Returning search results utilizing topical user click data when search queries are dissimilar

A computer program product for re-ranking search results by utilizing topical click data in an environment where search result queries are ostensibly dissimilar, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable to cause:

• a first host device to determine a preliminary result [R] of a search query [Q];
• the first host device to determine a topic [T] that is representative of the search query [Q];
• the first host device to retrieve topical click data [C] associated with the topic [T] and associated with the result [R];
• a second host device to determine a relevance value [V] of the result [R] utilizing the topical click data [C], wherein the first host device and the second host device are connected by a network;
• and
• the first host device to re-rank the order of the preliminary result [R] within a set of results based upon the relevance value [V].

A data handling system comprising:

• a first host device comprising a first processor and first memory communicatively coupled to the first processor;
• and
• a second host device comprising a second processor and second memory communicatively coupled to the second processor,
• wherein the first memory is encoded with instructions, wherein the first instructions are executable by the first processor to cause the first processor to:
• determine a preliminary result [R] of a search query [Q];
• determine a topic [T] that is representative of the search query [Q];
• retrieve topical click data [C] associated with the topic [T] and associated with the result [R];
• wherein the second memory is encoded with second instructions, wherein the second instructions are executable by the second processor to cause the second processor to:
• determine a relevance value [V] of the result [R] utilizing the topical click data [C];
• and wherein the first instructions are executable by the first processor to further cause the first processor to:
• re-rank the order of the preliminary result [R] within a set of results based upon the relevance value [V].