Inbound ranking measurement system and inbound ranking measurement method

Abstract

To provide an inbound ranking measurement system and an inbound ranking measurement method that improve measurement accuracy of inbound ranking measurement of domestic target stores from foreign countries in a web search service.SOLUTION: An inbound ranking measurement system for performing ranking measurement of domestic target stores from a foreign country 3 in a web search service comprises: IP address acquisition means 11 for acquiring IP address information of a searcher terminal 4 included in a web search request via the searcher terminal 4; registration information acquisition means 12 for acquiring registration information with reference to an IP address information table; search location estimation means 13 for estimating a search location from which the web search request was made; ranking measurement means 14 for performing ranking measurement for each piece of target store information with reference to an inbound information table, and acquiring inbound ranking measurement results; and output means 15 for outputting the inbound ranking measurement results.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inbound ranking measurement system and an inbound ranking measurement method for measuring the rankings of target stores in a home country from foreign countries in a web search service.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a method for measuring rankings of target stores at home and abroad in a web search service, for example, an inbound ranking measurement device of Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

[0003] In the information processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a setting unit that receives setting inputs of a target store, a search query, and a target region to be set in a search location, and according to a conversion rule defined by a search engine, converts the region name of the target region into a character string corresponding to the number of characters of the region name and a character string obtained by converting the region name by a predetermined encoding method. A generation unit that combines the character strings on the URL code, an output unit that outputs the generated URL code to the search engine, an acquisition unit that acquires search results in the target region from the search engine, and an extraction unit that extracts the search ranking of the target store from the search results.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Here, in order to meet the inbound demand in recent years, regarding a method for performing inbound ranking measurement that measures the ranking of target stores in a web search service, obtaining the ranking measurement of domestic target stores searched from abroad and improving the acquisition accuracy are required. In this regard, in Patent Document 1, based on a search query and a target region, in order to search for store information on a map according to the search location of the searcher, in a web search via an IP address from abroad, information regarding the search location of the searcher cannot be obtained. As a tool for obtaining the location information of the searcher, there is, for example, a Location Information API (Geolocation API). By the searcher providing their location information to the application side, the location information is provided, and it becomes possible to measure the ranking of target stores at the search location of the searcher.

[0006] However, since there are cases where the Location Information API is not used, the use is permitted but the searcher does not permit the provision of their location information, and also cases where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) connection or the Location Information API cannot be used in a country, it is not possible to obtain the location information of the searcher's search location and perform the ranking measurement of target stores. For this reason, in a web search service from abroad, an inbound ranking measurement that improves the measurement accuracy of the inbound ranking measurement of domestic target stores is desired.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problems, and the object thereof is to provide an inbound ranking measurement system and an inbound ranking measurement method that improve the measurement accuracy of the inbound ranking measurement of domestic target stores from abroad in a web search service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The inbound ranking measurement system according to the first invention is an inbound ranking measurement system that measures the ranking of a target store in a home country from a foreign country in a web search service, and includes an IP address acquisition means for acquiring the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in a web search request input via the searcher terminal, an IP address information table in which the IP address information and registration information in which the IP address information is registered are associated with each other, a registration information acquisition means for referring to the IP address information table and acquiring the registration information associated with the IP address information, a search location estimation means for estimating the search location where the web search request was made from the registration information, an inbound information table including at least the search keyword information input in the web search request, the search location information regarding the estimated search location, and the target store information to which the search keyword is previously assigned, a ranking measurement means for referring to the inbound information table and performing ranking measurement for each target store information based on the search keyword, and acquiring an inbound ranking measurement result for each target store information in the web search, and an output means for outputting the inbound ranking measurement result acquired by the ranking measurement means.

[0009] The inbound ranking measurement system according to the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the IP address information acquired by the IP address acquisition means includes a global IP address and a private IP address.

[0010] The inbound ranking measurement system according to the third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the global IP address includes regional registry information indicating an allocation to a country, region, or organization, and country-specific registry information indicating a reallocation to a provider or enterprise.

[0011] The inbound ranking measurement system according to the fourth invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the IP address acquisition means acquires the language information used in the web search request, and the search location estimation means estimates the search location where the web search request was made based on the language information.

[0012] In the inbound ranking measurement system according to the fifth invention, in the first invention, the inbound ranking measurement result obtained by the measurement means includes search location image information indicating the search location where the web search request was made.

[0013] The inbound ranking measurement method according to the sixth invention is an inbound ranking measurement method for measuring the ranking of a target store in a home country from a foreign country in a web search service, and includes an IP address acquisition step of acquiring the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in the web search request input via the searcher terminal, a first storage step of associating the IP address information with registration information in which the IP address information is registered and storing it in an IP address information table, a registration information acquisition step of referring to the IP address table and acquiring the registration information associated with the IP address information, a search location estimation step of estimating the search location where the web search request was made from the registration information, a second storage step of storing information including at least the search keyword information input in the web search request, the search location information regarding the estimated search location, and the target store information to which the search keyword is pre-assigned in an inbound information table, a ranking measurement step of referring to the inbound information table and performing ranking measurement for each target store information based on the search keyword, and acquiring an inbound ranking measurement result for each target store information in the web search, and an output step of outputting the inbound ranking measurement result obtained by the ranking measurement step.

Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the first invention, the IP address acquisition means acquires the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in the Web search request input via the searcher terminal. Therefore, by referring to the IP address information table, the registered information associated with the IP address information can be acquired, the search location where the Web search request was made can be estimated, and the inbound ranking measurement results for each target store information in the Web search can be obtained. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0015] Also, according to the first to fifth inventions, the ranking measurement means refers to the inbound information table and performs ranking measurement for each target store information based on the search keyword. Therefore, the inbound ranking measurement results for each target store information in the Web search can be obtained. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0016] In particular, according to the second invention, the IP address information includes a global IP address and a private IP address. Therefore, by referring to the IP address information table, more detailed registered information can be obtained. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0017] In particular, according to the third invention, the IP address information includes regional registry information indicating allocation to a foreign country, region, or organization, and country-specific registry information indicating reallocation to a provider or enterprise. Therefore, by referring to the IP address information table, more detailed registered information can be obtained. Thereby, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0018] In particular, according to the fourth invention, the IP address acquisition means acquires the language information used in the Web search request. Therefore, the search location estimation means can estimate the search location where the Web search request was made based on the language information. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0019] In particular, according to the fifth invention, the inbound ranking measurement result includes search location image information indicating the search location where the Web search request was made. Therefore, it is possible to visualize the search location in a foreign country where the Web search was performed and the inbound ranking measurement result. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

[0020] According to the sixth invention, the IP address acquisition step acquires the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in the Web search request input via the searcher terminal. Therefore, by referring to the IP address information table, it is possible to acquire the registration information associated with the IP address information, estimate the search location where the Web search request was made, and acquire the inbound ranking measurement result for each target store information in the Web search. As a result, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement of target stores in one's own country from foreign countries in the Web search service.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

[0022] Hereinafter, an example of an inbound ranking measurement system and an inbound ranking measurement method in an embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] (This embodiment: Inbound ranking measurement system 100) With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, an example of the configuration of the inbound ranking measurement system 100 in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inbound ranking measurement system 100 in the present embodiment.

[0024] <Inbound ranking measurement system 100> The inbound ranking measurement system 100 measures the ranking of target stores in the home country (Japan) from foreign countries in a search engine provided by a web search service with a map display function such as Google (registered trademark) MAP or Yahoo! (registered trademark) Rocco. The inbound ranking measurement system 100 functions as, for example, MEO (Map Engine Optimization) countermeasures and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) countermeasures.

[0025] Here, referring to FIG. 1, an example of the inbound ranking measurement system in the present embodiment will be described.

[0026] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 has an inbound ranking measurement device 1, as shown in FIG. 1 for example. The inbound ranking measurement device 1 is located in, for example, Japan and is connected via a communication network 6 to a searcher terminal 4 where a searcher conducts a web search at search locations in various countries of foreign country 3, a ranking analysis device 5 that performs ranking analysis in each country, an Internet server 2 that provides a web search service, a ranking measurement server 50 that collectively controls a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5, a store terminal 60 that requests inbound ranking measurement and refers to the measurement results, and various databases (not shown).

[0027] For example, when a searcher conducts a web search for a store in Japan from the United States 3a, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 acquires the web search content via the searcher terminal 4a and performs ranking measurement by the ranking analysis device 5a. Similarly, for example, when a searcher conducts a web search for a store in Japan from China 3b, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 acquires the web search content via the searcher terminal 4b and performs ranking measurement by the ranking analysis device 5b. The inbound ranking measurement system 100 aggregates and tabulates, for example, the results of inbound ranking measurement measured by the ranking analysis device 5a and the ranking analysis device 5b by the ranking measurement server 50.

[0028] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may perform ranking measurement processing in the inbound ranking measurement device 1 on the inbound ranking measurement results in various countries around the world in response to a request from the inbound ranking measurement device 1, for example. The inbound ranking measurement device 1 outputs the inbound ranking measurement results to a plurality of store terminals 60, for example.

[0029] The inbound ranking measurement device 1 may be connected to a searcher terminal 4 of a user who searches for a target store or the like using various search keywords, a ranking analysis device 5 in each country, and a ranking measurement server 50. The ranking measurement server 50 is connected to, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1, the searcher terminal 4, and the ranking analysis device 5, and includes various databases that store various information about the searcher, such as information about various IP addresses related to ranking measurement, information about search KWs (keywords), information about the store to be searched, etc. Various databases store, for example, an IP address information table, an inbound information table, etc.

[0030] The IP address information table stores, for example, the IP address information and the registered organization information of the IP address in association with each other. The inbound information table stores, for example, the search keyword information input in a web search request, the search location information related to the estimated search location, and the target store information to which the search keyword is pre-assigned. The database may be composed of, for example, a temporary storage database that temporarily stores the results of analysis by the ranking analysis device 5, or a user database, a registered store database, or a captured image database.

[0031] The ranking analysis device 5 performs, for example, the same operations as the search process performed by the searcher, starts a virtual browser on each of the ranking analysis devices 5, executes a search keyword (search query) on the search engine, and collects information. The ranking analysis devices 5 in each country may be started, for example, by the ranking measurement server 50, and a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 may be used. The ranking measurement server 50 may be configured to distribute the calculation processing of the same or different search KWs set for each target store to the ranking analysis devices 5 in each country.

[0032] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may aggregate various types of information ranked and analyzed by a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 in each country in a database (not shown) for temporary storage provided in the ranking analysis device 5, or in a database (not shown) for temporary storage of a ranking measurement server 50 connected to the ranking analysis device 5. Further, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 may store, for example, the analysis result information of each country analyzed by the ranking analysis devices 5 in each country via the ranking measurement server 50 in a database (not shown) connected to the inbound ranking measurement device 1. The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may store, for example, a captured image of a search screen taken by the ranking analysis device 5 in each country during ranking analysis in a database (not shown) for captured images separate from the database for temporary storage.

[0033] Here, referring to FIG. 2, an example of the operation of the inbound ranking measurement system in this embodiment will be described. In the following description, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 performs inbound ranking measurement in a web search service (for example, "search for sushi restaurants in Shinjuku") on the searcher terminal 4a by the ranking analysis device 5a in the United States 3a.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 2, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 acquires, for example, web search request information regarding the web search request process on the searcher terminal 4a in addition to various types of information set on the searcher terminal 4a. The web search request information may be, for example, "YYYYMMDD HH:MM:SS" as information regarding the search date and time of the search, "XXX.XX.XX.XX" as the IP address information of the searcher, "SUSHI SHINJUKU" as the content regarding the search KW (for example, search for sushi restaurants in Shinjuku), information such as the searcher terminal 4a, or the setting language of the browser used on the searcher terminal 4a. The inbound ranking measurement system 100 stores the acquired web search request information and various setting information in a data table (web search request data table) of the database.

[0035] The Internet server 2 executes a Web search request input from the searcher terminal 4a. The searcher terminal 4a refers to, for example, a display screen 7a as a result of the Web search request. In the example of the display screen 7a, "SUSHI SHINJUKU" is input in the search area at the upper stage of the display screen 7a, and as a search result thereof, together with the search top rankings of sushi restaurants in Shinjuku ("AAA Sushi", "BBB Sushi", "CCC Sushi", etc.), it is displayed together with a surrounding map showing the locations of the stores.

[0036] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 acquires, for example, Web search request information input from the searcher terminal 4a, refers to an IP address information table based on the searcher IP address (XXX.XX.XX.XX), discriminates an IP address range (XXX.XX.XX.XX~XXX.XX.XX.XX) including the searcher IP address, and estimates the search location of the searcher who made the Web search request (NY, USA). The inbound ranking measurement system 100 estimates the search location of the searcher based on the IP address information of the searcher terminal 4 for which the Web search was requested, and associates the result with the search KW and stores it in the inbound information table of the data table.

[0037] The ranking analysis device 5a refers to the inbound information table and performs ranking measurement in each country in response to a request from the target store. The ranking analysis results for each country are aggregated by the ranking measurement server 50. Note that the aggregated results of the inbound ranking measurement for each country may be temporarily stored in the database of the ranking analysis device 5, periodically acquired by the ranking measurement server 50, and stored in the database of the ranking measurement server 50.

[0038] When the ranking analysis device 5a acquires, for example, a display screen 7a showing the result of a Web search with the search KW by the searcher terminal 4a, it performs a ranking analysis of what position it is displayed on the search engine. The ranking measurement server 50 displays the inbound ranking measurement results for each search KW together with the search location information based on the searcher IP address information.

[0039] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 outputs, in response to a reference request for ranking measurement from the store terminal 60, for example, the result screen 7b to the display unit 109 etc. of the inbound ranking measurement device 1, or the inbound ranking measurement device 1 may, for example, in response to a request from a store owner or the like, permit reference to the result screen 7b from the store terminal 60 for each store ID recorded in the database of the ranking measurement server 50.

[0040] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may refer to the database and generate an evaluation result for past ranking measurement results. In addition to the inbound ranking measurement results, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 may output, for example, the generated evaluation result to the inbound ranking measurement device 1 or the display unit 109 etc. of the store terminal 60. Further, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 may output various types of information (for example, ranking transition, characteristics and transition of the search location, comparison transition with competitors, calendar cooperation, capture image cooperation, insight information, etc.) to each display unit 109 etc. of the store terminal 60 based on the inbound ranking measurement results analyzed by, for example, the ranking analysis devices 5 in various countries, the ranking measurement server 50, or the inbound ranking measurement device 1.

[0041] The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may, for example, analyze the details of the search location, the number of photos, the number of reviews, the review score, the number of posts, and the keyword content rate of reviews and posts in the inbound ranking measurement results by AI (artificial intelligence), and evaluate the tendency and factors that are likely to be displayed at the top in the search results using a search engine.

[0042] <Inbound ranking measurement device 1> Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of the inbound ranking measurement device 1 in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3(a) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the inbound ranking measurement device 1 in the present embodiment, and FIG. 3(b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the functions of the inbound ranking measurement device 1 in the present embodiment.

[0043] As the inbound ranking measurement device 1, for example, electronic devices such as supercomputers, server computers, or mainframe general-purpose computers are used. The inbound ranking measurement device 1 may be connected to, for example, an Internet server 2, a searcher terminal 4, a ranking analysis device 5, a ranking measurement server 50, or a store terminal 60. As shown in, for example, FIG. 3(a), the inbound ranking measurement device 1 includes a housing 10, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103, a storage unit 104, and I / Fs 105 to 107. Each component 101 to 107 is connected by an internal bus 110.

[0044] The CPU 101 controls the entire inbound ranking measurement device 1. The ROM 102 stores the operation code of the CPU 101. The RAM 103 is a work area used during the operation of the CPU 101. The storage unit 104 stores various types of information such as a setting information database for setting various types of information and data, or a reference database in which various types of information and data are stored and referenced. As the storage unit 104, for example, in addition to an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a data storage device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) is used. Note that, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1 may have a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) not shown in the figure. By having a GPU, high-speed arithmetic processing becomes possible compared to normal.

[0045] The I / F105 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information with, for example, an Internet server 2, a searcher terminal 4, a ranking analysis device 5, a ranking measurement server 50, a store terminal 60, a database (not shown), a Web search service, other websites, etc. via a communication network 6 such as the Internet as needed. The I / F106 is an interface for transmitting and receiving information with the input unit 108. As the input unit 108, for example, a keyboard is used, and a user of the inbound ranking measurement device 1, etc. inputs various information or control commands for the inbound ranking measurement device 1, the ranking analysis device 5, or the ranking measurement server 50 via the input unit 108. The I / F107 is an interface for transmitting and receiving various information with the display unit 109. The display unit 109 displays various information, ranking measurement, or evaluation results, etc. stored in the storage unit 104. As the display unit 109, a display is used, and in the case of a touch panel type, for example, it is provided integrally with the input unit 108.

[0046] Figure 3(b) is a schematic diagram showing an example of the functions of the inbound ranking measurement device 1. The inbound ranking measurement device 1 includes an IP address acquisition unit 11, a registration information acquisition unit 12, a search location estimation unit 13, a ranking measurement unit 14, an output unit 15, and a storage unit 16. Note that each function shown in Figure 3(b) is realized by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the storage unit 104 etc. using the RAM 103 as a work area, and may be controlled by, for example, artificial intelligence etc.

[0047] <IP address acquisition unit 11> The IP address acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, the IP address information (XXX.XX.XX.XX) of the searcher terminal 4 included in a Web search request input via the searcher terminal 4. The IP address acquisition unit 11 may acquire the acquired IP address information together with other Web search request information (language information, device information, search KW, etc.). The IP address acquisition unit 11 may associate the acquired IP address information of the searcher and other information with other relevant information in the storage unit 16 or the database respectively, for example, by attaching a search request ID from the searcher.

[0048] <Registration information acquisition unit 12> Based on the IP address information of the searcher obtained by the IP address acquisition unit 11, the registration information acquisition unit 12 refers to an IP address information table registered in advance in a database. For example, the registration information acquisition unit 12 discriminates the target IP (global IP address, private IP address, etc.) and regional registry information from the first three digits of the IP address information (XXX.XX.XX.XX) of the searcher. The registration information acquisition unit 12 refers to the country-specific registry information from the digits after the first four digits of the IP address information of the searcher, and acquires registration information corresponding to the IP location (for example, the United States, NY) associated with the IP address information of the searcher.

[0049] The registration information acquisition unit 12 may refer to the IP address information table registered in the database, and in addition to the IP location associated with the IP address information of the searcher, further acquire information related to the search location, such as the registration location of the IP owner, who is the administrator of the IP address information included in the IP address range.

[0050] <Search location estimation unit 13> The search location estimation unit 13 estimates the search location of the searcher from the registration information (the target IP is global, the IP location is, for example, the United States, NY,...) obtained by the registration information acquisition unit 12. On the other hand, when the search location of the searcher cannot be specified (for example, in the case of the IP address range of a private address), since the regional registry information cannot be specified, the search location of the Web search request may be estimated based on information (such as the registration location) about the IP owner of the private IP address, which is information other than the regional registry information.

[0051] Furthermore, the search location estimation unit 13 may integrate, for example, according to the estimated search location, the number and types of search locations, and the proximity (such as distance) of areas. The search location estimation unit 13 may, for example, assign different new identification names (such as upper area names, integrated area names, etc.) to the integrated search locations, and use the assigned identification names as the names of the new search locations. Furthermore, the search location estimation unit 13 may, for example, set the latitude and longitude of the point corresponding to the estimated search location as the search location. Thereby, the ranking measurement unit 14 can generate a search code for performing ranking measurement at the location of the set latitude and longitude.

[0052] <Ranking measurement unit 14> The ranking measurement unit 14 refers to the inbound information table and performs ranking measurement for each target store information based on the search KW. The ranking measurement unit 14 obtains the inbound ranking measurement results for each target store information in foreign Web searches from the results of the ranking measurement.

[0053] When performing ranking measurement of a target store in a Web search service, a search code (such as search KW for each target store to be ranked and information on the search location, etc.) composed of a search URL generated by known alphanumeric characters, symbols, etc. is used.

[0054] When the search location is, for example, in Japanese or English and in the case of latitude and longitude information, the generation of the search code is different. Thus, for example, even if the search location desired by the target store is obtained in latitude and longitude information, ranking measurement can be performed. In the case of inbound ranking measurement, for example, since the information indicating the search location is IP address information, latitude and longitude information cannot be obtained. Therefore, based on the IP address information of the searcher included in the IP address range, by estimating and assigning the country-specific registry information registered as the IP location as the location of the search location, an improvement in the accuracy of inbound ranking measurement can be achieved.

[0055] The inbound information table referred to by the ranking measurement unit 14 is composed of, for example, search KW information input in a web search request by a searcher, search location information regarding the search location estimated by the search location estimation unit 13, and target store information to which search KWs are pre-assigned.

[0056] The ranking measurement unit 14 may be ranked, for example, by the ranking analysis device 5 installed in each country of foreign country 3, or may be ranked by, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1 or the ranking measurement server 50. The ranking measurement unit 14 generates, for example, a search code for performing ranking measurement, performs ranking measurement for each target store in the web search service, and obtains the ranking measurement results for each target store searched from foreign country 3 on the web.

[0057] The generation of the search code for performing ranking measurement may be generated by, for example, a plurality of ranking measurement units 14 in foreign country 3, or may be generated by, for example, the ranking measurement server 50. When the ranking measurement server 50 generates it, for example, the generated search code may be transmitted to a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 in foreign country 3, and the ranking measurement results in the plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 in foreign country 3 may be aggregated.

[0058] The ranking measurement unit 14 measures, for example, the position at which the store associated with the search KW is displayed on the search engine when a search using the search KW for each target store set by the target store is performed by a searcher from foreign country 3.

[0059] The ranking measurement unit 14 refers to the time information preset by the target store via, for example, the ranking measurement server 50, and starts ranking measurement when the set measurement time arrives. The ranking measurement unit 14 may cause the ranking measurement server 50 to aggregate the information (individual ranking measurement results) ranked by the plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 into a database for temporary storage.

[0060] The inbound ranking measurement results recorded in the temporary storage database of the ranking measurement server 50 may, for example, be subsequently extracted by the inbound ranking measurement device 1 and stored in the database of the inbound ranking measurement device 1. Thereby, for example, the ranking measurement results in a plurality of countries in foreign country 3 collected by the ranking measurement server 50 can each be efficiently transmitted to the inbound ranking measurement device 1, and it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the ranking measurement of the target stores in the home country from foreign country 3 in the web search service.

[0061] The ranking measurement unit 14 may store, for example, the captured image of the screen of the ranking measurement results photographed by the ranking analysis device 5 via the virtual browser in a database for captured images (not shown) separate from the temporary storage database.

[0062] <Output unit 15> The output unit 15 outputs the inbound ranking measurement results acquired by the ranking measurement unit 14. The output unit 15 outputs, for example, the ranking measurement results together with the search KW, the captured image, and the information on the searched search location.

[0063] The output unit 15 may generate and output the ranking measurement results obtained by converting the inbound ranking measurement results into a character string or the like that can be understood by the person in charge such as the target store using, for example, the display format prestored in the storage unit 104. In addition to displaying the inbound ranking measurement results on the display unit 109 of the inbound ranking measurement device 1 via the I / F 107, the output unit 15 may transmit the ranking measurement results to the ranking analysis device 5, the ranking measurement server 50, etc., and may transmit the ranking measurement results to the store terminal 60 etc. via the I / F 105.

[0064] <Storage unit 16 (first storage unit, second storage unit)> The storage unit 16 retrieves various data such as the database stored in the storage unit 104 as needed. The storage unit 16 stores the various data acquired or generated by each of the components 11 to 18, 20 in the storage unit 104 as needed.

[0065] <Internet Server 2> The Internet Server 2 provides a web search service with a map display function such as Google MAP or Yahoo! Roko. The Internet Server 2 provides a search engine and performs various information search and provision services using the search engine. The Internet Server 2 is connected, for example, to a plurality of foreign searcher terminals 4 in a foreign country 3 via a communication network 6.

[0066] <Foreign Country 3> The foreign country 3 is, for example, each country of the foreign country 3 from which inbound (travel of foreign visitors to Japan, or travel to Japan, etc.) to Japan originates. The foreign country 3 is the country from which foreigners conduct web searches for Japanese stores and the like from their own countries, and is, for example, the United States 3a, China 3b, and other foreign countries (not shown).

[0067] <Searcher Terminal 4> The searcher terminal 4 is a device used when a searcher in a foreign country 3 uses a web search service. The searcher terminal 4 is, for example, the searcher terminal 4a of a searcher in the United States 3a, the searcher terminal 4b of a searcher in China 3b, etc., and each searcher terminal is assigned unique IP address information.

[0068] When performing a web search request, for example, the searcher terminal 4 uses the IP address information assigned to the searcher terminal 4 to perform a web search via the communication network 6 to the Internet Server 2 and the like.

[0069] <Ranking Analysis Device 5> The ranking analysis device 5 is connected to the ranking measurement server 50 activated by the inbound ranking measurement device 1. The ranking analysis device 5 may be installed for each country or region of foreign country 3, such as the ranking analysis device 5a in the United States 3a, the ranking analysis device 5b in China 3b, etc. The ranking analysis device 5 may function as, for example, the ranking measurement server 50 as an aggregator. The ranking analysis device 5 may perform, for example, the same processing as the Web search processing performed by a searcher using a searcher terminal 4 or the like. The ranking analysis device 5 may be connected to a plurality of ranking measurement servers 50, for example, and based on the setting information set for each, start a virtual browser, execute a search KW (search query) on a search engine, and collect the execution results of inbound ranking measurement for Web search requests from foreign country 3.

[0070] By starting up the ranking analysis device 5 in a plurality of units in foreign country 3, for example, it becomes possible to execute searches while sharing search KWs in each country and region of foreign country 3, and collect global, worldwide inbound ranking measurement results. As a result, it becomes possible to confirm which country's searchers are searching for Japanese stores, and it becomes possible to respond to inbound to Japan (such as inbound foreigner travel or visit to Japan) (for example, addition of cuisine corresponding to each country, selection of ingredients, display of language menus, provision of other added values).

[0071] The ranking analysis device 5 aggregates the searched and ranked information in a temporary storage database (not shown). The temporary storage database is connected to, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1 and the ranking measurement server 50 respectively. The search results and the results of inbound ranking measurement stored in the temporary storage database are extracted by, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1 and recorded in the database. As a result, it becomes possible to avoid complication of processing such as each of the results collected by the ranking measurement server 50 and executed by a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 simultaneously passing to the inbound ranking measurement device 1. The ranking analysis device 5 may have at least some of the functions provided in, for example, the inbound ranking measurement device 1 or the ranking measurement server 50.

[0072] <Database> Next, with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, an example of the database in the present embodiment will be described. The database may be provided in, for example, the ranking measurement server 50 and may be referred to by the inbound ranking measurement device 1. The database is composed of, for example, a "Web search request data table", an "IP address information table", an "inbound information table", a "target store information table", a "search KW table", a "ranking data table", and other data tables (not shown).

[0073] The various data tables constituting the database are configured with each data being linked. Further, the database may include, for example, a database (not shown) in which the above-mentioned temporarily stored data is aggregated, and further, for example, a database (not shown) that stores a captured image of the search screen taken by the ranking analysis device 5 during ranking analysis.

[0074] The database may include, for example, a temporarily stored database, an image capture database, an aggregated database, etc. In addition to registering various information such as target stores that manage store customers who receive ranking measurement services in the inbound ranking measurement system 100, information on searchers who make Web search requests via the searcher terminal 4, data such as search KW, search location, and search time input in the Web search request may also be registered. The database may be referred to by, for example, the ranking analysis devices 5 of various countries in foreign country 3, and information extraction may be performed on the search engine based on the various information referred to.

[0075] <<Web Search Request Table>> In the "Web Search Request Table", data regarding the content of search requests from, for example, searchers in foreign country 3 is recorded. In the "Web Search Request Table", for example, as data for identifying search requests from searchers, there are a "Search Request ID", a "Searcher IP Address" for identifying the searcher's searcher terminal 4, "Language Information" indicating the language used by the searcher for the search, "Device Information" indicating the model name of the searcher's searcher terminal 4, etc., "Search KW" indicating the search KW used by the searcher for the search, "Search Date and Time" indicating the search date and time when the searcher conducted the search, and "Location Information" indicating the location of the searcher (searcher terminal 4) who conducted the Web search. These are each associated and stored.

[0076] Here, the "Location Information" is, for example, location information indicating the search location of the searcher and the searcher terminal 4, and the presence or absence of acquisition of the location information may be stored. The inbound ranking measurement system 100 may, for example, refer to the record of the "Location Information" and, if it is "NULL", acquire the IP address information of the searcher terminal 4. Furthermore, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 may, for example, if data already indicating the location information as, for example, "latitude XXX, longitude XXX" is recorded, confirm the validity of that data with data such as the search date and time, and if the Web search is recent, the search requests are repeated, etc., acquire it as data for complementing or substituting the IP address information.

[0077] <<IP Address Information Table>> The "IP Address Information Table" records various data related to, for example, the IP address information assigned to the searcher terminal 4 and the owner (IP owner) of the assigned IP address information. In the "IP Address Information Table", for example, the "IP Address Range" indicating the range to which the IP address information is assigned, the "Target IP" indicating the type of the IP address, the "Regional Registry Information" indicating the type of the assigned IP address range, the "Country-by-Country Registry Information" indicating the location information obtained by subdividing and detailing the "Regional Registry Information", the "IP Owner Information" indicating the owner (such as the holder, operator, or administrator) of the assigned IP address information, and the "Update Date and Time" indicating the presence or absence and status of the update of each record recorded in the "IP Address Information Table" are stored in association with each other.

[0078] <<Inbound Information Table>> The "Inbound Information Table" stores, for example, the "Search KW" indicating the search keywords requested for Web search by a plurality of searchers, the "Searcher IP Address 1" and "Searcher IP Address 2" indicating the IP address information of the searcher's searcher terminal 4, the "Estimated Search Location 1" and "Estimated Search Location 2" indicating the search locations of the searchers estimated by the ranking measurement unit 14 by referring to the "IP Address Information Table", and the "Store ID" identifying the store that has registered the Search KW, in association with each other. When there are multiple pieces of data regarding the "Searcher IP Address" and the "Estimated Search Location", those multiple pieces of data may be recorded.

[0079] <<Target Store Information Table>> The "Target Store Information Table" stores various information related to, for example, the target store (customer) that requests inbound ranking measurement. In the "Target Store Information Table", for example, the "Store ID" identifying the target store, and the "Store Name", "Address", and "Introduction Text, Display Image, Additional Information" as various information indicating the information and posted content of the target store are stored in association with each other. Note that the "Address" may be recorded in, for example, multiple languages and may be appropriately displayed according to the language information preset by the searcher.

[0080] <<Search KW Table>> In the <<Search KW Table>>, various search keywords for which inbound ranking measurement is desired for each target store, for example, are identified and stored respectively. In the <<Search KW Table>>, for example, a <<Search KW#ID>> that identifies the search keyword set for each target store, a <<Store ID>> that identifies each target store for which the search keyword is set, search keywords in each language for which inbound ranking measurement is performed as the target of a web search request, such as <<Search KW1 (Japanese)>> and <<Search KW2 (English)>> for other languages, and an <<Update Date / Time>> indicating the update of the search keyword are stored in association with each other.

[0081] <<Ranking Data Table>> In the <<Ranking Data Table>>, for example, the results of inbound ranking measurement for each target store are stored. In the <<Ranking Data Table>>, for example, a <<Ranking ID>> that identifies the result of the ranking measurement, a <<Search Period>> indicating the period in which the web search request was made, a <<Ranking / Count>> indicating the result of the inbound ranking measurement (for example, the ranking and the number of items) in the <<Search Period>>, a <<Search KW>> indicating the search keyword used in the inbound ranking measurement, a <<Search KW#ID>> that identifies the target search KW, an <<Estimated Search Location>> indicating the search location estimated by the search location estimation unit 13, a <<Capture URL>> indicating the link destination of the capture image of the display screen 7a searched and displayed by the searcher, and a <<Store ID>> that identifies the target store for the inbound ranking measurement are stored in association with each other.

[0082] The <<Ranking Data Table>> is associated with various data tables registered in a database, for example, and thereby stores in which country or region, "when", and "with which search keyword" the web search was requested, and further stores the ranking of the results of the inbound ranking measurement.

[0083] <Communication Network 6> The communication network 6 is, for example, the Internet network to which the inbound ranking measurement device 1, the Internet server 2, the searcher terminal 4, the ranking analysis device 5, and the store terminal 60 are connected via a communication circuit. The communication network 6 may be composed of a so-called optical fiber communication network. Also, the communication network 6 may be realized by a known communication technology such as a wireless communication network in addition to the wired communication network.

[0084] <Ranking measurement server 50> The ranking measurement server 50 connects, for example, a plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 and performs ranking measurement for each store using search keywords. The ranking measurement server 50 causes the connected ranking analysis devices 5 to perform a search similar to the keyword search process performed by a searcher, for example. The ranking measurement server 50 causes each of the connected plurality of ranking analysis devices 5 to start a virtual browser and execute a search KW (search query) on the search engine.

[0085] The ranking measurement server 50 may perform ranking measurement in a distributed manner by a plurality of ranking measurement servers 50 based on, for example, the search keywords assigned to each ranking measurement server 50. As a result, it becomes possible to distribute and process the calculation load for, for example, several thousand to several tens of thousands of items by region in various countries around the world.

[0086] <Store terminal 60> The store terminal 60 is a terminal in each store such as the food and beverage industry, the accommodation industry, and other events and service industries, and is connected to the inbound ranking measurement device 1 and the ranking measurement server 50. The store terminal 60 registers various types of information related to the store in the inbound ranking measurement device 1 and the ranking measurement server 50 in order to obtain, for example, the inbound ranking measurement results. The store terminal 60 registers various types of information related to the store in the target store information table and the search KW table, for example.

[0087] The ranking measurement server 50 may perform ranking measurement in a distributed manner by a plurality of ranking measurement servers 50 based on, for example, the search keywords assigned to each ranking measurement server 50. As a result, it becomes possible to distribute and process the calculation load for, for example, several thousand to several tens of thousands of items.

[0088] (Example of the operation of the inbound ranking measurement system 100) Next, an example of the operation of the inbound ranking measurement system 100 in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the inbound ranking measurement system 100 in the present embodiment.

[0089] <IP address acquisition means S110> The IP address acquisition unit 11 acquires the IP address information included in the Web search request (IP address acquisition means S110). The IP address acquisition unit 11 acquires, for example, the IP address information of the searcher terminal 4 included in the Web search request input via the searcher terminal 4. The IP address information of the searcher terminal 4 acquired by the IP address acquisition unit 11 includes, for example, a global IP address and a private IP address, and either a global IP address or a private IP address is assigned to the searcher terminal 4.

[0090] The IP address acquisition unit 11 may, for example, refer to an IP address information table in which IP address information is associated with registration information in which the IP address information is registered in advance, and select the IP address information for which inbound ranking measurement is to be performed. Thereby, the inbound ranking measurement system can narrow down the target country, region, or IP owner, and for example, can exclude the IP address information assigned to the government, administration, military period, etc. that has been determined in advance, and improve the measurement accuracy of the inbound ranking measurement of the target store.

[0091] Note that the global IP address includes regional registry information indicating the allocation to a country, region, or organization in a foreign country 3, and country-specific registry information indicating the reallocation to a provider or company. Therefore, by referring to the 'IP address information table' in advance by the IP address acquisition unit 11 as described above, specific IP address information can be targeted, and the measurement accuracy of the inbound ranking measurement of the target store can be improved.

[0092] Also, the IP address acquisition unit 11 may acquire the language information registered in the searcher terminal 4 in response to a Web search request by the searcher. As a result, in the search location estimation unit 13, it becomes possible to estimate the search location where the Web search request was made based on the language information.

[0093] <Registration information acquisition means S120> The registration information acquisition unit 12 acquires the registration information associated with the IP address information (registration information acquisition means S120). The registration information acquisition unit 12 refers to, for example, an "IP address information table" in which IP address information and the registration information in which the IP address information is registered are associated, based on the IP address information acquired by the IP address acquisition unit 11. The registration information acquisition unit 12 refers to the "IP address information table" and acquires the registration information assigned to the IP address information of the searcher terminal 4.

[0094] The registration information acquisition unit 12 refers to the "IP address information table" based on, for example, the searcher's IP address information acquired by the IP address acquisition unit 11, and discriminates the target IP (global IP address, private IP address, etc.) and regional registry information from the first three digits of the assigned IP address information (XXX.XX.XX.XX) of the searcher's searcher terminal 4.

[0095] Then, the registration information acquisition unit 12 may refer to the "IP address information table" in advance to set, for example, the range of IP address information to be excluded or the range of IP address information to be prioritized. As a result, the inbound ranking measurement system 100 can improve the measurement accuracy of the inbound ranking measurement of the target stores in the home country in the Web search services from each country in, for example, foreign country 3.

[0096] <Search location estimation means S130> Next, the search location estimation unit 13 estimates the search location where the Web search request was made (search location estimation means S130). The search location estimation unit 13 estimates the search location of the searcher based on the IP location (e.g., United States, NY) associated with the IP address information of the searcher by the registration information acquisition unit 12, and associates the result with the search KW and stores it in the 'Inbound Information Table' of the data table.

[0097] For example, when the search location of the searcher cannot be identified (e.g., within the IP address range of a private address), the search location estimation unit 13 may estimate the search location where the Web search request was made using information (such as the registration location) about the IP owner of the private IP address, which is information other than the regional registry information, because the regional registry information cannot be identified.

[0098] <Ranking measurement means S140> Next, the ranking measurement unit 14 performs ranking measurement and obtains the inbound ranking measurement result (ranking measurement means S140). The ranking measurement unit 14 refers to the 'Inbound Information Table' that includes at least the search keyword information input in the Web search request, the search location information regarding the estimated search location, and the target store information pre-assigned with the search keyword, and performs ranking measurement for each target store based on the search KW.

[0099] The ranking measurement unit 14 may generate a search code for performing ranking measurement of the target store in the Web search service for each search KW and search location of the target store to be ranked, and perform ranking measurement for each target store. The ranking measurement unit 14 may, for example, start a Web browser (e.g., a virtual browser) via the ranking analysis device 5 and execute a search using the generated search code (search URL).

[0100] The ranking measurement unit 14 confirms the search ranking based on the store ID targeted for inbound ranking measurement from the search results retrieved using, for example, a search code. The ranking measurement unit 14 may also store, as result information of ranking measurement, in a temporary storage database, for example, in addition to the search ranking results of each store, search results including search location image information indicating the search location where a web search request was made.

[0101] The ranking measurement unit 14 may store (store) in each of a temporary storage database and a captured image database, for example, as evidence of the ranking measurement results, a search result screen for ranking measurement, various related information displayed on the screen, and a captured screen, and also, for example, to improve the measurement accuracy of ranking measurement in the target store in the web search service for ranking measurement.

[0102] <Output means S150> Next, the output unit 15 outputs the inbound ranking measurement results acquired by the ranking measurement unit 14 (output means S150). The output unit 15 may disclose to the target store, for example, information aggregated by date, search KW, and country, as shown in the result screen 7b of FIG. 2.

[0103] Also, based on the results of the inbound ranking measurement, the output unit 15 may display the ranking of the target store monthly, for example, in combination with the inbound ranking measurement device 1 or the calendar function (not shown) of the store terminal 60, etc., for the display ranking of each target store measured for inbound ranking. The output unit 15 may allow the user to view the image captured during ranking measurement, for example, by clicking on the file icon (not shown) on the result screen 7b. The file icon may be associated with, for example, the capture URL of the ranking table, and the target store that selects the file icon may access the associated URL to view the image stored in the captured image database.

[0104] Further, the output unit 15 may, for example, display the insight information for each store together with the ranking result information in a graph or the like. The output unit 15 can output, for example, the ranking of the acquired stores, the insight data, and the posted insight data in a chart graph, a bar graph, etc., and may also be configured to send them to an arbitrary email address in a file format such as PDF. The output unit 15 may, for example, group the stores to be managed for a customer (company) that manages a plurality of stores and output the total value thereof. The output unit 15 may perform the association of each store based on the group ID, group name, and user ID stored in the group data table.

[0105] Thus, the operation of the inbound ranking measurement system 100 in the present embodiment ends.

[0106] Also, according to the present embodiment, an inbound ranking measurement method for measuring the ranking of target stores in a home country from a foreign country 3 in a web search service can be provided by an IP address acquisition step of performing the IP address acquisition means S110, a registration information acquisition step of performing the registration information acquisition means S120, a search location estimation step of performing the search location estimation means S130, a ranking measurement step of performing the ranking measurement means S140, and an output step of performing the output means S150.

[0107] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0108] 1: Inbound ranking measurement device 2: Internet server 3: Foreign country 3a: United States 3b: China 4: Searcher Terminal 4a: Searcher Terminal 4b: Searcher Terminal 5: Ranking Analysis Device 5a: Ranking Analysis Device 5b: Ranking Analysis Device 6: Communication Network 7a: Display Screen 7b: Result Screen 10: Housing 11: IP Address Acquisition Unit 12: Registration Information Acquisition Unit 13: Search Location Estimation Unit 14: Ranking Measurement Unit 15: Output Unit 16: Memory Unit 50: Ranking Measurement Server 60: Store Terminal 100: Inbound Ranking Measurement System 101: CPU 102: ROM 103: RAM 104: Storage Unit 105: I / F 106: I / F 107: I / F 108: Input Unit 109: Display Unit 110: Internal Bus S110: IP Address Acquisition Means S120: Registration Information Acquisition Means S130: Search Location Estimation Means S140: Ranking Measurement Means S150: Output Means

Claims

1. An inbound ranking measurement system for measuring the ranking of target stores in a home country from a foreign country in a Web search service, comprising: IP address acquisition means for acquiring the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in a Web search request input via the searcher terminal; An IP address information table in which the IP address information is associated with registration information in which the IP address information is registered; Registration information acquisition means for referring to the IP address information table and acquiring the registration information associated with the IP address information; Search location estimation means for estimating the search location where the Web search request was made from the registration information; An inbound information table including at least the search keyword information input in the Web search request, the search location information regarding the estimated search location, and the target store information to which the search keyword is pre-assigned; Ranking measurement means for referring to the inbound information table, performing ranking measurement for each target store information based on the search keyword, and acquiring an inbound ranking measurement result for each target store information in the Web search; Output means for outputting the inbound ranking measurement result acquired by the ranking measurement means; characterized by comprising An inbound ranking measurement system.

2. The inbound ranking measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the IP address information acquired by the IP address acquisition means includes a global IP address and a private IP address.

3. The inbound ranking measurement system according to claim 2, wherein the global IP address includes regional registry information indicating an allocation to a foreign country, a region, or an organization, and country-specific registry information indicating a reallocation to a provider or a company.

4. The inbound ranking measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the IP address acquisition means acquires language information used in the Web search request, and the search location estimation means estimates the search location where the Web search request was made based on the language information.

5. The inbound ranking measurement system according to claim 1, wherein the inbound ranking measurement result acquired by the measurement means includes search location image information indicating the search location where the Web search request was made. characterized by

6. An inbound ranking measurement method for measuring the ranking of a target store in one's own country from a foreign country in a Web search service, comprising: an IP address acquisition step of acquiring the IP address information of the searcher terminal included in the Web search request input via the searcher terminal; a first storage step of associating the IP address information with registration information in which the IP address information is registered and storing the same in an IP address information table; a registration information acquisition step of referring to the IP address table and acquiring the registration information associated with the IP address information; a search location estimation step of estimating the search location where the Web search request was made from the registration information; a second storage step of storing information including at least the search keyword information input in the Web search request, the search location information regarding the estimated search location, and the target store information to which the search keyword is pre-assigned in an inbound information table; a ranking measurement step of referring to the inbound information table, measuring the ranking for each target store information based on the search keyword, and acquiring the inbound ranking measurement result for each target store information in the Web search; an output step of outputting the inbound ranking measurement result obtained by the ranking measurement step; characterized by having an inbound ranking measurement method.

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