Why a 42% match can outrank a 70% match

This is the single thing about Molao search that confuses people most, so it is worth being precise.

What the percentage actually is

The percentage shown on a search result — for example "42% text match" — is the semantic similarity between that specific passage and the words you typed. It measures how closely the wording lines up. It is not the score that decides the order of results.

What decides the order

Ranking combines relevance with legal authority. A passage from an apex court that is cited hundreds of times can be more useful to you than a wordier passage from a lower court that happens to echo your phrasing more closely. So Molao will often place the higher-authority passage first, even though its text-match percentage is lower.

Worked example

• A Constitutional Court paragraph shows 42% text match but states the governing principle and is heavily cited.
• A Magistrates' Court paragraph shows 70% text match because it repeats your exact words, but it is rarely cited and binds no one above it.
• Molao ranks the Constitutional Court paragraph higher, because it is the stronger authority on the point.