Analysis of Web Link Analysis Algorithms: The Mathematics of Ranking

Abstract

Link analysis ranking algorithms were originally designed to enhance the performance of Web search engines by exploiting the topological structure of the digraph associated to the Web; now they are also used in many other fields, sometimes far removed from that of Web searching. In many of their applications, their ranking capabilities are of prime importance; from here the need arises to per-form a mathematical analysis of these algorithms from the perspective of the rank they induce on the nodes of the digraphs on which they work. In this chapter the main theoretical results for the questions that arise when ranking is under inves-tigation are presented. Furthermore, future directions for research in this field are conceived and discussed.