Providing Advertisements from Related Search Queries

Abstract

Methods, systems and apparatus for identifying advertisements previously presented when processing related search queries related to a submitted search query, and providing the advertisements identified from the related search queries for presentation on a search results page for the submitted search query.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A computer-implemented method, comprising:
 receiving at a computer system a first search query;   receiving at the computer system related search queries, that are each related to, but different from the first search query;   identifying by the computer system, first advertisements using the first search query;   identifying, by the computer system, second advertisements using the related search query; and   providing, together in a first search results page that is presented at a user device and includes search results identified using the first search query, each of (i) at least some of the second advertisements identified using the related search queries, (ii) at least some of the first advertisements identified using the first search query and (iii) at least some of the related search queries, wherein:
 the search results are different from each of the first advertisements and the second advertisements and each of the first advertisements is different from each of the second advertisements included in the search results page; and 
 a given related search query from the first search results page includes code that initiates a request for a different search results page that includes different search results identified using the given related search query in response to user interaction with the given related search query. 
   
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 ranking by the computer system the advertisements responsive to the related search queries; and   wherein providing the second advertisements identified using the related search queries comprises selecting the second advertisements based on a ranking of the second advertisements.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 ranking, by the computer system, the second advertisements identified using the related search queries comprises, for each related search query, ranking the second advertisements identified using the related search query relative only to other second advertisements identified using the related search query; and   selecting the second advertisements based on the ranking of the second advertisements comprises selecting a highest ranked advertisement for each of at least two of the related search queries.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 ranking, by the computer system, the second advertisements identified using the related search queries comprises ranking each advertisement identified using the related search queries relative to all other second advertisements responsive to the related search queries; and   selecting the second advertisements based on the ranking of the second advertisements comprises selecting a subset of highest ranked advertisements from all advertisements identified using the related search queries.   
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 for each related search query and second advertisement identified using the related search query:
 ranking the second advertisement based, at least in part, on:
 a performance measure of the second advertisement; and 
 a performance measure of the related search query specifying performance of the related search query when the related search query is presented on a search results page for the first search query; 
 
   wherein providing second advertisements identified using the related search queries comprises:
 selecting a highest ranked second advertisement according to the ranking; and 
 providing the highest ranked second advertisement. 
   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the performance measure of the second advertisement is a click-through rate of the second advertisement, and the performance measure of the related search query is a click-through rate of the related search query when presented on a search results page for a search query to which the related search query is related. 
     
     
         8 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 ranking the second advertisement based on a performance measure of the second advertisement and a performance measure of the related search query comprises multiplying the click-through rate of the second advertisement by the click-through rate of the related search query; and   providing a subset of the second advertisements identified using the related search queries comprises selecting a highest ranked advertisement for each of at least two of the related search queries, wherein a highest ranked advertisement is an advertisement having a highest value of the multiplication of the click-through rate of the advertisement by the click-through rate of the related search query.   
     
     
         9 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , wherein the performance measure of the second advertisement is a conversion rate of the second advertisement. 
     
     
         10 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the related search queries are displayed in a first location below the first search results;   the second advertisements are displayed in a second location below the first search results and the related search queries; and   the first and second locations are not contiguous.   
     
     
         11 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the advertisements using the first search query are displayed on a right hand side of a display of the client device; and   the second advertisements are displayed on the right hand side of the display of the client device.   
     
     
         12 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , comprising:
 identifying a selection of a related search query;   determining whether an advertisement identified using the selected related search query is one of the advertisements in the second advertisements; and   if an advertisement identified using the selected related search query is determined to be one of the advertisements in the second advertisements, then precluding selection of the advertisement for display with subsequent search results responsive to the selected related search query.   
     
     
         13 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein the related search queries are related to the first search query by keywords associated with the first search query and the related search queries, or by subject matter associated with the first search query and the related search queries. 
     
     
         14 . A system, comprising:
 a search query identification subsystem comprising one or more processors configured to:
 receive a first search query; and 
 receive related search queries, each related search query being related to the first search query; and 
   an advertisement selection subsystem comprising one or more processors configured to:
 identify first advertisements using the first search query; 
 identify second advertisements using the related search query; and 
 provide, together in a first search results page that is presented at a user device and includes search results identified using the first search query, each of (i) at least some of the second advertisements identified using the related search queries, (ii) at least some of the first advertisements identified using the first search query and (iii) at least some of the related search queries, wherein: 
 the search results are different from each of the first advertisements and the second advertisements and each of the first advertisements is different from each of the second advertisements included in the search results page; and 
 a given related search query from the first search results page includes code that initiates a request for a different search results page that includes different search results identified using the given related search query in response to user interaction with the given related search query. 
   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the advertisement selection subsystem is further configured to rank the second advertisements identified using the related search queries, and select the second advertisements based on the ranking of the advertisements. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the advertisement selection subsystem is further configured to rank the second advertisements identified using the related search query relative only to other second advertisements identified using the related search query, and to select a highest ranked advertisement for each of at least two of the related search queries. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the advertisement selection subsystem is further configured to rank each second advertisement identified using the related search queries relative to all other advertisements identified using the related search queries, and to select a subset of highest ranked advertisements from all second advertisements identified using the related search queries. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the advertisement selection subsystem is further configured to for each related search query and second advertisement identified using the related search query, rank the second advertisement based on a performance measure of the second. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the performance measure of the second advertisement is a click-through rate of the second advertisement, and the performance measure of the related search query is a click-through rate of the related search query when presented on a search results page for a search query to which the related search query is related. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the advertisement selection subsystem is further configured to multiply the click-through rate of the second advertisement by the click-through rate of the related search query, and to select a highest ranked advertisement for each of at least two of the related search queries, a highest ranked advertisement being an advertisement having a highest value of the multiplication of the click-through rate of the advertisement by the click-through rate of the related search query. 
     
     
         21 . A computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program comprising instructions that when executed operate to cause one or more data processors to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a first search query;   receiving related search queries that are each related to, but different from, the first search query;   identifying by the computer system, first advertisements using the first search query;   identifying, by the computer system, second advertisements using the related search query; and   providing, together in a first search results page that is presented at a user device and includes search results identified using the first search query, each of (i) at least some of the second advertisements identified using the related search queries, (ii) at least some of the first advertisements identified using the first search query and (iii) at least some of the related search queries, wherein:
 the search results are different from each of the first advertisements and the second advertisements and each of the first advertisements is different from each of the second advertisements included in the search results page; and 
 a given related search query from the first search results page includes code that initiates a request for a different search results page that includes different search results identified using the given related search query in response to user interaction with the given related search query.