Search engines connect users to websites and became a distribution channel for many products. In the case of hotels, it is essential that the hotel’s website appears among the top results when potential customers search for lodging in a certain area. The purpose of this study was to examine search engine marketing best practices and performance among non-national hotels in Pismo Beach, California. The researcher performed popular keyword searches to evaluate performance and examine strategies of the top performing hotels. The analysis discovered that the top hotels shared website design characteristics, the majority of search engine optimization is performed by a third party, and the results page is dominated by non-hotel websites. Poorly performing hotels should consider outsourcing website design, looking at industry trends, and allocating resources to search engine marketing
