Search Engine Optimization: From Analysis based on an Engineering Meta-Model towards Integrative Approaches Sylvain Sagot IRTES-M3M UTBM, University of Technology of Belfort- Montbéliard 90010 Belfort, France sylvain.sagot@utbm.fr Alain-Jérôme Fougères IRTES-M3M ESTA, School of business & engineering 90010 Belfort, France ajfougeres@esta-belfort.fr Egon Ostrosi IRTES-M3M UTBM, University of Technology of Belfort- Montbéliard 90010 Belfort, France egon.ostrosi@utbm.fr Pauline Lacom IRTES-SET ESTA, School of business & engineering 90010 Belfort, France pauline.lacom@utbm.fr Abstract Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of in the Internet search engine results. Firstly, this paper, by using an engineering meta-model, analyzes a range of different approaches discussed in the literature into a meta-model. This meta-model explains the key differences, and illustrates the relationships between them. Secondly, by clarifying the links between different models, the meta-model proposes to consider the SEO as a process to be designed process has to integrate different models with the aim of improving and optimizing the SEO. Thirdly, two approaches are infered from this meta-model, and have been applied in a real situation. The results show that website ranking can be variable and fluctuating during the SEO process. It has to be an adaptive process which should be assisted by intelligent models and tools integrated in a holistic approach. Keywords Search engine optimization (SEO); SEO process; Engineering meta-model; SEO design method; E-Business. I. INTRODUCTION The business environment is rapidly changing. Customers are shifting their preferences from traditional business to e- business. Virtual Internet based business processes demand that companies concentrate their efforts on the individual re- quirements of customers. The increase of competition, and consequently the increase in the number of websites, has al- lowed search engines [1], [2] to play a major role on the Inter- net. The evaluation of the performance of various search en- that science research- ers and entrepreneurs have addressed from the late 1990s. Different techniques have been developed to optimize the visibility of websites in Search Engines Results Pages (SERP) such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) [3] and SEA (Search Engine Advertising) [4]. SEA consists principally of buying targeted online advertisement, with the objective to be visible on paid results. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) consists of optimizing a website through on-site and off-site criteria. The goal is to have a search engine friendly website, to allow a ranking im- provement. Search Engine Optimization involves the use of several optimization techniques in order to improve the web- site position on search engines. By doing this, the website can be visible in organic search results. It should be noticed that organic search results are more appreciated by online searchers, and are thus more clicked than paid results (from SEA) [5]. That is why we will focus on SEO later. Hitherto, SEO techniques have been largely described and some of them have revealed their effectiveness [6], [7]. These techniques are strongly related to search engines' algorithms. Search engines' algorithms evolve in order to constantly propose the most affects website ranking criteria. In this way, SEO techniques have to be adjusted to this continual criteria evolution. Moreo- ver, search engines protect their ranking models and do not communicate much about their algorithms or updates. Finally, search engine results are sorted according to the context, using web-user behavior patterns, and historical data that make SEO very difficult to implement, and speculative. Due to its dynamic evolving structure, the non- transparency of ranking models, the volume and the diversity of heterogeneous data, the important number of interactions, and the uncertainty in terms of results, we can consider the SEO process as a complex problem [8], [9]. So a better knowledge of the SEO process is necessary to permit its adaptability and sustainability in a dynamic and uncertain environment. In our research, we consider SEO as a process to be designed. This paper goes beyond a simple presentation of SEO techniques or criteria, and proposes rather a global analy- sis of the SEO process. An engineering meta-model [8], [9] is used to analyze the SEO design process. This will help us to understand interactions, input, and output elements involved into this process. This analysis permits us to propose two dif- ferent approaches and an application describing the SEO pro- cess. This paper is organized as follows: section II presents SEO research works through a state of the art. Section III describes the constitution of our engineering meta-model. In section IV, we analyze the SEO process by inserting existing literature about SEO into our engineering meta-model. In section V, we propose two approaches describing the SEO process and an application. Section VI concludes the paper, and gives some perspectives about our future work. Copyright © i-Society 2014 Technical Co-Sponsored by IEEE UK/RI Computer Chapter 276