Search Engine Meritocracy

Search engines strive to model their ranking systems as close to a meritocracy as possible. In its simplest form, an ideal meritocracy rewards status that is earned.

As anyone who has relied on search engine optimization (SEO) knows, the highest rankings are meant to be reserved for those websites that are the most informative or the most satisfying to the searcher. This serves the interests of the search engine itself since results remain relevant to the user. As such the user is rewarded by using the search engine: the search engine has done its job and the user will return in the future for further searches.

High rankings are also, of course, in the interests of the site owners. While most users view the first page of search engine results, and a handful may move to the second or third page, only a tiny (dedicated) minority will move beyond the third page.

Academic studies have used heat maps to track subjects’ eye movements to show where the eye tends to fall on a page. There is no doubt that ranking at the top and on the first page of a search result results in more click-throughs to the site than at any other position in the rankings.

The process used by search engines to rank sites involves the use of software bots, or spiders, that crawl through the web downloading and storing pages. An indexer then extracts various kinds of information about the page that is used to rank the site.

Search engine guidelines provide a rough (and deliberately vague) guide as to what SEO techniques are considered acceptable, and which ones are not. The guidelines are vague as engines do not want sites abusing the system for higher rankings.

In its ideal form, quality content is primarily that which the search engine programs are looking for. This is content created for users – not for search engines – and that is made easily accessible to the spiders.

In keeping search engines relevant, search engine designers do not disclose the algorithm followed by web spiders. In the most general sense, an algorithm is a detailed set of instructions. These instructions provide the search engines with a particular desired outcome.

Along with the insightful understanding of many optimizers, SEO copywriting requires finesse and repeated testing to achieve a high ranking. Most importantly, it requires keeping up-to-date with the use of “white hat” SEO methods – accepted SEO methods that benefit the users, search engines, and websites.

As befitting a meritocracy, it is hoped that merit rather than other determinants of position is rewarded.

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