Google Files To Patent The “Sandbox”
Google all but admitted that the website sandbox exists by filing yesterday to patent it. The “sandbox” is the idea of giving newer sites a penalty for, well, being new. This scoop comes from Donna’s SEO Scoop blog, and she calls it “one of the most important documents ever to hit the SEO world”. Why is it so important? Webmasters have been fretting and worrying about the sandbox a lot, especially lately, and now someone (else) can read the gritty details at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Not only does it basically admit to the sandbox, it gives insight some of the rules Google’s ranking algorithm uses. Rest assured, this document just rewrote the SEO bible like none other since the original PageRank paper. Here are the grittiest details:
Title: Information retrieval based on historical dataAbstract: A system identifies a document and obtains one or more types of history data associated with the document. The system may generate a score for the document based, at least in part, on the one or more types of history data.
A method for scoring a document, comprising: identifying a document; obtaining one or more types of history data associated with the document; and generating a score for the document based on the one or more types of history data.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to the inception date of the document.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to a manner in which the document’s content changes over time. For very large documents that include content belonging to multiple individuals or organizations, the score may correspond to each of the sub-documents (i.e., that content belonging to or updated by a single individual or organization).
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on one or more query-based factors.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on one or more link-based factors.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to a manner in which anchor text changes over time.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to traffic associated with the document over time.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information corresponding to individual or aggregate user behavior relating to the document over time.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to a legitimacy of a domain associated with the document.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information relating to prior rankings of the document.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on user maintained or generated data.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information regarding unique words, bigrams, and phrases in anchor text associated with one or more links pointing to the document.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information regarding linkage of independent peers.
In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on changes in one or more topics associated with the document.
Systems and methods consistent with the principles of the invention may use history data to score documents and form high quality search results.
Patenting this? Score one for “evil”!
Comment by Stu | April 1, 2005