Identifying affiliated domains

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving initial search results from a user search query including an ordered list of results, each result corresponding to a web domain;

determining a particular location for a user;

identifying a plurality of local domains, each local domain being a web domain that corresponds to the particular location of the user;

identifying a first result within the list of results corresponding to a first web domain, the first web domain being a local domain;

identifying a second result within the list of results corresponding to a second web domain designated as affiliated with the first domain, where the first domain has a same second level domain as the second domain, where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain, and where the second domain is linked to the first domain if one of the first or the second domains includes resources containing one or more hyperlinks to resources of the other domain;

modifying the ordered list of results by altering one or more positions of the results, including altering a position of the second result, that correspond to a domain affiliated with one of the local domains within the list of results using one or more processors; and

presenting the list of results to the user.

2. The method of claim 1 , where altering the position of the second result includes demoting the second result within the list of results.

3. The method of claim 1 , where altering the position of the second result includes promoting the second result within the list of results.

4. The method of claim 1 , where altering the position of the second result includes clustering the second result with the first result within the list of results.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is directly linked to the first domain.

6. The method of claim 1 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain within a specified number of steps.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the second domain is affiliated only if it has the same second-level domain name as the first domain.

8. The method of claim 1 , where demoting the second result includes swapping a rank of the second result with a rank of the first result within the list of results.

9. The method of claim 8 , where swapping a rank of a first affiliated result and a rank of a second affiliated result is performed according to presumption heuristics.

10. The method of claim 1 , where demoting the second result within the list of results includes demoting the second result by a predetermined number of places within the ordered list of results.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving initial search results from a user search query including an ordered list of results, each result corresponding to a web domain;

determining a particular location for a user;

identifying a plurality of local domains, each local domain being a web domain that corresponds to the particular location of the user;

identifying a first result within the list of results corresponding to a first web domain, the first web domain being a local domain;

identifying a second result within the list of results corresponding to a second web domain designated as affiliated with the first domain, where the first domain has a same second level domain as the second domain, where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain, and where the second domain is linked to the first domain if one of the first or the second domains includes resources containing one or more hyperlinks to resources of the other domain,

modifying the ordered list of results by altering one or more positions of the results, including altering a position of the second result, that correspond to a domain affiliated with the one of the local domains within the list of results; and

presenting the list of results to the user.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where altering the position of the second result includes demoting the second result within the list of results.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where altering the position of the second result includes promoting the second result within the list of results.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where altering the position of the second result includes clustering the second result with the first result within the list of results.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is directly linked to the first domain.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain within a specified number of steps.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where the second domain is affiliated only if it has the same second-level domain name as the first domain.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where demoting the second result includes swapping a rank of the second result with a rank of the first result within the list of results.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18 , where swapping a rank of a first affiliated result and a rank of a second affiliated result is performed according to presumption heuristics.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , where demoting the second result within the list of results includes demoting the second result by a predetermined number of places within the ordered list of results.

21. A system, comprising:

one or more computers; and

one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving initial search results from a user search query including an ordered list of results, each result corresponding to a web domain;

determining a particular location for a user;

identifying a plurality of local domains, each local domain being a web domain that corresponds to the particular location of the user;

identifying a first result within the list of results corresponding to a first web domain, the first web domain being a local domain;

identifying a second result within the list of results corresponding to a second web domain designated as affiliated with the first domain, where the first domain has a same second level domain as the second domain, where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain, and where the second domain is linked to the first domain if one of the first or the second domains includes resources containing one or more hyperlinks to resources of the other domain,

modifying the ordered list of results by altering one or more positions of the results, including altering a position of the second result, that correspond to a domain affiliated with one or more local domains within the list of results; and

presenting the list of results to the user.

22. The system of claim 21 , where the altering the position of the second result includes demoting the second result within the list of results.

23. The system of claim 21 , where the altering the position of the second result includes promoting the second result within the list of results.

24. The system of claim 21 , where altering the position of the second result includes clustering the second result with the first result within the list of results.

25. The system of claim 21 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is directly linked to the first domain.

26. The system of claim 21 , where the second domain is affiliated if it is linked to the first domain within a specified number of steps.

27. The system of claim 21 , where the second domain is affiliated only if it has the same second-level domain name as the first domain.

28. The system of claim 21 , where demoting the second result includes swapping a rank of the second result with a rank of the first result within the list of results.

29. The system of claim 28 , where swapping a rank of a first affiliated result and a rank of a second affiliated result is performed according to presumption heuristics.

30. The system of claim 21 , where demoting the second result within the list of results includes demoting the second result by a predetermined number of places within the ordered list of results.