Using search markets for multiple queries
The Bing API sometimes truncates its results prematurely. For example, a search may normally give 500 results but the API will occasionally return only 50 results. This may render the results of a set of searches inconsistent if some of them are truncated. A way to get round this is to run each search multiple times and combine the results, so that if one search returns only 50 then another similar search that returns 500 can replace it. This can be done in Webometric Analyst by asking it to repeat the same search for multiple different search markets and combine the results. A search market is a geographic/linguistic flavour for Bing results. English search markets for Bing include en-GB (UK English) and en-US (US English). A full list is here.
To use multiple search markets for each query there are two methods:
Method 1 (recommended):
- IF USING THE SEARCH WIZARD check the Show Advanced Options tickbox at the start. This ensures that you will be shown the Search Options dialog box before the search starts. Or IF USING THE CLASSIC INTERFACE select Change Search Options from the Search Options menu.
- In the Search Options dialog box (see picture below, right hand side of dialog box), check Run Queries Multiple Times With Different Search Markets to get the search market information. Decide how many simultanous searches you would like to run and then delete enough search markets to leave just the number you have chosen in the list on the right of the dialog box. For example to run each search three times (recommended) delete all except three of the list (e.g., leaving just en-AU, en-IN and en-US). The list should only contain these codes (or equivalent codes in other languages) and no extra information. One code per line is allowed.
- When you click OK the searches will occur as normal except that there will be multiple searches if you selected multiple search markets. Note that the search markets you chose will be saved in a plain text file with name ending in .markets.txt in the same folder as the list of queries submitted.
Method 2 (not recommended):
- Create a plain text file with a list of the search markets to use, one per line and without any extra text on each line (example).
- Name the file name with the query file name except with the .txt at the end replaced with markets.txt (e.g., BookQueries.txt would have search markets file BookQueries.markets.txt). Save the file in the same directory as the query file.
- Run the searches as normal - Webometric Analyst will find the .markets.txt file and use it to run multiple searches. All the analysis will be the same.