Does SEO Matter for Startups? Identifying Insights from UGC Twitter Communities

Abstract

In the present study, we analyzed User Generated Content (UGC) to measure the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for startups. For this purpose, we used several clustering algorithms to identify user communities on Twitter. The dataset contained a total of 67,126 tweets. A three-step UGC analysis process was applied to the data. First, a Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) was developed to divide the UGC-sample into topics. Next, a sentiment analysis (SA) with machine-learning was applied to divide the sample of topics into negative, positive, and neutral feelings. Finally, a textual analysis (TA) process with data mining techniques was used to extract indicators related to the SEO technique optimization in startups. The results helped us identify UGC communities in Twitter about SEO for startups and the main optimization indicators according to the feelings expressed in tweets. Our results also demonstrated that Black Hack SEO is not the most relevant strategy of positioning of digital marketing for startups and that, although this strategy is used by the startups, it is predominantly negatively perceived by SEO UGC communities.