Influence of search engine optimization (SEO) on business performance

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of SEO on the business performance of a private university in Sarajevo. Thus, the main research question provides the finding on how does the implementation of SEO influence the performance of the business. Moreover, the tested hypothesis presents whether SEO positively influences the business performance of International Burch University (IBU). The research strategy is to analyze primary data derived from a case study, which is generated following a conversation with the Head of the IBU Marketing and PR team. The data sample is derived from Google Analytics (focusing on the number of visits and sessions, average engagement time, keywords and SERP positioning). Seobility tools are employed in data analysis. Business performance is calculated through the IBU CRM system, focusing on student enrolment. Findings indicate that increasing a site's rankings on search engine results pages (SERPs) led to a variety of positive outcomes for companies including an increase in the number of visitors to the site, an increase in the average amount of time users spent on the site, increased user engagement, and an increase in student enrollment, which resulted in IBU increased annual sales revenue. It will benefit many different groups, including the government, which will benefit in both microeconomic and macroeconomic senses, digital marketing enthusiasts and SEO experts, and the academic world, which will benefit as a framework for future studies and research in the field of SEO recognition and implementation in business queries.