{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,20]],"date-time":"2025-11-20T13:17:14Z","timestamp":1763644634987,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,30]],"date-time":"2025-05-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1748563200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Information"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This research investigates the application of search engine optimization (SEO) in developing the digital image of rural tourism businesses in the Terras de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes region of Portugal. With digital marketing becoming increasingly important for businesses to stay competitive, SEO has become a vital tool for developing online recognition, qualified traffic acquisition, and enhancement of conversion rates. The research performs an SEO analysis of 21 rural tourism websites by applying the Ubersuggest tool, analyzing such key indicators as on-page SEO scores, organic traffic, keyword ranking, backlinks, and technical performance. The results identify wide SEO performance discrepancies, with some sites registering excellent practices and others with critical errors that impair the sites\u2019 online recognizability. In particular, low word count, absent meta description, and loading speed issues are very much present. The research emphasizes the need for effective SEO methods, such as on-page maintenance, content creation, and link building, to advance search engine ranking and end-user experience. Moreover, the study emphasizes the necessity for rural tourism businesses to evolve and adapt to current SEO trends, i.e., voice search optimization and local SEO, in the changing digital business environment. The results provide recommendations for rural tourism businesses to develop their digital marketing activities and make progress online.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/info16060465","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,2]],"date-time":"2025-06-02T10:21:49Z","timestamp":1748859709000},"page":"465","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["SEO in Rural Tourism: A Case Study of Terras de Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes\u2014Portugal"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1923-2341","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elisabete Paulo","family":"Morais","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Management Research Unit, Polytechnic Institute of Bragan\u00e7a, 5300-253 Bragan\u00e7a, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8463-9842","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elsa Tavares","family":"Esteves","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Applied Management Research Unit, Polytechnic Institute of Bragan\u00e7a, 5300-253 Bragan\u00e7a, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3085-1562","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlos R.","family":"Cunha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Centre in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI), Laborat\u00f3rio Associado para a Sustentabilidade e Tecnologia em Regi\u00f5es de Montanha (SusTEC), Polytechnic Institute of Bragan\u00e7a, 5300-253 Bragan\u00e7a, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1080\/09669589409510680","article-title":"What is rural tourism?","volume":"2","author":"Lane","year":"1994","journal-title":"J. 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