Personalized ranking of categorized search results

A computer processing system comprising:

• a query results mapper that maps query results onto domains comprising a plurality of predetermined conceptual groupings wherein the query results comprise database records identified by a search engine in response to a current search query;
• a population ranking processor that determines a population ranking of the domains onto which the query results are mapped in accordance with query-click behavior collected from a user population for the current search query;
• a user ranking processor that determines a user ranking of the domains in accordance with query-click behavior collected from the user for prior search queries not including the current search query;
• and
• a score processor that generates a merged ranking of the query results according to the population ranking and the user ranking

A computer method of processing, the method comprising:

• computing a click query probability “p(click|query)” at a ranking system computer, wherein the click query probability defines, for each domain represented in search query results, probability of a click on a result in the domain given a current search query, wherein each domain is a domain of a predetermined set of conceptual domains;
• computing a ranking of the domains represented in the search query results according to the computed click query probabilities;
• computing a click user probability “p(click|user)” for each domain represented in the search query results, the click user probability comprising probability of a click on a result in each domain given a current user;
• computing a ranking of the domains by click user probability “p(click|user)”;
• computing a merged score “ms” that combines a ranking of the domain, the ranking of the domain by click query probability “p(click|query)”, and the ranking of the domain by click user probability “p(click|user)”;
• computing a final ranking of the domains represented in the search query results from a highest “ms” computed score to a lowest “ms” computed score.