Ranking Is Important
2025 June 27
Google Search brings a world leading information retrieval experience. This experience is the result of the seamless integration of hardware infrastructure, software systems, data sources, and proprietary algorithms overseen by some of the world's leading impact-driven and well meaning people. One of the most well known algorithms is the PageRank algorithm. The PageRank algorithm provides "a method for rating Web pages objectively and mechanically" which allows the world's billions of web pages content to be discovered. As a result of the algorithm, billions of users have come to expect that the most important things are surfaced towards the top of the Search results page stack, and the least important things are pushed towards the bottom of the stack. Thanks to this excellent ranking process, people can spend less time on information retrieval, and spend more time on insight generation and impact delivery.
In short, an excellent ranking process can result in higher effectiveness, higher efficiency and ultimately higher productivity and impact¹. Thus, it becomes important to highlight that ranking is not limited to webpages. Ranking is also needed when ordering our priorities. With our responsibilities to handle, people to cherish time with, experiences to live, and many other todos, we need to be able to rank our priorities and action upon the highest ranked ones.
Similar to excellent web page ranking, excellent priority ranking needs a methodical approach. However, unlike excellent web page ranking which is more "objective and mechanical", excellent priority ranking is more "subjective and manual". Interestingly, one consistent high ranking todo for everyone is to determine our individual ranking methodology, and I encourage anyone reading this to invest the time in developing that methodology.
For me, I consider the following factors when ranking:
- Who is impacted?
- What is the impact?
- What is the urgency?
- What exchanges need to be made?
- What resources are needed?
- How do my personal principles, values, beliefs and interests fit into the above?
- Am I able to be positively impactful?
To end on a tangentially related note on raking, here is my ranked list of the 3 greatest fried chicken chain restaurants in the world:
- Jollibee in The Philippines
- BHC Chicken in South Korea
- 4Fingers in Singapore
To create my ranked list, I applied the following ranking methodology on my personally tasted set of chicken chain restaurants (e.g. McDonald's, KFC, Popeye's, bb.q chicken, etc.) :
- Taste
- Hygiene
- Affordability
- Customer satisfaction
- Experience consistency
- Branch network coverage
- Brand recognition
Have a happy Friday and God bless!