The web’s technological development as a communication channel has changed the
conditions for communication between companies and their publics. Visibility and
interactivity on the web is becoming increasingly important and revolves around
appearance on search engines and being available in appropriate environments.
Communication tools such as search engine optimization, sponsored links and social
media can be used to achieve this. We conducted this thesis in collaboration with
Guava Sweden.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of the three communication tools.
We aim to contribute new knowledge in an area where weaknesses are identified from
a research perspective as well as from the industry point of view. A final hope is to
examine the implications of our results, regarding research in strategic
communications. We chose to refer to the following problem: To what extent is the
usage of SEO, PPC and Social Media and what distinguishes their use? To achieve our
purpose, we decided to make a quantitative digital survey and completed the study
with qualitative elements through interviews.
Our conclusion from this study is that, despite some current problems, the future of
SEO, PPC and social media looks bright. The more knowledge acquired in these areas
the more attention can be paid to the benefits of the tools. We believe that a synergy
effect can be accomplished by integrating SEO, PPC and social media. Being visible is
not enough; companies need to prove that they exist through interactivity.