Why SEM is critical for Montreal’s Tourism Industry

Montreal’s tourism industry can greatly benefit from Search Engine Marketing. As it is a new tool, it is not being taken advantage to its fullest. In Montreal, the competition is relatively low compared to other cities.

On Google AdWords, the cost per click for a query like “Montreal hotels” has an average bid between between $2.45 – $3.25 where as “Toronto hotels” is $2.87 – $3.86 and “Vancouver hotel” is as high as $2.95 – $4.19.

Furthermore, “Montreal hotels” receives an average of 135,000 searches per month worldwide. “Montreal restaurants” receives an average of 60,500 searches per month and has a low CPC average bid of $0.34 – $0.48!

Montreal’s tourism industry is ripe for SEM! Last year, in 2009, the city received an estimated 17.6 million visitors, with a combined expenditure of more than 2.8 billion dollars according to Tourism Montreal.

As Google is the leading source of information, companies that come up on Google searches related to their business can have great exposure. With the increase of Smart Phone usage, it is easier for tourists to consult with the internet for information rather than going through tour guides, and other traditional means of finding information.

It is in the best interest of a company in the tourism industry to consider search engine marketing.