Methods and systems for improving a search ranking using population information

• US 20050060310A1
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Published: 03/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tong, Simon, Pearson, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,417 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access

Abstract

Systems and methods that improve search rankings for a search query by using data associated with queries related to the search query are described. In one aspect, a search query is received, a population associated with the search query is determined, an article (such as a webpage) associated with the search query is determined, and a ranking score for the article based at least in part on data associated with the population is determined. Algorithms and types of data associated with a population useful in carrying out such systems and methods are described.

Claims

1. A method for determining a search ranking score, comprising:

(a) receiving a search query;

(b) determining a first population associated with the search query;

(c) determining a first article associated with the search query; and

(d) determining a first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on data associated with the first population.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining a demographic data associated with a sender of the search query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the demographic data associated with the sender comprises determining a likely geographic location for the sender.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining the likely geographic location for the sender comprises determining at least one of the following:

the Internet Protocol address from which the search query was sent;

an address input by the sender to access a search engine; and

demographic data input by the sender.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the demographic data for the sender comprises determining at least one of the following:

age, age range, sex, race, primary language, secondary language, location, income, income range, a continent, a region, a country, a state, a county, a city, a gender, an ethnic group, a group, persons with a shared characteristic, persons with a shared interest, persons grouped by a predetermined selection, and internet service provider data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining a demographic data associated with the search query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the demographic data associated with the search query comprises at least one of the following:

determining the language of the search query; and

determining data associated with previous senders of the search query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining a self-identification data associated with a user transmitting the search query.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the self-identification data is selected from at least one of the following:

user registration data, user preference data, and user selected data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining an automatic-identification data associated with a user transmitting the search query.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the automatic-identification data comprises at least one of the following:

an IP address, a domain, and default data obtained an application associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a selection score for the first article in a context of the first population.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection score for the first article in the context of the first population comprises a number of clicks for the first article by members of the first population.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a number of members of the first population.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population that selected a result returned for the search query.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population that input the search query.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population to which search results for the search query were shown.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a total selection score.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the total selection score comprises a total number of members of the first population that selected the first article.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a second population associated with the search query;

and wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article is further based at least in part on data associated with the second population.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising

(e) determining a second article associated with the search query;

and

(d) determining a second ranking score for the second article based at least in part on data associated with the first population.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising ranking the first article and the second article based at least in part on the first ranking score and the second ranking score.

23. A computer-readable medium containing program code, comprising:

(a) program code for receiving a search query;

(b) program code for determining a first population associated with the search query;

(c) program code for determining a first article associated with the search query; and

(d) program code for determining a first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on data associated with the first population.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the program code for determining a first population associated with the search query is adapted for determining a demographic data associated with a sender of the search query.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining a demographic data associated with a sender comprises determining a likely geographic location for the sender.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein determining a likely geographic location for a sender comprises determining at least one of the following:

the Internet Protocol address from which the search query was sent;

an address input by the sender to access a search engine; and

demographic data input by the sender.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein determining the demographic data for a sender comprises determining at least one of the following:

age, age range, sex, race, primary language, secondary language, location, income, income range, a continent, a region, a country, a state, a county, a city, a gender, an ethnic group, a group, persons with a shared characteristic, persons with a shared interest, persons grouped by a predetermined selection, and internet service provider data.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining a demographic data associated with the search query.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein determining the demographic data associated with the search query comprises at least one of the following:

determining the language of the search query; and

determining data associated with previous senders of the search query.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining a self-identification data associated with a user transmitting the search query.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein determining the first population associated with the search query comprises determining an automatic-identification data associated with a user transmitting the search query.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the automatic-identification data comprises at least one of the following:

an IP address, a domain, and default data obtained an application associated with the user.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a selection score for the first article in a context of the first population.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 34, wherein the selection score for the first article in the context of the first population comprises a number of clicks for the first article by members of the first population.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a number of members of the first population.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population that selected a result returned for the search query.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population that input the search query.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein the number of members of the first population comprises a number of members of the first population to which search results for the search query were shown.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the data associated with the first population comprises a total selection score.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 40, wherein the total selection score comprises a total number of members of the first population that selected the first article.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising determining a second population associated with the search query;

and wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article is further based at least in part on data associated with the second population.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 23 further comprising:

(e) program code for determining a second article associated with the search query; and

(f) program code for determining a second ranking score for the second article based at least in part on data associated with the first population.

44. The computer-readable medium of claim 43 further comprising ranking the first article and the second article based at least in part on the first ranking score and the second ranking score.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the self-identification data is selected from at least one of the following:

user registration data, user preference data, and user selected data.