# How Google Uses User Feedback to Rank Websites by Quality > A method for Google to judge a website's quality by looking at how users interact with its search results across different categories of search queries. - **Patent:** US 8615514 - **Original title:** Evaluating website properties by partitioning user feedback - **Owner:** Google LLC - **Granted:** 2013 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 26 - **Field:** software, ai_ml, ecommerce ## What it does This patent describes a way to measure the quality of a website by grouping search data into specific buckets. It takes pairs of documents and the queries that led people to them, then sorts these pairs into partitions based on how well the document matched the query. By looking at how users click on results within these different buckets, the system calculates a 'skew' or statistical distribution of feedback. If a website performs unexpectedly across these partitions, it indicates a specific level of quality, which is then used as a signal to rank that website higher or lower in future search results. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover ranking websites based on simple, non-partitioned metrics like total click count alone. - Does not cover manual human review of websites for quality assessment. - Does not cover ranking methods that ignore the relationship between the query and the specific document retrieved. - Does not cover systems that do not use statistical skew as a primary indicator of quality. ## The clever bit The innovation is using 'skew'—a measure of how lopsided a data distribution is—to detect quality. By comparing how a site performs on high-relevance vs. low-relevance queries, the system can identify if a site is genuinely useful or just gaming the system. ## Real-world examples 1. Google Search ranking algorithms 2. Automated website quality scoring systems 3. Search engine result page (SERP) relevance tuning ## Why it matters This patent is part of the technical foundation for modern search engine optimization (SEO) and ranking algorithms. It helps search engines distinguish between high-quality content and 'spammy' sites that might get clicks but don't actually satisfy user intent. It is a core component of how Google maintains the relevance of its search results at scale. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Google Uses User Feedback to Rank Websites by Quality cover? A method for Google to judge a website's quality by looking at how users interact with its search results across different categories of search queries. ### Who owns patent US 8615514? Google LLC owns this patent, granted in 2013. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on February 3, 2030, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 8615514 cited by? This patent has been cited by 26 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? This patent is part of the technical foundation for modern search engine optimization (SEO) and ranking algorithms. It helps search engines distinguish between high-quality content and 'spammy' sites that might get clicks but don't actually satisfy user intent. It is a core component of how Google maintains the relevance of its search results at scale. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover ranking websites based on simple, non-partitioned metrics like total click count alone. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8615514/evaluating-website-properties-by-partitioning-user-feedback **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US8615514 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How Websites Get Ranked by Importance](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6285999/google-pagerank) — This patent describes a computer method for scoring documents in a linked database, like the internet, by considering the importance of other documents that link to them, helping search engines find better results. - [Smart Ranking of Emails and Files Based on How You Click](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/6370526/google-adwords-pay-per-click) — IBM's 1999 patent on automatically sorting lists of items, like emails, by watching which ones you click first and updating a mathematical model of your preferences in the background. - [How Facebook Ranks Search Results Based on Your Friends' Activity](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8914392/facebook-events) — A method for ranking search results by prioritizing links that your social network friends have clicked on previously. - [How Google Displays Knowledge Panels Next to Search Results](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9268820/onedrive-cloud-storage) — A method for automatically assembling and displaying information boxes on search result pages by pulling data from multiple sources based on user query patterns. - [How Google's Patent Scores Authors and Posts on Messaging Systems](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/8606792/facebook-timeline) — Google's 2013 patent describes a system for ranking authors and their posts on a messaging platform based on user interactions and subscriptions, influencing content visibility.