The Age of PageRank Is Over (2022)
The decline of the PageRank algorithm is attributed to ad-driven models prioritizing revenue over quality. A user-centric approach is essential for restoring trust and improving web search results.
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The article discusses the decline of the PageRank algorithm, originally developed by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, which transformed web search by prioritizing merit-based links. Over the years, the rise of ad-supported business models led to a conflict of interest, where search engines prioritized ad revenue over delivering quality search results. This shift resulted in a web dominated by a few large sites, filled with ads and low-quality content, ultimately degrading the user experience. The author argues that the current state of the web is detrimental to society, as it manipulates user preferences and undermines the original intent of the internet. The piece advocates for a user-centric approach to search, suggesting that future search engines must abandon ad-based models to regain public trust and improve information quality. The vision includes personalized search assistants that align with user needs, offering tailored recommendations without the noise of advertisements. The author believes that this shift is inevitable as users become more aware of the importance of quality information and the harmful effects of current monetization strategies.
- PageRank's original merit-based model has been compromised by ad-driven business models.
- The dominance of ads has led to a decline in the quality of web search results.
- A user-centric approach to search is necessary for restoring trust and improving information quality.
- Future search engines may offer personalized assistants that prioritize user needs over ad revenue.
- The shift away from ad-supported models is seen as essential for the internet to reach its full potential.
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12 commentsNone of the large companies would do it, but that would be the point.
I wrote an alternate reality fiction short story about PR and SEO. It is here: https://github.com/jaronilan/stories/blob/main/Duplicitous.p...
Not the most “popular topic”, but thought people around HN might find it interesting.
Abortion in some states for example. It doesn't matter what any company says right now, the position is clear that the tune can and often does change the moment its inconvenient for them.
Paying for the privilege of being targeted is crazy talk.
Funny thing is, I've told the team about Kagi, but not everyone's willing to pay/see the benefits yet. Meanwhile, I'm wondering why they're asking if a good search engine could answer it so easily.
Producing content was harder back then and the web was a lot smaller. Google most definitely still use links to rank but are much more likely to discount/devalue links than they did historically.
The Age of PageRank Is Over - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33537513 - Nov 2022 (373 comments)
The only moment these kids use a search engine is when they do homework. In any and every other moment they just search "locally" in TikTok, or insta.
It scares the shit out of me.
(Edit: paying kagi customer here! Keep it up, kagi! I still love and need you!)
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The internet's evolution from creative individual websites to commercial dominance is discussed. Optimism for global unity and knowledge sharing shifted to profit-driven strategies, concentrating traffic on major platforms, altering user experience.
Why don't we have personalized search engines?
Users criticize search engines like Google for prioritizing ads over content, expressing a need for a unified tool to access diverse content types and better organize personal notes across applications.
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