing is becoming an increasingly important strategic tool for online tourism marketing. The goal of this study is to identify a process for benchmarking the visibility of DMO websites by utilizing Google AdWords Keyword Tool to access the tourism domain from the demand side. The analysis of DMO website visibility shows the level of competitiveness in search engine marketing and relative effectiveness of DMOs’ search engine marketing strategies. Also, there seems to be huge gaps between the areas DMO websites are visible to online travelers and volume of search. This may suggest that DMOs need to re-consider their strategies in order to achieve the best outcomes.
