Developing a model to facilitate search engine optimization of websites by non-IT professionals

Master''s Thesis from the year 2009 in the subject Computer Science - Internet, New Technologies, grade: -, The University of Liverpool, language: English, abstract: For enterprises which are operating websites, the promotion of its presence is a vital part of a successful marketing. By randomly selecting websites and analyzing their content it seems that the potentials of Search Engine Optimization are widely underestimated. Since the beginning of the widespread use of Internet search engines IT professionals have been trying to optimize the website content to get to the top position of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Over the years search engine algorithms had to be changed because spamming attempts like keyword stuffing, or the use of link farms made relevant content to seem less important than the one offered by individuals who use such unethical procedures.For the average website owner or manager it seems very difficult to decide what procedures have to be applied to make a website’s presence more successful. Out-dated procedures are still widely used, so enterprises have a very low chance to reach the Internet users who are looking for the products or services they offer. To improve the current situation the communication between non-IT professionals and IT professionals has to be assured. The website owner or manager who often plays a passive role in the website’s optimization process has to actively take part. The role of the IT professional is to explain the potentials of an optimization, and incorporate the website owner’s agenda. In this work 3 company websites will be analyzed and recommendations will be given to improve the content and source code of selected pages. The website owners or managers will be given instructions to implement the recommended optimization over a specific period. Feedback loops will show if the suggested procedures have been implemented, and how these were handled. [...]