Document scoring based on query analysis

• US 8,051,071 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2006
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Henzinger, Monika, Lawrence, Steve, Pfleger, Karl, Sercinoglu, Olcan, Tong, Simon, Haahr, Paul, Dean, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy; Hung T
• Application Number:
  US11/562,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20070088692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 707 3- 5, 707/7, 707/705, 707/706, 707/722, 707/723, 707/736, 707/748, 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A system may determine an extent to which a document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results, generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the extent to which the document is selected when the document is included in a set of search results; and rank the document with regard to at least one other document based, at least in part, on the score.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more devices, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, an amount or rate that a document moves positions in search result rankings over time, compared to one or more prior positions of the document in the search result rankings;

generating, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, a score for the document based on the amount or rate that the document moves in the search result rankings over time, compared to the one or more prior positions of the document in the search result rankings; and

ranking, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, the document with regard to at least one other document based on the score.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings includes:

determining a number of positions that the document moves in the search result rankings, and

where generating the score for the document includes generating the score based on the determined number of positions that the document moves in the search result rankings.

3. The method of claim 1, where determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings includes:

determining a rate at which the document moves positions in the search result rankings, and

where generating the score for the document includes generating the score based on the determined rate at which the document moves positions in the search result rankings.

4. The method of claim 1, where the score is a first score, the method further comprising:

determining a frequency at which the document is selected over time when the document is included in a set of search results;

generating a second score for the document based on the frequency at which the document is selected over time when the document is included in a set of search results; and

ranking the document with regard to at least one other document based on the second score.

5. The method of claim 4, where determining the frequency at which the document is selected includes:

determining the frequency at which the document is selected over time based on behavior of a single user.

6. The method of claim 4, where determining the frequency at which the document is selected includes:

determining the frequency at which the document is selected over time based on behavior of a plurality of users.

7. The method of claim 1, where the score is a first score, the method further comprising:

determining a set of search terms relating to a particular topic or news item;

determining that the document is associated with the set of search terms;

identifying another document that is not associated with the set of search terms;

generating a second score for the other document, where the first score exceeds the second score; and

ranking the document with regard to at least the other document based on the first and second scores.

8. The method of claim 7, where determining the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item includes:

determining a group of search terms that increasingly appear in search queries over time, and

identifying the group of search terms as the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item.

9. The method of claim 7, where determining the set of search terms relating to a particular topic or news item includes:

determining an increase in a number of search results generated by search queries with similar groups of search terms, and

identifying the groups of search terms as the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item.

10. A memory device comprising computer-executable instructions, comprising:

one or more instructions to determine an amount that a rank of a document changes over time;

one or more instructions to determine or adjust a score for the document based on the amount that the rank of the document changes over time; and

one or more instructions to rank the document with regard to at least one other document based on the determined or adjusted score.

11. The memory device of claim 10, further comprising:

one or more instructions to employ measures to prevent the rank of the document from changing at more than a predetermined rate.

12. The memory device of claim 10, further comprising:

one or more instructions to prevent the rank of the document from increasing more than a predetermined threshold amount within a time period.

13. The memory device of claim 10, where the one or more instructions to adjust the score include one or more instructions to adjust a relevancy score, that is based on a relevance of the document to a search query, by an amount that is based on the amount that the rank of the document changes over time.

14. The memory device of claim 10, where the one or more instructions to adjust the score include one or more instructions to combine the score with an amount that is based on the amount that the rank of the document changes over time.

15. The memory device of claim 10, where the one or more instructions to determine the score include one or more instructions to determine the score without generating a relevancy score that is based on a relevance of the document to a search query.

16. A system comprising:

one or more server devices to;

determine an amount or rate that a document moves positions in search result rankings over time;

generate a score for the document based on the amount or rate that the document moves in the search result rankings over time; and

rank the document against at least one other document based on the score.

17. The system of claim 16, where when determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings, the one or more server devices are to:

determine a number of positions that the document moves in the search result rankings

18. The system of claim 16, where when determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings, the one or more server devices are to:

determine a rate at which the document moves positions in the search result rankings.

19. A system, comprising:

a memory device to store computer-executable instructions; and

one or more processors, to execute the computer-executable instructions, to;

determine an amount or rate that a document moves positions in search result rankings over time;

generate a score for the document based on the amount or rate that the document moves in the search result rankings over time; and

rank the document with regard to at least one other document based on the score.

20. The system of claim 19, where when determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings, the one or more processors are to:

determine a number of positions that the document moves in the search result rankings.

21. The system of claim 19, where when determining the amount or rate that the document moves in search result rankings, the one or more processors are to:

determine a rate at which the document moves positions in the search result rankings.

22. The system of claim 19, where the score is a first score, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine a frequency at which the document is selected over time when the document is included in a set of search results;

generate a second score for the document based on the frequency at which the document is selected over time when the document is included in a set of search results; and

rank the document with regard other documents based on the second score.

23. The system of claim 22, where when determining the frequency at which the document is selected, the one or more processors are to:

determine the frequency at which the document is selected over time based on behavior of a single user.

24. The system of claim 22, where when determining the frequency at which the document is selected, the one or more processors are to:

determine the frequency at which the document is selected over time based on behavior of a plurality of users.

25. The system of claim 19, where the score is a first score, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine a set of search terms relating to a particular topic or news item;

determine that the document is associated with the set of search terms;

identify another document that is not associated with the set of search terms;

generate a second score for the other document, where the first score is higher than the second score; and

rank the document with regard to at least the other document based on the first and second scores.

26. The system of claim 25, where when determining the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item, the one or more processors are to:

determine a group of search terms that increasingly appear in search queries over time; and

identify the group of search terms as the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item.

27. The system of claim 25, where when determining the set of search terms relating to a particular topic or news item, the one or more processors are to:

determine an increase in a number of search results generated by search queries with similar groups of search terms, and

identify the groups of search terms as the set of search terms relating to the particular topic or news item.

28. A method performed by one or more devices, the method comprising:

determining, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, an amount that a rank of a document changes over time;

determining or adjusting, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, a score for the document based on the amount that the rank of the document changes over time; and

ranking, by one or more processors of the one or more devices, the document with regard to at least one other document based on the score.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

employing measures to prevent the rank of the document from changing at more than a predetermined rate.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

preventing the rank of the document from increasing more than a predetermined threshold amount within a time period.

31. The method of claim 28, where determining or adjusting the score includes adjusting a relevancy score, that is based on a relevance of the document to a search query, by an amount that is based on the amount that the rank of the document changes over time.

32. The method of claim 28, where determining or adjusting the score includes combining a relevancy score, that is based on a relevance of the document to a search query, with a ranking score that is derived from the amount that the rank of the document changes over time.

33. The method of claim 28, where determining the score includes determining the score without generating a relevancy score that is based on a relevance of the document to a search query.