Serving advertisements based on partial queries

A system, comprising:

• one or more computers;
• and
• one or more computer-readable devices, including therein instructions that, when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
• receiving, from a computing device, a partial query submitted using a search interface of the computing device;
• determining a set of query suggestions that complete the partial query submitted using the search interface, by accessing an index that maps partial queries to query suggestions, wherein the index provides a ranking of the query suggestions;
• providing, to the computing device, the set of query suggestions for presentation by the search interface according to the ranking of the query suggestions provided by the index, with a lower-ranked query suggestion being presented below a higher-ranked query suggestion, wherein the search interface is configured to initiate a search based on a selected query suggestion of the set of query suggestions;
• selecting a subset of the query suggestions, the subset including at least a highest ranked query suggestion and a second ranked query suggestion based on the ranking of the query suggestions from the index and based on performance measures of different topics with respect to the partial query, wherein at least the highest ranked query suggestion and the second ranked query suggestion have been classified with a respective corresponding topic, wherein a first topic that corresponds to the highest ranked query suggestion is different from a second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion;
• identifying a first content item and a second content item that match the highest ranked query suggestion;
• identifying a third content item and a fourth content item that match the second ranked query suggestion;
• providing, to the computing device, data that causes presentation of the identified first, second, third, and fourth content items at the computing device;
• dynamically updating the search interface of the computing device to (i) display the first content item and the second content item that match the highest ranked query suggestion, in a first cluster of content items in a first area of the search interface, (ii) display the first topic that corresponds to the highest ranked query suggestion as a first label for the first cluster of content items, (iii) display the third content item and the fourth content item that match the second ranked query suggestion, in a second cluster of content items in a second area of the search interface, wherein the first area of the search interface and the second area of the search interface are non-overlapping areas, with the second area of the search interface being below the first area of the search interface, and (iv) display the second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion as a second label for the second cluster of content items, such that the first cluster of content items in the first area, the first label, the second cluster of content items in the second area, and the second label are concurrently visible in the search interface;
• receiving, from the computing device, selection data that indicates a selection of one of the content items displayed in the second cluster of content items in the second area of the search interface with the second label for the second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion;
• and
• in response to receiving the selection data, updating performance measures that are maintained for the partial query with respect to different topics, including increasing a performance measure for the partial query with respect to the second topic, and decreasing a performance measure for the partial query with respect to the first topic.

A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

• receiving, from a computing device, a partial query submitted using a search interface of the computing device;
• determining a set of query suggestions that complete the partial query submitted using the search interface, by accessing an index that maps partial queries to query suggestions, wherein the index provides a ranking of the query suggestions;
• providing, to the computing device, the set of query suggestions for presentation by the search interface according to the ranking of the query suggestions provided by the index, with a lower-ranked query suggestion being presented below a higher-ranked query suggestion, wherein the search interface is configured to initiate a search based on a selected query suggestion of the set of query suggestions;
• selecting a subset of the query suggestions, the subset including at least a highest ranked query suggestion and a second ranked query suggestion based on the ranking of the query suggestions from the index and based on performance measures of different topics with respect to the partial query, wherein at least the highest ranked query suggestion and the second ranked query suggestion have been classified with a respective corresponding topic, wherein a first topic that corresponds to the highest ranked query suggestion is different from a second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion;
• identifying a first content item and a second content item that match the highest ranked query suggestion;
• identifying a third content item and a fourth content item that match the second ranked query suggestion;
• providing, to the computing device, data that causes presentation of the identified first, second, third, and fourth content items at the computing device;
• dynamically updating the search interface of the computing device to (i) display the first content item and the second content item that match the highest ranked query suggestion, in a first cluster of content items in a first area of the search interface, (ii) display the first topic that corresponds to the highest ranked query suggestion as a first label for the first cluster of content items, (iii) display the third content item and the fourth content item that match the second ranked query suggestion, in a second cluster of content items in a second area of the search interface, wherein the first area of the search interface and the second area of the search interface are non-overlapping areas, with the second area of the search interface being below the first area of the search interface, and (iv) display the second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion as a second label for the second cluster of content items, such that the first cluster of content items in the first area, the first label, the second cluster of content items in the second area, and the second label are concurrently visible in the search interface;
• receiving, from the computing device, selection data that indicates a selection of one of the content items displayed in the second cluster of content items in the second area of the search interface with the second label for the second topic that corresponds to the second ranked query suggestion;
• and
• in response to receiving the selection data, updating performance measures that are maintained for the partial query with respect to different topics, including increasing a performance measure for the partial query with respect to the second topic, and decreasing a performance measure for the partial query with respect to the first topic.