How does elasticsearch rank matching results?

Elastic Stack Elasticsearch
1

Hello.

Can you explain lucidly (My knowledge in this field is almost zero) how the search engine rank matching results when a user performs a search (I think this is called search engine algorithm)? What are ranking factors? For example, the number of times that a searched string is repeated in a post is the main ranking factor? Is there any specific algorithm including such factors that the search engine use to rank matching results?

I read some documents on the official website of ElasticSearch, but I could not find the answer there.

2

Hi. Roughly speaking:

  • Documents matching all of your search terms are better than those that only match few.
  • Documents that repeat your search terms several times (to a limit) are better than those that mention them only once.
  • Rare terms are more interesting matches than common terms
  • Matches found in short documents are better than very long ones e.g. an encyclopedia.
3

Thanks for your answer. I asked this question to edit some more relevant posts so that they are appeared at the top of the search results when a given terms are searched for.

So, according to your answer, to accomplish that, the best way is adding many repetitions of the given terms in such posts?

4

I was describing the natural ranking that occurs if you don't do anything to influence results.

If you want to take more control there are a number of extra tools at your disposal:

5

Please note that I am not an administrator of the website, which is equipped with ElasticSearch, to control the tools you mentioned. I am just a regular user who can edit posts. Now, in this case, the best solution is the way I mentioned in the previous reply?

6

Assuming

  1. You can't change the admin's query template
  2. You can't change the end user's queries
  3. There aren't already boosts e.g number of "likes' on a post
  4. You're OK with your docs containing what might look like ugly repetition

Then, "yes" that would be a way to do it

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