Auto-refinement of search results based on monitored search activities of users
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
- tracking search activities of search engine users over a plurality of index-type search engines to generate search activity data, said search activity data identifying at least search queries submitted by search engine users to locate and access a particular destination, wherein each of the search engine users interacts with a search results page of the index-type search engine to view search results, and wherein each of the plurality of search engines maintains its own proprietary index obtained by crawling web sites for building a unique database for generating search results;
programmatically analyzing search activity data to generate statistical data regarding said search queries used to locate and access the particular destination, said statistical data encompassing search activities over the plurality of index-type search engines, wherein said programmatically analyzing is performed by a computer system having a processor and memory; and
automatically incorporating the statistical data into a search result ranking process of a particular index-type search engine such that a search result ranking assigned by the particular index-type search engine to the particular destination is dependent upon searches conducted via at least one other index-type search engine.
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Abstract
A tracking system passively tracks and records searches conducted by actual search engine users. The recorded data for each search event preferably includes the search query submitted, the search engine used, the search result item (e.g., web page) selected, the position (e.g., page number) of this item, and the user'"'"'s IP address. The collected data is aggregated and analyzed to generate data regarding the search queries used to locate and access particular destinations (e.g., web pages and sites). This data may be used for various purposes, such as (1) to generate reports showing, e.g., how users reach a particular destination from different search engines and geographic locations, (2) to select content to display on a destination page, such that the content is relevant to search queries commonly used to locate that page, and (3) to update the database of one search engine to reflect searches conducted on other search engines.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
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tracking search activities of search engine users over a plurality of index-type search engines to generate search activity data, said search activity data identifying at least search queries submitted by search engine users to locate and access a particular destination, wherein each of the search engine users interacts with a search results page of the index-type search engine to view search results, and wherein each of the plurality of search engines maintains its own proprietary index obtained by crawling web sites for building a unique database for generating search results; programmatically analyzing search activity data to generate statistical data regarding said search queries used to locate and access the particular destination, said statistical data encompassing search activities over the plurality of index-type search engines, wherein said programmatically analyzing is performed by a computer system having a processor and memory; and automatically incorporating the statistical data into a search result ranking process of a particular index-type search engine such that a search result ranking assigned by the particular index-type search engine to the particular destination is dependent upon searches conducted via at least one other index-type search engine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A computer system, comprising:
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a data collection server including computer hardware configured to track search activities of search engine users over a plurality of index-type search engines to generate search activity data, said search activity data identifying at least search queries submitted by search engine users to locate and access a particular destination, wherein each of the search engine users interacts with a search results page of the index-type search engine to view search results, and wherein each of the plurality of search engines maintains its own proprietary index obtained by crawling web sites for building a unique database for generating search results; and an analyzer configured to analyze search activity data to generate statistical data regarding said search queries used to locate and access the particular destination, said statistical data encompassing search activities over the plurality of index-type search engines, said analyzer further configured to automatically incorporate the statistical data into a search result ranking process of a particular index-type search engine such that a search result ranking assigned by the particular index-type search engine to the particular destination is dependent upon searches conducted via at least one other index-type search engine. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification