Analysis of search activities of users to identify related network sites

Abstract

A meta-data generator is described for generating meta-data relating to at least one Web site, the meta-data identifying, for a Web site providing at least one Web page, identification of, for other Web sites, at least one Web page associated therewith having a selected relationship with the at least one Web site. The meta-data generator includes an information accumulation module, a meta-data generation module and a meta-data storage module. The information accumulation module accumulates Web page information associated with respective Web sites. The meta-data generation module uses the accumulated Web page information according to a selected meta-data generation methodology to generate said meta-data, and the meta-data storage module stores the meta-data generated by the meta-data generation module. Several meta-data generation methodologies are described, including a link (Web page identifier) analysis methodology, two Web page usage analysis methodologies; and a search results analysis methodology. In the link analysis methodology, meta-data is generated associated with Web pages based on the proximity of links to Web pages in each of a plurality of Web pages. In the Web page usage analysis methodologies, the meta-data generator 25 generates meta-data based on the sequence of Web sites which operators enable their computers to request Web pages during a session. In the search results analysis methodology, the meta-data generator generates meta-data based on activities of an operator after he or she receives results generated by a search engine in response to a search query.