Configure authoritative pages (Search Server 2008)

  • Article

Applies To: Microsoft Search Server 2008

 

Topic Last Modified: 2008-02-21

Note

Unless otherwise noted, the information in this article applies to both Microsoft Search Server 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express.

Authoritative pages affect how relevance rankings for items are calculated, which affects the order that search results appear in a search results list. Relevance rankings for items are determined in part by how far away (in clicks) items are from URLs that are listed as authoritative, second-level authoritative, or third-level authoritative. The latter two types of URLs receive a penalty click of one and two, respectively. That is, being close to a third-level authoritative URL is good but it's one click worse than being close to a second-level authoritative URL. The same is true for a second-level authoritative URL and a most authoritative URL.

You can also mark URLs as non-authoritative so that they appear lower in the search results list (the demotion is not accomplished by using a click-distance penalty).

Specifying Web pages as authoritative

Use the following procedure to specify Web pages as authoritative.

Specify web pages as authoritative

  1. On the Search Administration page, under Queries and Results, click Authoritative pages.

  2. On the Specify Authoritative Pages page, in the Most authoritative pages box in the Authoritative Web Pages section, list the URLs that are central or authoritative and separate the URLs by returns so that you list one full URL per line.

  3. In the Second-level authoritative pages box, list the URLs that are secondary.

  4. In the Third-level authoritative pages box, list the URLs that are tertiary.

  5. In the Non-authoritative Sites section, in the Sites to demote box, list the URLs that you want to mark as unimportant when search results are returned (for example, URLs of sites that contain outdated information but are kept for record-keeping).

  6. Any URL or item whose prefix matches the provided URLs in the Sites to demote box is demoted.

    Note

    If you want the ranking calculations to begin after you click OK, select the Refresh now check box in the Refresh Now? Section. If the check box is cleared, ranking calculations occur according to a predetermined schedule

  7. Click OK.

See Also

Concepts

Manage settings to improve search results (Search Server 2008)