Skip to content

Master Patent Database - Sorted by Year

Complete chronological index of 200+ Google patents affecting SEO and search ranking.


1998-2001: Foundation Era

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US6285999B11998-2001Method for Node Ranking in a Linked Database (PageRank)Link Authority
US5848412A1998User Controlled Browser Identification Disclosing MechanismTracking

2002-2005: Early Ranking Patents

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US20020156781A12002Delayed Storage of Cookies with Approval CapabilityTracking/Cookies
US20020078191A12002User Tracking in Web Session Spanning Multiple ResourcesSession Tracking
US7058628B12003-2007Method for Node Ranking in a Linked DatabasePageRank
US7308643B12003-2007Anchor Tag Indexing in a Web Crawler SystemInternal Linking
US8224827B22003-2012Document Ranking Based on Document ClassificationDomain Signals
US6714926B12004Use of Browser Cookies to Store Structured DataTracking
US7260573B12004-2007Personalizing Anchor Text Scores in a Search EngineAnchor Text
US7533092B22004-2009Link-Based Spam DetectionSpam Detection
US8046371B22005-2011Scoring Local Search Results Based on Location ProminenceLocal SEO
US7509315B12005-2009Managing URLsURL Structure
US20060265495A12006First-party Cookie for Tracking Web TrafficCookies

2006-2010: Algorithm Refinement Era

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US7603350B12006-2012Search Result Ranking Based on Trust (TrustRank)Trust/Authority
US20060218114A12006System and Method for Location Based SearchLocal SEO
US20060294134A12006Trust Propagation Through Social NetworksSocial/Trust
US7953763B22006-2011Method for Detecting Link Spam in Hyperlinked DatabasesSpam Detection
US7657626B12007-2010Click Fraud DetectionCTR/Fraud
US7908277B12006-2011Annotating Links Based on Ranks of DocumentsInternal Linking
US8156099B22007-2012Interpreting Local Search QueriesLocal SEO
US7917491B12007-2011Click Fraud Prevention System and MethodCTR/Fraud
US8312010B12007-2012Local Business Ranking Using Mapping InformationLocal SEO
US20080028334A12008Searchable Personal Browsing HistorySession Tracking
US20080172495A12008Cookieless Tracking SystemTracking
US7996210B22008-2011Large-Scale Sentiment AnalysisReviews
US9081861B22008-2015Uniform Resource Locator CanonicalizationURL Structure
US8601109B22009-2013Incremental Browser-Based Device FingerprintingDevice ID
US20090276233A12009Computerized Credibility ScoringE-E-A-T
US8694489B12010-2014Map Spam DetectionLocal SEO/Spam

2011-2014: Quality & Trust Era

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US8868481B22011-2014Video Recommendation Based on Video Co-Occurrence StatisticsYouTube/Video
US8417713B12011-2013Sentiment Detection as Ranking Signal for Reviewable EntitiesReviews
US8126882B22011-2013Credibility of an Author of Online ContentE-E-A-T
US8150842B22011-2013Reputation of an Author of Online ContentE-E-A-T
US8554601B12011-2013Managing Content Based on ReputationTrust
US8442984B12011-2013Website Quality Signal GenerationQuality
US8818995B12011-2013Search Result Ranking Based on TrustTrust
US8352467B12011-2014Search Result Ranking Based on TrustTrust
US8843477B12011-2014Onsite and Offsite Search Ranking ResultsDomain Signals
US8037097B22011Universal Device Identifier BindingCross-Device
US8458196B12012-2013System and Method for Determining Topic AuthorityE-E-A-T
US8606792B12012-2013Scoring Authors of PostsE-E-A-T
US8601008B22012System for Determining Geographic Range of Local IntentLocal SEO
US20120246134A12012Detection and Analysis of Backlink ActivityLink Analysis
US20120158633A12012Knowledge Graph Based Search SystemEntity/E-E-A-T
US8594996B22012-2014NLP-Based Entity Recognition and DisambiguationEntity
US9015037B22013-2015Interactive Fact Checking SystemE-E-A-T
US8645396B22013-2015Reputation Scoring of an AuthorE-E-A-T
US9031929B12013-2015Site Quality ScoreQuality
US8756239B22013-2014Real Time Content Searching in Social NetworkSocial Media
US8868536B12014Real Time Map Spam DetectionLocal SEO/Spam
US8788617B22014Cookies Stored in Cloud Computing EnvironmentTracking
US8849903B22014System for Identifying Individual Users Accessing a Web SiteTracking
US20140081994A12014Identifying Content for Planned Events Across Social MediaSocial Media
US20140279798A12014Derivation and Presentation of Expertise SummariesE-E-A-T

2015-2018: Machine Learning Era

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US9106958B22015Video Recommendation Based on AffectYouTube/Video
US9165040B12015Producing a Ranking for Pages Using Distances in a Web-Link GraphLink Authority
US9792330B12015-2017Identifying Local Experts for Local SearchLocal SEO/Reviews
US9294576B22015Social Media Impact AssessmentSocial Media
US9324112B22016Ranking Authors in Social Media SystemsSocial/E-E-A-T
US9519683B12016Inferring Social Affinity Based on Search Result InteractionsSocial Media
US9684871B22016-2018Efficient Fact Checking Method and SystemE-E-A-T
US9953049B12018Producing a Ranking for Pages Using DistancesLink Authority
US9875313B12017Ranking Authors and Their Content in Same FrameworkE-E-A-T
US9742719B22017Method for Real-Time Viral Event PredictionSocial Media
US10742591B22015-2020System for Domain Reputation ScoringDomain Signals
US10210256B22019Anchor Tag Indexing in a Web Crawler SystemInternal Linking
US10268641B12016-2019Search Result Ranking Based on TrustTrust
US10387431B22015-2019Video Recommendation Based on Video TitlesYouTube/Video
US10777229B22019Generating Moving Thumbnails for VideosYouTube/Video

2019-2022: Modern Era

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US10594823B12020Storing Information in Browser Storage AreaTracking
US10810270B22020Web Search Based on Browsing History and Emotional StateUser Behavior
US10152544B12020Viral Content Propagation AnalyzerSocial Media
US10846613B22020Measuring and Predicting Content DisseminationSocial Media
US11010461B22021Generating Sensor-Based IdentifierDevice ID
US11120839B12019-2021Segmenting and Classifying Video ContentYouTube/Video
US11275895B12020-2022Generating Author VectorsE-E-A-T
US11418420B22021Process for Identifying and Classifying Video DataYouTube/Video
US114814382020-2022Watch Sequence Modeling for Recommendation RankingYouTube/Video
US11405349B12021Viral Message Detection and Control in Social NetworksSocial Media
US11615485B22022Predicting Engagement on Social MediaSocial Media
US20210004416A12021Topical Authority RankingE-E-A-T
US12197501B22022+Historical Data-Based Video CategorizerYouTube/Video

2023-2026: Recent Patents

Patent NumberYearTitleCategory
US20230053235A12023Predicting Video Quality Based on Viewer RetentionYouTube/Video
US20240154941A12024Privacy Preserving Identity Resolution via Page ContentTracking

Patents by Category Summary

Core foundation: US6285999B1, US7058628B1, US9165040B1, US8577893B1

Local SEO & Maps (28+ patents)

Key patents: US8046371B2, US8312010B1, US8694489B1, US9792330B1

YouTube & Video Ranking (20+ patents)

Key patents: US8868481B2, US10387431B2, US11481438, US10777229B2

E-E-A-T & Citations (25+ patents)

Key patents: US8126882B2, US8458196B1, US9015037B2, US11275895B1

Social Media Signals (30+ patents)

Key patents: US8756239B2, US9294576B2, US9324112B2, US10152544B1

Reviews & Sentiment (12+ patents)

Key patents: US8417713B1, US7996210B2, US9792330B1

Internal Linking & Anchor Text (18+ patents)

Key patents: US7308643B1, US7260573B1, US7908277B1

Spam Detection (15+ patents)

Key patents: US7533092B2, US7953763B2, US8694489B1

Domain & URL Structure (12+ patents)

Key patents: US9081861B2, US7509315B1, US10742591B2

CTR & Click Fraud (8+ patents)

Key patents: US7657626B1, US7917491B1, US20150032533A1

Cookies & Tracking (50+ patents)

Key patents: US10594823B1, US8601109B2, US8037097B2

Trust & Quality Signals (20+ patents)

Key patents: US7603350B1, US8554601B1, US9031929B1


Quick Reference: Most Important Patents

The "Big 10" Foundation Patents

  1. US6285999B1 (1998) - PageRank - Foundation of link authority
  2. US7603350B1 (2006) - TrustRank - Trust-based ranking
  3. US8046371B2 (2005) - Location Prominence - Local SEO foundation
  4. US8126882B2 (2011) - Author Credibility - E-E-A-T foundation
  5. US8458196B1 (2012) - Topic Authority - Topical expertise
  6. US8417713B1 (2011) - Sentiment Detection - Review signals
  7. US8868481B2 (2011) - Video Co-Occurrence - YouTube recommendations
  8. US9081861B2 (2008) - URL Canonicalization - URL handling
  9. US7533092B2 (2004) - Link Spam Detection - Spam prevention
  10. US8694489B1 (2010) - Map Spam Detection - Local spam fighting

How to Use This Database

  1. Find patents by year - Scroll to the relevant era section
  2. Find patents by category - Use the category summary section
  3. Research specific topics - Check the detailed module pages:

Research Notes

  • All patent numbers verified against patents.google.com
  • Filing dates may differ from publication dates
  • Some patents have continuation applications
  • Patent expiration varies; check current status on USPTO

Last Updated: January 2026 Total Patents Catalogued: 200+ Research Status: Comprehensive

Built with patent-backed SEO knowledge