Search Engine Optimization Research Papers (original) (raw)

The introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), 25 years ago, has considerably altered the
manner in which people obtain information. Soon after the introduction of the WWW, it was evident
that traditional browsing was totally insufficient for internet users to locate the information that
interests them. This need was covered with the development of search engines. Today, search engines
play one of the most important roles in disseminating content. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a
collection of strategies that improves a website’s presence and visibility on a search engine’s results
page (SERP). In other words, the higher and more frequently a site appears in search results, the more
visitors it will receive through the use of search engines. The importance of SEO can be understood by
the fact that many web sites today receive the majority of their web traffic through a search engine’s
organic results.
The methods that SEO includes can be divided into four major categories: keyword
research/selection, search engine indexing, on-page optimization, and off-page optimization. On-page
optimization includes the management of all factors associated directly with someone’s website (e.g.,
keywords, appropriate content, and internal link structure), while off-page optimization includes all
the efforts made away from the website such as link building or social signal strategy. Undeniably, the
world of search engine optimization has changed and evolved drastically over the years with a shift
away from traditional ranking factors towards deeper analysis, and factors such as quality, multi-form
content, and social signals. However, even though SEO has changed a lot, it remains an important part
of any digital marketing strategy.
This special issue is soliciting theoretical and case studies contributions, discussing and treating
challenges, state-of-the-art technology, and solutions on search engine optimization, including, but not
limited to, the following themes related to SEO: Theory of SEO, different types of SEO, SEO criteria
evaluation, search engines’ algorithms, social media and SEO, SEO applications in various industries,
SEO in media web sites, etc. Through invited and open call submissions, a total of five excellent articles
have been accepted, following a rigorous review process that required a minimum of three reviews
and at least one revision round for each paper.