Higher-order rank analysis for web structure

In this paper, we propose a method for the structural analysis of Web sites.The Web has become one of the most widely used media for electronic information because of its great flexibility. However, this flexibility has led to complicated structures. A structure that differs from the typical structures in a Web site might confuse readers, thus reducing the effectiveness of the site. A method for detecting unusual structures would be useful for identifying such structures so that their impact can be studied and ways to improve Web site effectiveness developed.We viewed the Web as a directed graph, and introduced a higher-order rank based on the non-well-founded set theory. We then developed higher-order rank analysis for detecting irregularities, defined as structures which differ from the typical structure of a target site. To test the effectiveness of our method, we applied it to several Web sites in actual use, and succeeded in identifying irregular structures in the sites.