Ranking search results based on the frequency of access on the search results by users of a social-networking system

• US 8,874,556 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2010
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lunt, Christopher, Galbreath, Nicholas, Winner, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US12/975,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093460A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 707/722, 707/723, 707/727, 707/781, 707/784
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/284 Relational databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/338 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9024 Graphs; Linked lists G06F16/9027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

Particular embodiments access a search query submitted by a first user of a social-networking system; identify one or more web pages in response to the search query; retrieve, from the social-networking system, social-networking information of the first user to identify one or more second users of the social-networking system who are connected to the first user within a predetermined degree of separation within the social-networking system; for each of the one or more web pages, determine a value indicating a number of times that the web page has been accessed by the one or more second users; rank the one or more web pages based on the value determined for each web page; and send a ranked set of hyperlinks for the one or more web pages to a second computing device associated with the first user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a search query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identifying, by one or more computing devices, one or more web pages responsive to the search query, each web page being hosted by a third party application server that is external to the social-networking system;

retrieving, by one or more computing devices, information associated with the first user to identify one or more second users of the social-networking system, for each of the second users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the second user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a second user being connected to each other by one or more edges;

ranking, by one or more computing devices, the identified web pages that are hosted by third party application servers that are external to the social-networking system based at least in part on interaction of the second users of the social-networking system with the web pages, the interaction of the second users being determined, for each of the web pages, from one or more databases indicating a number of times the web page has been accessed by the second users divided by a number of times the web page has been presented to the second users; and

providing, by one or more computing devices, a link for each of the web pages for presentation to the first user as ranked.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating, by the one or more computing devices, a visual indicator with each of the web pages for which the interaction satisfies a predetermined threshold each visual indicator when presented being presented in close proximity with the web page it is associated with.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual indicator comprises a clickable icon or word.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving information associated with the first user comprises:

sending a request for the information comprising an identifier of the first user; and

receiving the information, the information comprising identifiers of the second users respectively.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more databases comprise at least a first, second and third databases, the method further comprising maintaining:

the first database of a plurality of search queries submitted by a plurality of users and, for each of the search queries, a list of web pages that have been presented to and accessed by one or more of the users in connection with the search query;

the second database of a plurality of advertisers, a plurality of keywords bid on by the plurality of advertisers, and a plurality of sponsored links corresponding to the plurality of keywords; and

the third database of a plurality of algorithmic search results.

6. The method of claim 1:

wherein the web pages comprise one or more sponsored links and one or more algorithmic search results;

the method further comprising;

ranking the sponsored links further based at least in part on bids received with the sponsored links; and

ranking the algorithmic search results further based at least in part on a degree of relevance of each algorithmic search result with respect to the search query.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the web pages are ranked based at least in part on frequency of clicks on the search results by the second users.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the web pages are ranked based at least in part on click history of the web pages.

7. A system comprising:

a memory comprising instructions executable by one or more processors; and

the one or more processors coupled to the memory and operable to execute the instructions, the one or more processors being operable when executing the instructions to;

receive a search query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identify one or more web pages responsive to the search query, each web page being hosted by a third party application server that is external to the social-networking system;

retrieve information associated with the first user to identify one or more second users of the social-networking system, for each of the second users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the second user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a second user being connected to each other by one or more edges;

rank the identified web pages that are hosted by third party application servers that are external to the social-networking system based at least in part on interaction of the second users of the social-networking system with the web pages, the interaction of the second users being determined, for each of the web pages, from one or more databases indicating a number of times the web page has been accessed by the second users divided by a number of times the web page has been presented to the second users; and

provide a link for each of the web pages for presentation to the first user as ranked.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further operable when executing the instructions to associate a visual indicator with each of the web pages for which the interaction satisfies a predetermined threshold visual indicator when presented being presented in close proximity with the web page it is associated with.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the visual indicator comprises a clickable icon or word.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein, to retrieve the information of the first user, the processors are operable when executed the software to:

send a request for the information comprising an identifier of the first user; and

receive the information, the information comprising identifiers of the second users respectively.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more databases comprise at least a first, second and third databases, and wherein the processors are further operable when executing the instructions to maintain:

the first database of a plurality of search queries submitted by a plurality of users and, for each of the search queries, a list of web pages that have been presented to and accessed by one or more of the users in connection with the search query;

the second database of a plurality of advertisers, a plurality of keywords bid on by the plurality of advertisers, and a plurality of sponsored links corresponding to the plurality of keywords; and

the third database of a plurality of algorithmic search results.

12. The system of claim 7:

wherein the web pages comprise one or more sponsored links and one or more algorithmic search results;

the one or more processors being further operable when executing the instructions to;

rank the sponsored links further based at least in part on a-bids received with sponsored links; and

rank the algorithmic search results further based at least in part on a degree of relevance of each algorithmic search result with respect to the search query.

13. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software operable when executed by one or more computer systems to:

receive a search query from a first user of a social-networking system, the social-networking system comprising a graph that comprises a plurality of nodes and edges connecting the nodes, at least one node in the graph corresponding to the first user;

identify one or more web pages responsive to the search query, each web page being hosted by a third party application server that is external to the social-networking system;

retrieve information associated with the first user to identify one or more second users of the social-networking system, for each of the second users at least one node in the graph corresponding to the second user, at least one of the nodes corresponding to the first user and at least one of the nodes corresponding to a second user being connected to each other by one or more edges;

rank the identified web pages that are hosted by third party application servers that are external to the social-networking system based at least in part on interaction of the second users of the social-networking system with the web pages, the interaction of the second users being determined, for each of the web pages, from one or more databases indicating a number of times the web page has been accessed by the second users divided by a number of times the web page has been presented to the second users; and

provide a link for each of the web pages for presentation to the first user as ranked.

14. The media of claim 13, wherein the software is further operable when executed by one or more computer systems to associate a visual indicator with each of the web pages for which the interaction satisfies a predetermined threshold visual indicator when presented being presented in close proximity with the web page it is associated with.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the visual indicator comprises a clickable icon or word.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein, to retrieve the information of the first user, the software is operable when executed by one or more computer systems to:

send a request for the information comprising an identifier of the first user; and

receive the information, the information comprising identifiers of the second users respectively.