Microsoft's Answer to Google PageRank: BrowseRank

Jul 28, 2008 - 9:14 am 3 by
Filed Under Bing Search

CNet reports that Microsoft has announced BrowseRank, which they feel may help boost the search's popularity. CNet explains the difference between BrowseRank (BR?) and PageRank:

Essentially, the researchers tested out a system that replaces PageRanks' link graph--a mathematical model of the hyperlinked connections of the Internet--with what they call a user browsing graph that ranks Web pages by people's behavior.

Basically, it comes down to user behavior. The more clicks and actions they can record, the more likely the page is favored (rather than emphasizing links). Since millions of people are using the Live.com search engine, the researchers claim that this evolution just makes sense.

Forum members are afraid that they've been targeted for the purposes of this study without realizing it (even though it is in the Terms of Service). Well, I guess that it's important to read these things.

Still, despite this, the same member who thought he was being spied on thinks that "[t]he BrowseRank algorithm is a thing of beauty, and their methods are brilliant." This is agreed by other forum members who feel that human behavior is the best way for search engines to go. (I'd argue that this is what humans do when they purposely link to certain pages versus others, but moving on...)

Is Microsoft offering brand new technology? One forum member says that FAROO, a P2P search engine, has the same kind of technology. Perhaps it is the mindset behind Microsoft, but it's not revolutionary, he argues. Still, making it more mainstream is a step in the direction that many webmasters are hoping for, provided that it doesn't get gamed.

Forum discussion continues at WebmasterWorld, DigitalPoint Forums, and Sphinn.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: January 17, 2025

Jan 17, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Search Volatility Cooling, AI Overviews Penalties, Maps Pin Hack Fix, Search Market Share & More

Jan 17, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Ads

Scary Google Ads Phishing Scam

Jan 17, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google Ads Search Max Coming Soon?

Jan 17, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google Updates Examples Of Events & Estimated Salary Images In Structured Data Docs

Jan 17, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google

Google Testing AI Generated What People Are Saying

Jan 17, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: SEOs Comment On Cuil, New Google Competitor