Off-Topic or Useless (OT)

A rating of Off-Topic or Useless should be assigned to results that are helpful for no or very few users. OT results are unrelated to the query and/or have no utility.

A rating of OT also applies when there is lack of attention to an aspect of the query that is important for satisfying user intent.
The OT rating can also apply to NTRBs. An OT NTRB may be unrelated to the query, inaccurate, very unhelpful, or useless.

Examples of Off-Topic or Useless (OT) Pages

Query and User Intent

LP of the Result Block, Result Block, Utility Rating

Explanation

[Australian Open mens singles result 2008], English (US)

Find a page that displays the 2008 men's singles result for this tennis tournament.

Landing page link: LP

Does not fit the user intent: This LP is about the Australian Open, not the Australian Open. It is OT because it does not pay attention to an aspect of the query that is important for satisfying user intent: "2008." It would be helpful for no or very few users.

[german cars], English (US)

Find information about German cars or go to official homepage of a German automaker.

Landing page link: LP

Does not fit the user intent: This LP is the homepage of Subaru, a Japanese car company, not a German car company. It would be helpful for no or very few users.


Query and User Intent

LP of the Result Block, Result Block, Utility Rating

Explanation

[anderson high school, austin]

Go to the homepage of Anderson High School in Austin, Texas or get information about the school.

Landing page link: LP

Does not fit the user intent: This LP is the homepage of Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, not Anderson High School in Austin, TexasIt would be helpful for no users.

[opi blue nail polish], English (US)

Find pages about the Opi brand's blue nail polish.

Landing page link: LP

Does not fit the user intent: This LP has the Essie brand of blue nail polish, not the Opi brand. It would be helpful for no or very few users.

[company to get rid of the possum in my attic], English (US)

Find a company to trap and remove a possum from the attic.

Landing page link:
LP

Does not fit the user intent: This LP is the homepage of a pest control company in Australia. US users would need a US company to take care of this problem. There is a mismatch between the page and the locale that makes the landing page OT.

[hot dog], English (US)

Find information about hot dogs, such as recipes.

Landing page link: LP

Keyword matches only: This LP has information about doghouses and happens to display the word hotIt is OT.

[tooth loss five years old], English (US)

Find information about tooth loss in a five-year-old child.

Landing page link: LP

Keyword matches only: This LP has information about tooth loss in pike fish and displays the words five years oldThis page is OT because it has keyword matches only and would be helpful for no users.


Query and User Intent

LP of the Result Block, Result Block, Utility Rating

Explanation

[mountain bikes], English (US)

Find information about or purchase a mountain bike.

Landing page link: LP

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Links and ads only: Even though this LP has tabs and links that appear related to the query, neither the landing page nor the links provide any information about mountain bikes. The page is useless and should be rated OT.

[how to quit smoking], English (US)

Find information on ways to quit smoking.

Landing page link: LP

Gibberish: This LP has gibberish text. Read this sentence: "The tropical ubiquity was being singularized burring." The quality of the landing page is so low that the page is OT.

[american express], English (US)

Go to the American Express card or get information about the company and its products and services.

Landing page link:
LP

Insufficiently related to the query: The LP is a humorous blog post about a wife helping her husband buy a suit. The page mentions "American Express" on the page, but is insufficiently related to the query to be helpful for users and is OT for the user intent.

[every breath you take lyrics], English (US)

Find the lyrics to the song "Every Breath You Take," which was written by Sting.

Landing page link: LP

Insufficiently related to the query: This LP displays the wrong lyrics. Even though the title on the page is "Every Breath You Take," the lyrics displayed are for the song "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic."


Query and User Intent

Result Block, Utility Rating

Explanation

[drive safely texas], English (US)

There are several drivers education driving course websites with "drive safely" in the URL. Users may want to go to one of these websites.

Insufficiently related to the query: This is a TLRB with special content. This result has no connection to the query and is off-topic.

[what is wedding in spanish], English (US)

This is a NTRB. The translation in the result block is completely wrong and inaccurate.

Mañana means "tomorrow," not "wedding."

[starting order for today's nascar race], English (US)

Find information about the starting order of the Nascar race that day.

This is a NTRB. The content is off-topic.

The content is not what the user is looking for and is OT. It does not show the starting order of a Nascar event.

[united tech logo], English (US)

Find images of the United Technologies Corporation logo.

This is a NTRB. The content is off-topic. The result block shows stock information, not the company logo.



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