Millions of Internet surfers have used a search engine when they were looking for reliable information about a topic. When a search engine shows a comprehensive list of relevant results, many users only click on one of the first few titles / web links on the first page. So Google is currently still the most famous search engine, sustained by a battery of sophisticated indexing computers. These servers are continuously analysing the World Wide Web, and harvesting all the information they encounter.
Many search engines that index web pages around the world, use a 'Page Ranking' method to sort data. This way, indexing servers such as Google-indexer, assign a hierarchical value to each analysed web page with regard to important keywords. Depending on this relevancy value, the web page is displayed high or low in the list order of search results. The higher the ranking (that is: published at the top of the results page), the more important Google finds this web page to match certain keywords from users. So, the higher your web page ranks in the results list, the more it stands out to other Internet surfers. And thus the branding of your website depends on how important search engines believe your information is.
Search engines look for example at the "Creation Date" or "Modification Date" of a web page to determine if the information on this page is “up to date". This makes web pages, which are not changed for a long time, to be regarded as outdated and "not relevant", so they are shoved away, down in the results list. This can happen too with web pages that contain quality information. This way, historically stable knowledge that has proven to stand the test of time (i.e. on a web page that no longer has to be changed) is snowed under by volatile information that is a reflection of "daily madness".
Sustainability of knowledge is an empty phrase to Google!
In addition, search engines focus on new / recent information for a young audience. New information from young people is regarded as more valuable than knowledge of older people, which has already proven itself with regard to objectivity or truth. This is done short to knowledge and wisdom, gathered over the years by mature people.
Namely, not all 'data' is meaningful, and only a usable part of basic data gets the status of 'information'.
Not all "information" is valuable, and only a valid portion of information reaches the level of 'knowledge'.
And not all "knowledge" is durable and only a limited part of all human knowledge can be regarded as objective wisdom.
The general trend in most search engines is that they publish volatile data much higher in the rankings than time-durable wisdom. In other words, by some search engines ignorance prevails over wisdom, and quantity goes for quality. But people all over the world want not just temporary news, but reliable information that gives them confidence. So they usually want objective knowledge, which they can trust, and true wisdom that can help guide their lives.
When will someone develop an indexing machine that takes into account historical stability of information?
When will information, that has passed the test of time, stand higher in the "Page Ranking Score" of search engines? That would improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Anyway, when will the World Wide Web reach a higher maturity level regarding reliability of information and durability of knowledge?
© 2009 RGES
