Role of SMO and SEO in e-Tourism information search

e-Tourism is one of the major sources of income for many countries. Therefore, providing efficient, real-time service for tourists is a crucial competitive asset which needs to be enhanced using major technological advances. Social media optimization (SMO) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) are playing an increasingly important role as information sources for travelers. The analysis of the search results showed that social media constitute a substantial part of the search results, indicating that search engines likely direct travelers to social media sites and also Given the growing importance of search in e-Tourism planning, marketers need to better understand the behavioural aspect of search engines use. This study confirms the growing importance of social media and Search engine in the online tourism domain. It also provides evidence for challenges faced by traditional providers of travel-related information. Implications for tourism marketers in terms of online marketing strategies are discussed