Method and system for determining rank positions of elements by a ranking system

A method and system for determining rank positions of elements displayed on a search engine results page (SERP) by a ranking system. During a training phase of the ranking system, an indication of user interactions associated with a first ranked list of elements is acquired. The elements of the first ranked list were visually displayed on a first SERP. A score for a first content element is determined based on a size of the first content element and a ranking of the first content element. The ranking system is trained, based on the score, to predict a predicted usefulness score for the first content element. During an in-use phase of the ranking system, a ranked list of elements is determined based on a query. The ranking system determines a ranked position for a content element in the ranked list. A SERP based on the ranked list is output.