1. A method for optimizing placement of search result listings displayed in a search Web page, the method comprising: measuring an actual performance of a listing located in a Web page containing a search term and a search result corresponding to the search term; assigning an expected performance for the listing based on the location; comparing the actual performance to the expected performance for the listing; promoting the listing to a more prominent location when the actual performance is better than the expected performance; and demoting the listing to a less prominent location when the actual performance is poorer than the expected performance.