Yahoo Files Patent for Search Term Substitution

May 19, 2008 - 10:18 am 0 by
Filed Under Other Yahoo

Bill Slawski has written up another interesting piece about how search engines substitute other search terms for yours depending on past user behavior. Of course, this is related to a patent he discovered that was filed by Yahoo.

Bill explains how this works:

Let’s say that a large number of people who search for the term intellectual property then go on to search for the term patent attorney with their very next search, or within the same search session.

The search engine log files would uncover that such an association exists, and the search engine might explore how common it is for searchers to search for that second phrase. If it happens frequently enough, the search engine may start suggesting patent attorney as a suggested search to searchers along with a display of search results for the term intellectual property.

Therefore, it's important to take these other substitutions into consideration when optimizing your page, according to a Cre8asite Forums post. It is helpful to look at the various suggestions and optimize accordingly.

Forum discussion continues at Cre8asite Forums.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Follow

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: November 1, 2024

Nov 1, 2024 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Update Coming Soon, Downgrading Content, AI Overviews Expands, ChatGPT Search, Volatility Continues & Unauthorized Ad Rep Changes

Nov 1, 2024 - 8:01 am
Google Updates

Halloween 2024 Google Search Ranking Update 👻

Nov 1, 2024 - 7:51 am
Other Search Engines

OpenAI Releases ChatGPT Search: Citations, Robots.txt Controls & More

Nov 1, 2024 - 7:41 am
Google Maps

Google AI Answers In Google Maps: Things To Do, Review Summaries & About This Place

Nov 1, 2024 - 7:31 am
Google Maps

Google Tests Discover More Places & Explore Places Nearby

Nov 1, 2024 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Is a Meta Description Necessary in Google?