There can be only one

If, back at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Norman May had bellowed, “Silver, silver to Australia, silver!” we probably would have thought, “what are you on about (you tosser).” As it was, the call was “gold,” so everyone got very excited – not least of all Norman. What is it about the mysterious number one?

As a surfer you know that some search terms return thousands or even millions of results from your favourite search engine. And as a website owner you know the importance of your site appearing in the first ten or so results of a relevant keyword query. But what is the value of the ever-elusive number one ranking? Is it even quantifiable? Can we place an equivalent monetary value on an increased search engine ranking?

Yes and no.

Some analysts have suggested there’s a certain amount of search engine “vanity” amongst some companies. The number one ranking becomes more than simply a quest for increased site visibility and click through rates – the position has a value for its own sake. If I type “computer” into Google right now, Apple comes out on top, with Dell second or third. Does this mean I’m more likely to buy Apple than Dell? Perhaps, but also important is the branding. Any marketing theorist will happily riff for hours on the importance of “brand image.”

Take the King’s Cross Coke sign. (Sorry to non-Sydney readers, but you’ll get the idea I’m sure.) Coke has a monopoly on the Williams St Billboard space, such that the sign itself has become a landmark. How can you measure the monetary value of that?

Similarly a page that ranks one on Google and/or Yahoo! has effectively branded itself as the site for a particular keyword search. Apple is the computer site, if not the largest seller of computers. It’s difficult to find any specific figures for ranking one as opposed to ranking four, because really it’s pretty hard to determine.

But, as a general rule, I think it’s pretty safe to say the higher the rank the better.