SEO-Visuals: Integrated Search Engine Optimization Tool

Abstract

Organizations that wish to sell their product of service through their website need to be present in large search engines to receive visitors. While large organizations usually already receive massive amounts of traffic from search engines relatively easy; small and medium sized enterprises have a difficult time leveraging the benefits of search engine optimization. External consultants once they leave the company also take their knowledge and existing tools lack the ability to integrate into the organization context. Search engine optimization is the practice of improving the relevancy and popularity of a website to increase its visibility in the search engines. The engineering discipline known as method engineering was applied to formalize existing search engine optimization techniques described in scientific literature, resulting in a draft method. The draft method was then validated by adapting it by using incremental method engineering based on interviews with 3 experts working at search engine optimization agencies. In order to scope the state of the art 33 tools for small and medium enterprises were studied by looking at how features support the formal method. New software features were created based on mismatches between the method descriptions and the tools. A new tool named SEO-Visuals was created by re-using existing tool APIs and using the new software features. The prototype was rated by 13 Dutch small and medium sized enterprises. It was found to be relevant in their SEO process and easy to use. Not all newly designed features were implemented due to time constraints, but the majority of features were rated as useful. In particular those features that were not present in any other tools were found to be less relevant and the participating companies did not utilize them to its fullest extent. The prototype loading time turned out to be rather slow for the participants, and some major improvements can still be made, accompanied by the full set of features that were not implemented yet. As the first integrated search engine optimization tool, the prototype allows its users to solidify and carry through learning moments and attune it to contextual surroundings. All in all, for the integrated search engine optimization tool to work in practice, two software release iterations still need to be made. These two iterations make sure that all features identified in the final method are implemented and that the in the prototype identified shortcomings are solved.