This document analyzes the link networks of Iranian municipal websites. It finds that Tehran, Yazd, and Tabriz municipal websites have the most inbound links, making them the most visible. A formula is used to identify the core municipal websites, which are Tehran, Yazd, Tabriz, Mashad, Qom, and Isfahan. These core websites are ranked, with Tehran and Isfahan ranked highest based on their Google Page Rank and traffic. The conclusion recommends Iranian municipalities improve collaboration and link building between their websites to increase visibility and provide better services to citizens.

1. Amir Reza Asnafi
Faculty member of Information Science and
Knowledge Department, Shahid Beheshti University,
a_asnafi@sbu.ac.ir
Maryam Pakdaman Naeini
PhD student of Information Science and Knowledge
Department, Payame Noor Mashad University,
m.pakdaman@gmail.com
Analysis on link networks of Iran
municipal websites

2. Introduction
 In current era, societies and organizations encounter
fast and fundamental changes. Successful
organizations using awareness of these changes can
adapt with them and enrich themselves.

3. Introduction…
 E-government includes the use of electronics in
government as large-scale as the use of telephones and
fax machines, as well as surveillance systems, tracking
systems such as RFID tags, and even the use of
television and radios or cloud computing to provide
government-related information and services to the
citizens.
 So, Current paper wants to study on visibility of Iran
municipal websites, and ranking them based on their
link relations and identifying core websites of these
organizations.

4. Research questions
1. How is the status of link relations and interactive
links among Iran municipal websites?
2. How is the visibility of Iran municipal websites
3. Which websites of Iranian municipal are core
websites?

5. Research Method
 In current research, link analysis method, one of the
webomterics methods was used.
 30 Iranian municipal websites were extracted from
Tehran municipal portal and search in search engines
during May 2014.. For drawing link diagram and link
relations of Iranian municipal websites, SocSciBot and
Webometric Analyst softwares were used.

6.  These softwares are accessible via
http://socscibot.wlv.ac.uk and http://lexiurl.wlv.ac.uk.
for study on visibility of Iranian municipal websites,
their inlinks were counted. So, using
http://www.woorank.com and
http://www.majesticseo.com, inlinks, traffic status and
rank of studied websites were extracted.
 . http://www.tehran.ir/Default.aspx?tabid=124

7. Findings: Link diagram of Iran municipal
websites
 In figure 1, interactive links and link diagram of Iran
municipal websites can be seen. Figure 1 indicated that
municipal websites of Baft, Kermanshah and Meshkin
Shahr have not any in links or out links. In the other
words, these website have not any interactive links to
other Iran municipal websites and they are very
passive. So they have not high visibility. Figure 1
showed that Tehran municipal websites had the most
link networks with other Iranian municipal websites.

9. Findings: Visibility of Iran municipal
websites
 Visibility of websites related to links that websites
received. If received links are high, visibility can be
increased. Table 1 showed ranking of Link diagram of
Iran municipal websites, based on their inlinks.

11.  Table 1 indicated that from 30 studied websites,
municipal websites of Tehran, Yazd and Tabriz have
the most inlinks and are in the 1 to 3 ranks. Municipal
website of Yasuj with 12 inlinks, is the weakest
municipal website in Iran. So, it can be found that
municipal websites that have higher inlinks, are more
enriched and user friendly.

12. Findings: Core Iranian municipal websites
 To identifying core Iranian municipal websites this
formula was used:
 Au means indicator of assign core website, T means
total of Inlinks division on studied websites, and n
means amount of studied websites. If inlinks of a
website was more than Au, Then we can say this is a
core website. In current research, Au was 30032.6. It
means if website have 30032.6 and more inlinks, it
can be called a core website.

15.  Table 2 showed that from 30 studied website, 6
websites that belonged Tehran, Yazd, Tabriz, Mashad,
Qom and Isfahan municipal were core websites of Iran
municipal.

16.  Table 3, showed visit traffic status and Google page
rank of Iran municipal core websites. Tehran, Isfahan,
Yazd, Tabriz, Mashad and Qom municipal websites as
core website were ranked. Rank of Tehran and Isfahan
municipal websites in Google Page Rank were 5 and
their visit traffic were high. It seems that they are more
visible than other Iranian municipal websites.

17. Conclusion
 Current research revealed that admins and designers of
studied municipal websites must have a strategic plan for
contents and services of websites for citizens. They should
understand items and factors that can lead to absorb more
links to their websites.
 Findings showed that Iran municipal website have not
desirable status in position of collaboration and link
networks.
 Since these websites are common in contents, if they have
co link together, then their visibility will be increased.
Municipal websites are interaction point of citizens with
different sections of municipal and access to their needed
local information and services

18. Thanks so much, see you in Tehran