Title based local search ranking

• US 8,122,013 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Qian, Jiang, Luk, Ben, An, Xinghua
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Son T
• Application Number:
  US11/340,857
• Time in Patent Office: 2,216 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/7, 707/722, 707/758
• US Class Current: 707/722
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A method for performing a local search includes receiving a local search request that includes at least a search term and a geographic identification. Business listings matching the received local search request are identified. The business listings are then ranked based on at least a webscore associated with each listing. Each listing'"'"'s webscore is based on the listing'"'"'s web popularity. In this manner, local search listings are ranked and presented in a more accurate manner.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors associated with one or more server devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the one or more server devices, a local search request that includes one or more query terms and a geographic identification;

identifying, by one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, a local search listing based on the local search request;

identifying, by one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, a title associated with the identified local search listing;

assigning, by by one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, a webscore for the identified local search listing, where the webscore is determined from a number of search results returned by querying a search engine with the title when a size of the title is greater than a threshold, and the webscore is determined from the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the title and the geographic identification when the size of the title is less than the threshold;

ranking, by one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, the identified local search listing based on the assigned webscore; and

providing, by the one or more server devices, the ranked identified local search listing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling the webscore for the identified local search listing.

3. The method of claim 1, where a number of local search listings having the same title are identified based on the local search request, further comprising:

adjusting the webscore for at least one of the number of local search listings based on the number of local search listings having the same title.

4. The method of claim 3, where adjusting the webscore for the at least one of the number of local search listings further comprises:

dividing the number of search results by the number of local search listings having the same title.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting the webscore based on one or more of the following:

a search ranking value for an authority page associated with the identified local search listing;

a highest search ranking value for any page referencing an address associated with the identified local search listing;

a number of pages referencing an address associated with the identified local search listing;

a number of scraped page references of the identified local search listing;

a number of reviews of the identified local search listing;

or

financial information for the identified local search listing.

6. The method of claim 1, where the size of the title is determined from a number of words in the title.

7. The method of claim 1, where the size of the title is determined from a number of characters in the title.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the webscore from the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the title when the size of the title is equal to the threshold.

9. A method performed by one or more processors associated with one or more server devices, the method comprising:

determining, by the one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, a webscore for each of a plurality of business listings associated with a location;

receiving, by a communication interface or an input device associated with the one or more server devices, a local search request over a computer network;

identifying, by the one or more processors, business listings based on the local search request;

ranking, by the one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, the identified business listings based on the webscores determined for the identified business listings; and

providing, by the communication interface or an output device associated with the one or more server devices, the ranked business listings over the computer network;

where determining the webscore for any one of the plurality of business listings further comprises;

identifying a business listing title; and

determining a number of search results returned by querying a search engine with the business listing title when a size of the business listing title is greater than a threshold, and determining the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the business listing title and the location associated with the business listing when the size of the business listing title is less than the threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, where a number of the plurality of business listings have the same business listing title, the method further comprising:

adjusting the webscore for at least one of the number of business listings based on the number of business listings having the same business listing title.

11. The method of claim 9, where the size of the business listing title is determined from a number of words in the business listing title.

12. The method of claim 9, where the size of the business listing title is determined from a number of characters in the business listing title.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the webscore from the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the title when the size of the business listing title is equal to the threshold.

14. The method of claim 9, where determining the webscore for each of the plurality of business listings further comprises adjusting the webscore for each of the plurality of business listings based on one or more of the following:

a search ranking value for an authority page associated with the business listing;

a highest search ranking value for any page referencing an address associated with the business listing;

a number of pages referencing an address associated with the business listing;

a number of scraped page references of the business listing;

a number of reviews of the business listing;

or

financial information for the business listing.

15. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer-readable memory, comprising instructions operable to cause a programmable processor to:

receive a local search request, where the local search request includes a search term and a geographic identifier;

identify a business listing based on the local search request;

identify a title associated with the identified business listing;

determine a webscore for the identified business listing, where the webscore is determined from a number of search results returned by querying a search engine with the title when a size of the title is greater than a threshold, and the webscore is determined from the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the title and the geographic identifier when the size of the title is not greater than the threshold;

rank the identified business listing based on the assigned webscore; and

provide the ranked identified business listing.

16. A method performed by one or more processors associated with one or more server devices, the method comprising:

receiving, at the one or more server devices, a local search request that includes one or more query terms and a geographic identification;

identifying, by one or more processors associated with the one or more server devices, a local search listing based on the local search request;

retrieving a webscore for the local search listing, where the webscore is based on a number of search results obtained by querying a search engine with a title associated the with local search listing when a size of the title is greater than a threshold, and the webscore is based on the number of search results obtained by querying the search engine with the title and the geographic identification when the size of the title is less than the threshold;

ranking the local search listing based on the retrieved webscore; and

providing the ranked local search listing.

17. The method of claim 16, where the webscore is further based on one of more of the following:

a search ranking value for an authority page associated with the local search listing;

a highest search ranking value for any page referencing an address of the local search listing;

a number of pages referencing an address of the local search listing;

a number of scraped page references;

a number of reviews of the business listing;

or

financial information about the local search listing.

18. The method of claim 16, where the size of the title is determined from a number of words in the title.

19. The method of claim 16, where the size of the title is determined from a number of characters in the title.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining the webscore from the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the title when the size of the title is equal to the threshold.

21. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory that stores one or more instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

receive a local search request that includes one or more query terms and a geographic identification;

identify a local search listing based on the local search request;

identify a title associated with the identified local search listing;

assign a webscore for the identified local search listing, where the webscore is determined from a number of search results returned by querying a search engine with the title when a size of the title is greater than a threshold, and the webscore is determined from the number of search results returned by querying the the search engine with the title and the geographic identification when the size of the title is not greater than the threshold;

rank the identified local search listing based on the webscore; and

provide the ranked local identified search listing.

22. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory that stores one or more instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

determine a webscore for each of a plurality of business listings associated with a location;

receive a local search request over a computer network;

identify business listings based on the local search request;

rank the identified business listings based on the webscores determined for the identified business listings; and

provide the ranked business listings over the computer network;

where, when determining the webscore for any one of the plurality of business listings, the at least one processor;

identifies a business listing title; and

determines a number of search results returned by querying a search engine with the business listing title when the business listing title is greater than a threshold, and determines the number of search results returned by querying the search engine with the business listing title and the location associated with the business listing when the business listing title is not greater than the threshold.

23. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory that stores one or more instructions that when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

receive a local search request that includes one or more query terms and a geographic identification;

identify a local search listing based on the local search request;

retrieve a webscore for the local search listing, where the webscore is based on a number of search results obtained by querying a search engine with a title associated with the local search listing when a size of the title is greater than a threshold, and the webscore is based on the number of search results obtained by querying the search engine with the title and the geographic identification when the size of the title is not greater than the threshold;

rank the local search listing based on the retrieved webscore; and

provide the ranked local search listing.