Domain popularity scoring

• US 8,909,760 B2
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Original Assignee: VeriSign, Inc.
• Inventors: Holmes, Alexander, Simpson, Andrew, Shyamsunder, Karthik, Sunkara, Srinivas, Lanxner, Eyal, Zohar, Nir, Orentas, Leonard, Kosters, Mark, Kamara, Tamir, Larson, Matt, Mankin, Yona
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRABIK, SARAH E
• Application Number:
  US12/755,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/062 related to network traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

Systems and methods for scoring a domain including analyzing counter data and information obtained from a web site associated with the domain. Methods may include receiving requests to resolve the domain at an authoritative domain resolution server. A counter may be incremented for the domain based on the received requests. Information may be obtained from a web page associated with the domain. For example, obtaining information from the web page may include obtaining quantitative, qualitative, and/or functional information from the web page, such as link information, a status of network links corresponding to the link information, and associated ratios. The status of link information may include searching for functional details and/or results, such as, domain redirections, domain errors, mirror content, and commonly linked sites. A score may be calculated for the domain based upon the counter data and the information obtained from the web page associated with the domain.

Claims

1. A method for scoring a domain, comprising:

receiving requests to resolve the domain at a domain resolution server, wherein each request to resolve the domain comprises one of a plurality of domain name strings that map to the domain;

determining that one or more of the domain name strings correspond to a first domain name string format of a plurality of domain name string formats, wherein the first domain name string format comprises domain strings that include a “

www”

string;

maintaining separate counters for each of the plurality of domain name string formats;

automatically incrementing a first counter for each of the one or more of the domain names strings that corresponds to the first domain name string format, wherein the first counter counts a number of received requests to resolve the domain that include the first domain name string format;

obtaining information from a web page associated with the domain; and

automatically calculating a score for the domain by a computer processor based upon the first counter and the information from the web page associated with the domain.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining information from the web page associated with the domain comprises:

obtaining link information from the web page; and

analyzing status information of network links corresponding to the link information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein analyzing the status information of the network links corresponding to the link information comprises searching for at least one of domain redirections, domain errors, mirror content, or commonly linked sites.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining information from another web page that is linked to the domain.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing characters of the one or more domain name strings; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the analyzing the characters of the one or more domain name strings.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating a score for the domain includes applying a quality factor based on a relationship between total links of the domain and responsive links of the domain.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a purpose of the domain; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the purpose that is determined.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a frequency at which information associated with the domain is updated; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the frequency that is determined.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing a first number of domain name strings counted by the first counter associated with the first domain name string format to a second number of domain name strings counted by a second counter associated with a second domain name string format; and

applying a weighting factor to a traffic score of at least one of the first counter or the second counter based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a number of external links to subdomains of the domain; and

applying a weighting factor to a traffic score of at least one of the separate counters based on the number of external links to the subdomains.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a count of domain name strings that include the “

www”

string are weighted differently in the calculating the score for the domain than a count of domain name strings not including the “

www”

string.

12. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving requests to resolve a domain at a domain resolution server, wherein each request to resolve the domain comprises one of a plurality of domain name strings that map to the domain;

determining that one or more of the domain name strings correspond to a first domain name string format of a plurality of domain name string formats, wherein the first domain name string format comprises domain strings that include a “

www”

string;

maintaining separate counters for each of the plurality of domain name string formats;

automatically incrementing a first counter for each of the one or more of the domain name strings that corresponds to the first domain name string format, wherein the first counter counts a number of received requests to resolve the domain that include the first domain name string format;

obtaining information from a web page associated with the domain; and

automatically calculating a score for the domain based upon the first counter and the information from the web page associated with the domain.

13. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the obtaining information from the web page associated with the domain comprises:

obtaining link information from the web page; and

analyzing status information of network links corresponding to the link information.

14. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 13, wherein analyzing the status information of the network links corresponding to the link information comprises searching for at least one of domain redirections, domain errors, mirror content, or commonly linked sites.

15. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising obtaining information from another web page that is linked to the domain.

16. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

analyzing characters of the one or more domain name strings; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the analyzing the characters of the one or more domain name strings.

17. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the calculating a score for the domain includes applying a quality factor based on a relationship between total links of the domain and responsive links of the domain.

18. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

determining a purpose of the domain; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the purpose.

19. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

determining a frequency at which information of the domain is updated; and

applying a weighting factor to the calculating the score for the domain based on the frequency.

20. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

comparing a first number of domain name strings counted by the first counter associated with the first domain name string format to a second number of domain name strings counted by a second counter associated with a second domain name string format; and

applying a weighting factor to a traffic score of at least one of the first counter or the second counter based on the comparison.

21. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, the method further comprising:

determining a number of external links to subdomains of the domain; and

applying a weighting factor to a traffic score of at least one of the separate counters based on the number of external links to the subdomains.

22. The computer-readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein a count of domain name strings that include the “

www”

string are weighted differently in the calculating the score for the domain than a count of domain name strings not including the “

www”

string.

23. A system for scoring a domain comprising:

a processor; and

a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive requests to resolve a domain at a domain resolution server, wherein each request to resolve the domain comprises one of a plurality of domain name strings that map to the domain;

determine that one or more of the domain name strings associated with the domain correspond to a first domain name string format of a plurality of domain name string formats, wherein the first domain name string format comprises domain strings that include a “

www”

string;

maintain separate counters for each of the plurality of domain name string formats;

automatically increment a first counter for each of the one or more of the domain name strings that corresponds to the first domain name string format, wherein the first counter counts a number of received requests to resolve the domain that include the first domain name string format;

obtain information from a web page associated with the domain; and

automatically calculate a score for the domain based upon the first counter and the information from the web page associated with the domain.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein a count of domain name strings that include the “

www”

string are weighted differently in the calculating the score for the domain than a count of domain name strings not including the “

www”

string.