Search Engine Marketing on the Performance of Small—Medium Enterprises: A Mediating Variable of Culture

Nigerian culture and way of life have changed since the internet was created twenty years ago as a result of the convenience of digital technology. We are increasingly dependent on digital devices because they are necessary for almost everything we do today. SMEs are essential to every nation because of their significant economic impact and the employment possibilities they create. Culture is the oldest aspect of existence, and it is crucial to the longevity and survival of SMEs in an economy. Hence, the study looks at how search engine marketing affects SMEs’ performance a mediating variable of culture in Abuja Nigeria. 2690 SMEs made up the study's population, which was narrowed down to 348 using a Taro Yamane method. A survey research design was used in the study. The respondents’ answers were gathered using the primary data. Additionally, the SmartPLS 3.3 with Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used in this study to regress the data collected from the respondents. The results indicate that search engine marketing had a positive and significant impact on the performance of SMEs in Abuja, Nigeria (efficiency and expansion). However, culture had a limited but considerable impact on how well SMEs performed. In light of these results, the research suggests that SMEs owners need to keep on sustaining their businesses by producing more goods and sending it to the market as they make more sales through SEM in order to support and verify the researcher have demonstrated the finding using the system dynamics model in the form of causal loop diagram. The performance of SMEs was shown to be significantly and partially impacted by the culture (values and beliefs) of the people, so SMEs in Abuja should as a matter of fact assess their respective environments before showcasing their products.