Document scoring based on query analysis

• US 8,244,723 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Dean, Jeffrey, Haahr, Paul, Henzinger, Monika, Lawrence, Steve, Pfleger, Karl, Sercinoglu, Olcan, Tong, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Vy, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US13/244,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20120016889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 707/531, 707/706, 707/736, 707/746, 707/751, 707/758, 707/722, 707/723, 707/725, 707999003-999005, 707/728, 707/730, 707/731, 715/810
• US Class Current: 707/723
• 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:

analyzing, by at least one of the one or more devices, trends relating to at least one of search queries or search results that are responsive to search queries, to identify a particular set of search terms relating to one or more particular topics;

identifying, by at least one of the one or more devices and in response to a search query;

a first document that is associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics, and

a second document that is not associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics;

generating, by at least one of the one or more devices, a first score for the first document and a second score for the second document, where the first score is higher than the second score;

ranking, by at least one of the one or more devices, the first document with regard to the second document based on the first score; and

providing, by at least one of the one or more devices and in response to the search query, a search result document that includes an ordered list that includes information identifying the first document and information identifying the second document, where an ordering of the ordered list is based on the ranking.

2. The method of claim 1, where identifying the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics includes:

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

identifying the group of search terms as the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

3. The method of claim 1, where identifying the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics includes:

determining an increase in a number of search results generated in response to search queries with same or similar groups of search terms, and

identifying the groups of search terms as the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

4. The method of claim 3, where determining the increase in the number of search results generated in response to by search queries with the same or similar groups of search terms includes:

determining a rate of increase in the number of search results generated in response to search queries with the same or similar groups of search terms.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a third score, for the first document, that is based on a relevance of the first document to the search query; and

combining the first and third scores to generate an overall score,

where ranking the first document includes ranking the first document with regard to the second document based on the overall score.

6. The method of claim 5, where combining the first and third scores includes:

adjusting the third score by an amount that is based on the first score.

7. A system, comprising:

one or more devices to;

analyze trends relating to at least one of search queries or search results that are responsive to search queries, to identify a particular set of search terms relating to one or more particular topics;

identify, based on a search query;

a first document that is associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics, and

a second document that is not associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics;

generate a first score for the first document and a second score for the second document; and

rank the first document with regard to the second document based on the first score and the second score.

8. The system of claim 7, where when identifying the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics, the one or more devices 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 particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

9. The system of claim 7, where when identifying the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics, the one or more devices are to:

determine an increase in a number of search results generated in response to search queries with same or similar groups of search terms, and

identify the groups of search terms as the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

10. The system of claim 9, where when determining the increase in the number of search results generated in response to search queries with the same or similar groups of search terms, the one or more devices are to:

determine a rate of increase in the number of search results generated in response to search queries with the same or similar groups of search terms.

11. The system of claim 7, where the one or more devices are further to:

generate a third score, for the first document, that is based on a relevance of the first document to the search query; and

combine the first and third scores to generate an overall score,

where when ranking the first document, the one or more devices are to rank the first document with regard to the second document based on the overall score.

12. The system of claim 11, where when combining the first and third scores, the one or more processors are to:

adjust the third score by an amount that is based on the first score.

13. A computer-readable memory device storing programming instructions that are executable by one or more processors of one or more devices, the programming instructions comprising:

one or more instructions to analyze trends relating to at least one of search queries or search results that are responsive to search queries, to a particular set of search terms relating to one or more particular topics;

one or more instructions to identify, in response to a search query;

a first document that is associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics, and

a second document that is not associated with the particular set of search terms that relate to the one or more particular topics;

one or more instructions to generate a first score for the first document and a second score for the second document; and

one or more instructions to rank the first document with regard to the second document based on the first score and the second score.

14. The computer-readable memory device of claim 13, where the one or more instructions to identify the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics include:

one or more instructions to determine a group of search terms that increasingly appear in search queries over time, and

one or more instructions to identify the group of search terms as the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

15. The computer-readable memory device of claim 13, where the one or more instructions to determine the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics include:

one or more instructions to determine an increase in a number of search results generated in response to search queries with the same or similar groups of search terms, and

one or more instructions to identify the same or similar groups of search terms as the particular set of search terms relating to the one or more particular topics.

16. The computer-readable memory device of claim 15, where the one or more instructions to determine the increase in the number of search results generated in response to search queries with same or similar groups of search terms include:

one or more instructions to determine a rate of increase in the number of search results generated in response to search queries with same or similar groups of search terms.

17. The computer-readable memory device of claim 13, where the one or more instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions to generate a third score, for the first document, that is based on a relevance of the first document to the search query; and

one or more instructions to combine the first and third scores to generate an overall score,

where the one or more instructions to rank the first document include one or more instructions to rank the first document with regard to the second document based on the overall score.

18. The computer-readable memory device of claim 17, where one or more instructions to combine the first and third scores include:

one or more instructions to adjust the third score by an amount that is based on the first score.