Selecting web site content to be displayed to a web site visitor based upon a probability distribution

摘要

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system dynamically selects a content option from a plurality of content options in order to display the content option to a user who is browsing through a web site. The system operates by receiving a request for content from a web browser that is being operated by the user. In response to this request, the system calculates a probability distribution across the plurality of content options that can be sent to the web browser, and then selects the content option at random from the plurality of content options based upon the calculated probability distribution. Next, the system sends the selected content option to the web browser and then allows the web browser to display the selected content option to the user of the web browser. The system then receives a response to the selected content option from the user of the web browser, and uses this response to update a future probability distribution across the plurality of content options.