The Ask.com Algorithm
In addition to utilizing existing search techniques, Ask.com applies what they call authority, a new measure of relevance, to deliver search results. For this purpose, Ask.com employs three proprietary techniques:
Refine, Results and Resources.
Refine
First, Ask.com organizes sites into naturally occurring communities that are about the subject of each search query. These communities are presented under the heading "Refine" on the Ask.com.com results page. This tool allows a user to further focus his or her specific search.
For example, a search for "Soprano" would present a user with a set of refinement suggestions such as "Marie-Adele McArther" (a renowned soprano), "Three Sopranos" (the operatic trio), "The Sopranos" (the wildly- popular HBO television show) as well as several other choices. No other technology can dynamically cluster search results into the actual communities as they exist on the Web.
Results
Next, after identifying these communities, Ask.com employs a technique called Subject-Specific PopularitySM. Subject-Specific Popularity analyzes the relationship of sites within a community, ranking a site based on the number of same-subject pages that reference it, among hundreds of other criteria. In other words, Ask.com determines the best answer for a search by asking experts within a specific subject community about who they believe is the best resource for that subject. By assessing the opinions of a site's peers, Ask.com establishes authority for the search result. Relevant search results ranked by Subject-Specific Popularity are presented under the heading "Results" on the Ask.com results page.
In some instances companies pay to have their Web sites included within Ask.com's dataset, otherwise known as the Ask.com Index. Like all Web sites, these sites are processed through Ask.com's search algorithms and are not guaranteed placement in the results. This ensures that relevancy is the primary driver of results.
Resources
Finally, by dividing the Web into local subject communities, Ask.com is able to find and identify expert resources about a particular subject. These sites feature lists of other authoritative sites and links relating to the search topic. For example, a professor of Middle Eastern history may have created a page devoted to his collection of sites that explain the geography and topography of the Persian Gulf. This site would appear under the heading "Resources" in response to a Persian Gulf-related query. No previous search technology has been able to find and rank these sites.
In addition to utilizing existing search techniques, Ask.com applies what they call authority, a new measure of relevance, to deliver search results. For this purpose, Ask.com employs three proprietary techniques:
Refine, Results and Resources.
Refine
First, Ask.com organizes sites into naturally occurring communities that are about the subject of each search query. These communities are presented under the heading "Refine" on the Ask.com.com results page. This tool allows a user to further focus his or her specific search.
For example, a search for "Soprano" would present a user with a set of refinement suggestions such as "Marie-Adele McArther" (a renowned soprano), "Three Sopranos" (the operatic trio), "The Sopranos" (the wildly- popular HBO television show) as well as several other choices. No other technology can dynamically cluster search results into the actual communities as they exist on the Web.
Results
Next, after identifying these communities, Ask.com employs a technique called Subject-Specific PopularitySM. Subject-Specific Popularity analyzes the relationship of sites within a community, ranking a site based on the number of same-subject pages that reference it, among hundreds of other criteria. In other words, Ask.com determines the best answer for a search by asking experts within a specific subject community about who they believe is the best resource for that subject. By assessing the opinions of a site's peers, Ask.com establishes authority for the search result. Relevant search results ranked by Subject-Specific Popularity are presented under the heading "Results" on the Ask.com results page.
In some instances companies pay to have their Web sites included within Ask.com's dataset, otherwise known as the Ask.com Index. Like all Web sites, these sites are processed through Ask.com's search algorithms and are not guaranteed placement in the results. This ensures that relevancy is the primary driver of results.
Resources
Finally, by dividing the Web into local subject communities, Ask.com is able to find and identify expert resources about a particular subject. These sites feature lists of other authoritative sites and links relating to the search topic. For example, a professor of Middle Eastern history may have created a page devoted to his collection of sites that explain the geography and topography of the Persian Gulf. This site would appear under the heading "Resources" in response to a Persian Gulf-related query. No previous search technology has been able to find and rank these sites.
