Search Engine Optimization
Before you follow the link, note that it really serves more as a platform for discussion in this post and the reading the entire article is not required. Just read enough to get an idea of what its purpose is and what its saying (feel free to read more than that if you’re curious.) Link Here
Alright, looked at it? Good. Let’s continue.
We’ve spoken quite a bit in class of formulas for finding the best resources in an online database (hubs and authorities) by using references and user amounts to determine value. Obviously, Google and the like use these, along with many other algorithms to try and streamline the user’s experience as much as possible. The problem with these algorithms; however, is that if they’re made by people, they can of course be recreated and studied by others. This leads to a sort of arms race among providers to beef up their websites as much as possible in accordance with these algorithms. There are plenty of services online, like the link, that talk about how to better optimize your website for Google’s search algorithms as well as plenty of providers who will do it for you for a price. Where does this lead us?
Search Engine Optimization is, and probably will always be, a concern among provider websites. Providers who match their websites to the required criteria (currently focused around keyword usage and frequency of update) or pay others to do so will have a natural advertising advantage, so of course people are going to spend time and money over fighting for top spots on Google searches. Still, this continuously produces a system where perhaps the best websites might be getting edged out by providers who paid more or used a certain keyword more times. How do we solve this? One way is to constantly update the algorithm, but this is only effective for a short while until people figure out and share the algorithm (and let’s be honest, in the internet age, this information will travel FAST.) Another is to constantly increase the complexity of the system to account for manipulations, but this is really more of a patchwork solution. There may just not be any good solution to this problem, and perhaps that’s a good thing as it means there will always be room to improve the algorithms. What do you think?