ABSTRACT
Digital marketing, especially search engine optimization (SEO), is an integral part of websites today. Airlines in the COVID-19 era have to use every possible means to survive despite the adverse conditions for both entrepreneurship and travel. Many of them have allocated resources and money to develop SEO strategies by applying SEO techniques to their websites to gain more visitors and bookings. Thus, this research is focused on analyzing airlines' website presence as regards the implemented SEO techniques and their effect on airlines' website traffic. In the first phase of the research, we gathered web data from 243 airline firms during a one-year observation period (December 2020–December 2021) using our own-developed tool. Furthermore, we proceeded to create an exploratory model using fuzzy cognitive mapping. From the technical SEO point of view and the descriptive analysis, we conclude that the traffic on airlines' websites and, consequently, their sustainability are inseparably linked to the corresponding SEO techniques and technologies used.
ABSTRACT
Crises are always challenging for banking systems. In the case of COVID-19, centralized payment networks and FinTech companies’ websites have been affected by user behavior globally. As a result, there is ample opportunity for marketing managers and professionals to focus on big data from FinTech websites. This can contribute to a better understanding of the variables impacting their brand name and how to manage risk during crisis periods. This research is divided into three stages. The first stage presents the web analytics and the data retrieved from the FinTech platforms. The second stage illustrates the statistical analysis and the fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) performed. In the final stage, an agent-based model is outlined in order to simulate and forecast a company’s brand name visibility and user behavior. The results of this study suggest that, during crises, centralized payment networks (CPNs) and FinTech companies with high organic traffic tend to convert new visitors to actual “customers”.