Patent ID: 7668808

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for modifying a search query before presenting the search query to a matching system, comprising: storing, in a database, a plurality of sponsored links, wherein each sponsored link of the plurality of sponsored links comprises at least one of: a link to a presentation, a link to an advertisement, and a web link; receiving, from sponsors, selection information that explicitly identifies which of a plurality of predefined query strings are to be associated with said each sponsored link of the sponsored links; based on the selection information, storing data that indicates a correspondence between said plurality of predefined query strings and said plurality of sponsored links; after (i) storing the plurality of sponsored links, (ii) receiving the selection information, and (iii) storing the data, receiving a query to initiate a performance of a search, wherein the query identifies a set of units, and wherein each unit, of said set of units, corresponds to one or more search terms directed towards a single concept; modifying the query, to produce a modified query, using rules designed to increase a chance that the modified query matches one or more predefined query strings; identifying at least one of the predefined query strings that matches the modified query; returning at least one of the sponsored links to which said at least one predefined query string corresponds; wherein the step of the modifying the query, to produce the modified query, further comprises performing at least one of: a) determining how frequently each unit identified by the query appears in previously submitted queries, and modifying the query by eliminating the units in the query that appear more frequently in the previously submitted queries relative to other units in the query, b) determining how frequently each unit identified by the query appears in the previously submitted queries, and modifying the query by eliminating the units in the query that appear less frequently in the previously submitted queries relative to other units in the query, and c) determining how frequently each unit identified by the query appears in the previously submitted queries, and modifying the query by eliminating groups of units in the query that appear less frequently in the previously submitted queries, relative to other units in the query, to produce a preliminary modified query; wherein the step of the modifying the query is performed by one or more computing devices.