Native application search result adjustment based on user specific affinity

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for affinity based ranking of native applications. In one aspect, a method includes accessing application affinity data for a user device from which a query was received, receiving a set of search results that each identify a respective resource determined to be responsive to the query, wherein one or more of the search results are a native application search results that each include a deep link to a respective one of the native applications installed on the user device from when the query was received, for each of the native application search results, determining the affinity score of the native application, adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results, and providing, to the user device, the adjusted search results.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method performed by data processing apparatus comprising one or more computers in data communication, the method comprising:
 receiving a search query submitted from a user device for a search operation;   accessing application affinity data for the user device from which the query was received, the application affinity data describing, for a plurality of native applications installed on the device, an affinity score for the native application that measures the user's affinity for the native application relative to other native applications, and wherein the application affinity data is received responsive to a reporting process that is separate from the search operation;   receiving a set of search results that each identify a respective resource determined to be responsive to the query, and wherein each of the identified resources has a corresponding search score by which the resource is ranked in responsiveness to the search relative to other resources, and wherein one or more of the search results are a native application search results that each include a deep link to a respective one of the native applications installed on the user device from when the query was received;   for each of the native application search results, determining the affinity score of the native application;   adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results, wherein:
 the one or more native application search results comprise a plurality of native application search results, and at least a first subset of the native applications referenced by the native application search results are categorized as belonging to a first vertical and a second subset of the native applications referenced by native application search results are categorized as belonging to a second vertical; and 
 adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores comprises adjusting only the native application search results in a same vertical relative to each other; and 
   providing, to the user device, the adjusted search results.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results comprises generating an adjusted set of search results in which at least one of the native application search results is adjusted in its respective rank position relative to other search results in the set of search results 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein:
 the one or more native application search results comprise a plurality of native application search results, each at a respective ordinal position in the set of search results; and   wherein adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores comprises adjusting only the native application search results relative to each other and within the respective ordinal positions.   
     
     
         4 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to the affinity score of the native applications referenced by the other native application search results. 
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to the affinity score of the native applications referenced by the other native application search results. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to an affinity score threshold. 
     
     
         7 . The computer implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving the application affinity data responsive to the reporting process, the receiving comprising:
 receiving, from each of a plurality of user devices and separate from the queries submitted by the user devices, native application reporting data that describes, for each user device, usage of native applications on the user device;   for each user device:
 determining, from the reporting data, the affinity score for the native application specific to the user device; and 
 storing in a data store an association of the affinity score, an identification of the native application, and an identification of the user device; and 
   wherein determining the affinity score of the native application for each of the native application search results comprise accesses the association of the affinity score, the identification of the native application, and the identification of the user device.   
     
     
         8 . A system, comprising:
 a data processing apparatus; and   software stored in non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by the data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:   receiving a search query submitted from a user device for a search operation;   accessing application affinity data for the user device from which the query was received, the application affinity data describing, for a plurality of native applications installed on the device, an affinity score for the native application that measures the user's affinity for the native application relative to other native applications, and wherein the application affinity data is received responsive to a reporting process that is separate from the search operation;   receiving a set of search results that each identify a respective resource determined to be responsive to the query, and wherein each of the identified resources has a corresponding search score by which the resource is ranked in responsiveness to the search relative to other resources, and wherein one or more of the search results are a native application search results that each include a deep link to a respective one of the native applications installed on the user device from when the query was received;   for each of the native application search results, determining the affinity score of the native application;   adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results, wherein:
 the one or more native application search results comprise a plurality of native application search results, and at least a first subset of the native applications referenced by the native application search results are categorized as belonging to a first vertical and a second subset of the native applications referenced by native application search results are categorized as belonging to a second vertical; and 
 adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores comprises adjusting only the native application search results in a same vertical relative to each other; and 
   providing, to the user device, the adjusted search results.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results comprises generating an adjusted set of search results in which at least one of the native application search results is adjusted in its respective rank position relative to other search results in the set of search results 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the one or more native application search results comprise a plurality of native application search results, each at a respective ordinal position in the set of search results; and   wherein adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores comprises adjusting only the native application search results relative to each other and within the respective ordinal positions.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to the affinity score of the native applications referenced by the other native application search results. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to the affinity score of the native applications referenced by the other native application search results. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein adjusting the search results comprises adjusting the search score of a native application search result based on its affinity score relative to an affinity score threshold. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 8 , the operations further comprising receiving the application affinity data responsive to the reporting process, the receiving comprising:
 receiving, from each of a plurality of user devices and separate from the queries submitted by the user devices, native application reporting data that describes, for each user device, usage of native applications on the user device;   for each user device:
 determining, from the reporting data, the affinity score for the native application specific to the user device; and 
 storing in a data store an association of the affinity score, an identification of the native application, and an identification of the user device; and 
   wherein determining the affinity score of the native application for each of the native application search results comprise accesses the association of the affinity score, the identification of the native application, and the identification of the user device.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a data processing apparatus and that upon such execution cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:
 receiving a search query submitted from a user device for a search operation;   accessing application affinity data for the user device from which the query was received, the application affinity data describing, for a plurality of native applications installed on the device, an affinity score for the native application that measures the user's affinity for the native application relative to other native applications, and wherein the application affinity data is received responsive to a reporting process that is separate from the search operation;   receiving a set of search results that each identify a respective resource determined to be responsive to the query, and wherein each of the identified resources has a corresponding search score by which the resource is ranked in responsiveness to the search relative to other resources, and wherein one or more of the search results are a native application search results that each include a deep link to a respective one of the native applications installed on the user device from when the query was received;   for each of the native application search results, determining the affinity score of the native application;   adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores to generate an adjusted set of search results, wherein:
 the one or more native application search results comprise a plurality of native application search results, and at least a first subset of the native applications referenced by the native application search results are categorized as belonging to a first vertical and a second subset of the native applications referenced by native application search results are categorized as belonging to a second vertical; and 
 adjusting the search results based on the affinity scores comprises adjusting only the native application search results in a same vertical relative to each other; and 
   providing, to the user device, the adjusted search results.