Methods and systems for improving a search ranking using related queries

• US 8,024,326 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tong, Simon, Brin, Sergey, Pearson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): PARDO, THUY N
• Application Number:
  US12/351,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/101, 707/102, 707/709, 707/706, 707/721, 707/723, 707/726
• US Class Current: 707/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

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 related query related to the search query is determined, an article (such as a web page) associated with the search query is determined, and a ranking score for the article based at least in part on data associated with the related query is determined. Several algorithms and types of data associated with related queries useful in carrying out such systems and methods are described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

(a) receiving, at a computer system, a search query from a first user;

(b) identifying by the computer system a first related query as being related to the search query based on information that indicates relative timing or sequencing between the search query and the first related query in prior submissions to the computer system by a plurality of users that include users other than the first user;

(c) identifying a first article that is responsive to the search query;

(d) in response to identifying the first article as responsive to the search query, retrieving data associated with the first related query that indicates, at least, a frequency with which users have selected the first article when the first article has been presented as a search result for the first related query; and

(e) determining a first ranking score for the first article as a search result for the received search query based at least in part on the retrieved data associated with the first related query.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a total selection score for the first related query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the total selection score comprises a total number of users that selected a result returned for a search for the first related query.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the total selection score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, wherein the selections are in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises an instance score for the first related query.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instance score comprises a number of instances the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the number of instances the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query comprises instances shown in a context of the search query, wherein the instances are in the context of the search query when the instances are shown within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the instance score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, wherein the selections are in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a selection score for the first article.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selection score for the first article comprises selections of the first article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, wherein the selections are in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer system.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the related query data associated with the first related query comprises a second selection score for a second article associated with the first related query.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first article as responsive to the search query comprises identifying the first article as responsive to both the search query and the first related query.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining a first selection score for the first article as a search result for the first related query, and wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the data associated with the first related query comprises determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the first selection score.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article comprises:

determining a first initial ranking score for the first article as a search result for the search query; and

calculating a mathematical function comprising the first initial ranking score and the first selection score.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the mathematical function comprising the first initial ranking score and the first selection score comprises combining the first initial ranking score and the first selection score, weighted with at least one weighting factor.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein identifying the first article as responsive to both the search query and the first related query comprises:

identifying an initial search result for the search query, the initial search result comprising the first article; and

determining that a search result for the first related query comprises the first article.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first article comprises a representation of the first article.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the representation of the first article comprises a uniform resource locator.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article as a search result for the first related query comprises determining a number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein determining the number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query comprises determining a number of clickthroughs for the first article when presented in search results for the first related query.

21. A computer program product tangibly embodied in one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

(a) receiving a search query from a first user;

(b) identifying a first related query as being related to the search query based on information that indicates relative timing or sequencing between the search query and the first related query in prior submissions by a plurality of users that include users other than the first user;

(c) identifying a first article that is responsive to the search query;

(d) in response to identifying the first article as responsive to the search query, retrieving data associated with the first related query that indicates, at least, a frequency with which users have selected the first article when the first article has been presented as a search result for the first related query; and

(e) determining a first ranking score for the first article as a search result for the received search query based at least in part on the retrieved data associated with the first related query.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a total selection score for the first related query.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the total selection score comprises a total number of users that selected a result returned for a search for the first related query.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the total selection score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted.

25. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises an instance score for the first related query.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the instance score comprises a number of instances that the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the number of instances the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query comprises instances shown in a context of the search query, the instances being in the context of the search query when the instances are shown within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the instance score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted.

29. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein identifying the first article as responsive to the search query comprises identifying the first article as responsive to both the search query and the first related query.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise determining a first selection score for the first article as a search result for the first related query, and wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the data associated with the first related query comprises determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the first selection score.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article comprises:

determining a first initial ranking score for the first article as a search result for the search query; and

calculating a mathematical function comprising the first initial ranking score and the first selection score.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein calculating the mathematical function comprising the first initial ranking score and the first selection score comprises combining the first initial ranking score and the first selection score, weighted with at least one weighting factor.

33. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein identifying the first article as responsive to both the search query and the first related query comprises:

identifying an initial search result for the search query, the initial search result comprising the first article; and

determining that a search result for the first related query comprises the first article.

34. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a selection score for the first article.

35. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the selection score for the first article comprises selections of the first article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted.

36. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the related query data associated with the first related query comprises a second selection score for a second article associated with the first related query.

37. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the first article comprises a representation of the first article.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the representation of the first article comprises a uniform resource locator.

39. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article as a search result for the first related query comprises determining a number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query.

40. The computer program product of claim 39, wherein determining the number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query comprises determining a number of clickthroughs for the first article when presented in search results for the first related query.

41. A system comprising:

one or more computer servers;

an interface of the computer servers that is configured to receive a search query from a first user;

a related query processor of the computer servers that is configured to identify a first related query as being related to the search query based on information that indicates relative timing or sequencing between the search query and the first related query in prior submissions by a plurality of users that include users other than the first user;

a document locator of the computer servers that is configured to identify a first article that is responsive to the search query; and

a ranking processor of the computer servers that is configured to, in response to identification of the first article as responsive to the search query by the document locator, retrieve data associated with the first related query that indicates, at least, a frequency with which users have selected the first article when the first article has been presented as a search result for the first related query, wherein the ranking processor is further configured to determine a first ranking score for the first article as a search result for the received search query based at least in part on the retrieved data associated with the first related query.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a total selection score for the first related query.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the total selection score comprises a total number of users that selected a result returned for a search for the first related query.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the total selection score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer servers.

45. The system of claim 41, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises an instance score for the first related query.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein the instance score comprises a number of instances the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the number of instances the first article was shown in a search result for the first related query comprises instances shown in a context of the search query, the instances being in the context of the search query when the instances are shown within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer servers.

48. The system of claim 45, wherein the instance score for the first related query comprises selections of any article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer servers.

49. The system of claim 41, wherein identifying the first article as responsive to the search query comprises identifying the first article as responsive to both the search query and the first related query.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the ranking processor is further configured to determine a first selection score for the first article as a search result for the first related query, and wherein determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the data associated with the first related query comprises determining the first ranking score for the first article based at least in part on the first selection score.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the ranking processor is further configured to determine the first ranking score for the first article by determining a first initial ranking score for the first article as a search result for the search query, and to calculate a mathematical function that comprises the first initial ranking score and the first selection score.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein calculating the mathematical function comprising the first initial ranking score and the first selection score comprises combining the first initial ranking score and the first selection score, weighted with at least one weighting factor.

53. The system of claim 49, wherein the document locator is further configured to identify the first article as being responsive to both the search query and the first related query by identifying an initial search result for the search query, the initial search result comprising the first article;

and determining that a search result for the first related query comprises the first article.

54. The system of claim 41, wherein the data associated with the first related query comprises a selection score for the first article.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the selection score for the first article comprises selections of the first article provided in search results for the first related query in a context of the search query, the selections being in the context of the search query when the selections are made within a threshold timing or sequencing of the search query being submitted to the computer servers.

56. The system of claim 41, wherein the related query data associated with the first related query comprises a second selection score for a second article associated with the first related query.

57. The system of claim 41, wherein the first article comprises a representation of the first article.

58. The system of claim 57, wherein the representation of the first article comprises a uniform resource locator.

59. The system of claim 41, wherein the ranking processor is further configured to determine the first ranking score for the first article by determining a number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein determining the number of times the first article was selected when presented in search results for the first related query comprises determining a number of clickthroughs for the first article when presented in search results for the first related query.