It was probably best expressed by the mathematician David Berlinski in his book “The Advent of the Algorithm: The 300-year Journey from an Idea to the Computer” (pub. 2000, Harcourt Press) where he poetically defines the characteristics of an algorithm:
An algorithm is a finite procedure,
written in a fixed symbolic vocabulary,
governed by precise instructions,
moving in discrete steps, 1,2,3…,
whose execution requires no insight, cleverness,
intuition, intelligence, or perspicuity,
and that sooner or later comes to an end.
For me the most profound statement here is: “whose execution requires no insight, cleverness, intuition, intelligence, or perspicuity.” That is exactly the case regarding search engines. The search engine spider that is busy traversing the internet in search of web page content to scan and index has no insight, no cleverness, no intuition, no intelligence, and certainly lacks all perspicacity!
Today it simply is not capable of understanding or attributing true meaning to what it finds. It has a single ability and that is to follow precise instructions.
So what does all this have to do with you, your website content and your desire to rank well in the search engines?
Everything.
Understanding the fundamental differences between the capabilities of a search engine and those of a human being, both of whom are interacting with your web content, allows you to:
- Select appropriate keyword phrases to help the search engines index and rank you effectively so you attract the right audience who will engage and convert
- Develop effective content that works to satisfy both the requirements of the search engine spider and your target site visitor
- Develop an architecture that guides both the instruction-following search engine spider and the very different thinking human visitor seamlessly through your content
It’s a tall order. It’s like trying to plan a dinner where each guest has different food preferences.
Search engine optimization is really about finding the balance between doing what you can to help the search engine do its job effectively (deliver relevant content to its users) while doing what you can to help your targeted site visitor get what he needs from you so he can do his job more effectively.
Search engines are not human. They don’t think on their own so they can’t understand your web content. They can’t verify its accuracy or subjectively judge its quality.
But humans can.
Every time a human takes an action as a result of searching a keyword or phrase, that action is recorded and evaluated by the search engine developers and eventually turned into an instruction that becomes part of the algorithm that ultimately determines ranking results (designed to deliver web pages to their users in the most relevant order).
Search engines are governed by instructions.
If you want to rank well organically, and attract / convert targeted site visitors, it is up to you and your search engine optimization team to include what is needed by both the search engines and your site visitors so you can achieve your online business goals.
Only through strategically implemented search engine optimization on an ongoing basis can you keep up with the changing needs of the search engines and the very human responses of your targeted site visitors. There is no quick path. There is only an effective path, an ineffective path, and a harmful path.
Which one are you on?
