Search for businesses by category

This task is to determine how well the result matches what the query needs. The first question to ask
yourself is “what is the user most likely looking for?” Identify all the relevant parts of the query and
make sure the results meet the intent.

For this task, we will give you queries that look for businesses by general category keywords: "grocery
store near me", "things to do in Las Vegas", "movie theaters".

Sometimes, a query will also contain more specific information. For example, "24-hour grocery store
near me", "free things to do in Las Vegas", "fancy movie theaters".
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Step 1. Consider the intent of the query. When a user enters this query on a search engine,
what are they most likely to expect? Use your own experience as a web user as well, ask
yourself “what would be the result I’d expect with my query?” Users can be imprecise with
their queries, so we must first determine the intent of the query and what they are searching
for. Ignore location and informational keywords in the query ([near me] [downtown] [Boston]
[hours] [ratings]).

Step 1a. Use the information at the bottom of the page in the tab to
determine whether this query has been correctly labeled as a Category query.
Categories are types of business or services described with a combination of nouns, adjectives
and/or attributes, that does not specify a business name. Sometimes a query looks like a
category but is actually the name of a business. For example, “Home Hardware” and “Mermaid
Pools” are actually business names, not categories.
- If the query is for a business name, or includes a business name, mark it No
- If the query is for a product, mark it No

Step 2. You will need to research the business that the hitapp gives as an Answer to see how well the
business matches the category and any other qualities in the query.

You will use the and search buttons to give you

information about the result. Sometimes the “Primary [W]ebsite” button will have an incorrect
website, or no website connected to it. Do not log a technical error if the website is incorrect or
does not load. Instead, do a side search in a new browser window or tab and try to find the
correct website of the business in the Answer (copy and paste the name for quicker and more
accurate results).
How to Research the Query and Answer:
The search results window on the right side of the page may help you to interpret the query. You may
also click the search button in the Query box to open a new window for more results
or a better view of the search engine, especially if the answer is not plainly evident in the search view on
the page.

If you are blocked from using the hitapp search tools, try changing the Proxy settings by
choosing a proxy from the dropdown (i.e ‘Proxy 1’), clicking the ‘Blocked by Google’ checkbox,
and then clicking on the ‘Google’ button. This will open a link in a new window, not in the
window on the right.

If you are still blocked, try entering the query in a browser window of your own (sometimes a
different incognito window helps as well). The window shows results from the “ Issued from”
location. If you do your own search, it may help to enter that location so you can see similar
results. Alternatively, if the window on the right side consistently does not load, you may click
the dropdown menu and change the default browser to Bing, which may help you see search
engine results.

Remember, we do not consider location for match quality, only to give us a better idea of what
the user may be looking for.

Step 3. How well does this business match the category and other qualities in the query? In other
words, does the business fulfil all the requirements in the query?

- Ignore location in the query and result ({near me} {downtown} {Boston}. For example, if the query was
{things to do in New York City} we would treat a museum in Los Angeles as Exact Match.

You will judge the match as below:

Exact Match - The answer perfectly matches what is searched in the query. The business in answer
matches or specializes in all the categories and descriptions in the query.

Examples:
Query: Grocery Store near me, Answer: Safeway, Reason: Business in answer specializes in groceries
Query: Grocery Store near me, Answer: Fred Meyer, Reason: while this result has other departments, it
also contains a full grocery store as well, so it will be satisfactory to most users.
Query: Things to do in Las Vegas, Answer: Shark Reef Aquarium, Reason: Business in answer is a tourist
attraction
Query: Fancy movie theatres, Answer: Rio Theatre, Reason: Business website highlights awards,
premium features, seats with movable armrests for dates, craft cocktails and beer, and artisanal food
options. These are all features that set this venue apart from “average” theatres.
Query: Medical Schools, Answer: University of Washington School of Medicine, Reason: This is the exact
program that the user was interested in.

Reasonable Match - The answer partially matches what is searched in the query. The categories are
reasonable / related, yet they may not be the same. This is because one of the categories is not a perfect
match OR one of the description attributes is not an exact match.

Examples:

Query: grocery store near me, Answer: 7-11, Reason: Business in answer offers some groceries, but
does not specialize in it and has limited selection compared to grocery stores.

Query: grocery store in Las Vegas, Answer: Bill’s Butcher Shop, Reason: Business in answer provides a
large selection of meats but is more specific than the query so it serves part of the query, but not the full
intent.

Query: Yoga in Seattle Answer: 24-hour fitness, Reason: There are many studios that specialize in Yoga.
Looking at the business website, this is a gym that offers many types of activities, and it offers some
yoga classes as well.

Query: car dealership Answer: Dallas Cars R Us, Reason: this is a used car dealership, which does have
cars, but most people mean “new” unless they specify.

Bad Match - The answer does not match what is searched in the query at all. If a user searched the
query online, they would not want to see this result. Searching online or their website indicates that
they do *not* or clearly would not have a certain attribute or service.

Examples:

Query: groceries near me, Answer: McDonalds, Reason: Business is a restaurant, not a reasonable
interpretation of “groceries”

Query: Kid-Friendly activities in Las Vegas, Answer: Dream Racing, Reason: Business offers driving
experiences for exotic racing cars. Children cannot drive or participate so this is not a suitable result.

Query: Medical Schools Answer: Evergreen State College, Reason: Looking at the business website, this
school does not offer any medical programs, so it does not satisfy the query.