System and method for ranking logical directories

A logical directory ranking system ranks documents or web pages utilizing logical directories. From the hierarchical structure represented in a URL string, URLs can often be grouped into "compound documents" that represent a single unit of information. Such compound documents tend to comprise URLs that agree up to a last delimiter such as a forward slash (/). The present system groups together compound documents as a single information node with one or more leaves, constructing a logical directory graph. URLs can be grouped at a level of granularity below an individual directory. For example, the URLs may be grouped together on the basis of hostname, domain, or any level of the hierarchy of the URLs. Edges in the logical directory graph are formed by links between the logical directories. Edges have weights corresponding to the number of links between logical directories. Nodes have weights corresponding to the number of web pages or leaves represented by a node. A ranking level is determined for each node as a function of the node weight and the edge weight. The ranking level is then applied to each URL that the node represents.