Understanding the Hummingbird Update

What Google’s Latest Algorithm Change Means to Businesses Consumers As always, the latest Google update has everybody talking. And little wonder. According to Forbes, â€Å"The update, code-named Hummingbird, is the biggest change to the underpinnings of the world’s leading search engine since early 2010, when Google upgraded its algorithm to one it called Caffeine.† Designed to coincide with Google’s 15th anniversary, the Hummingbird update consists of an entirely revamped algorithm that makes Google capable of responding more effectively to long, complex â€Å"conversational† search queries, making many question the future value of keywords and traditional SEO methods. Creating still greater worries for search marketers, Hummingbird follows closely on the heels of Google’s recent decision to switch to secure search for all users — with the two changes combining to create a one-two punch that’s causing a few equilibrium issues for webmasters. A New Google Search Algorithm Silently Slipped In While already in effect, having been gradually — and surreptitiously — introduced over the last month or so, the latest revamp of Google’s search formula, despite affecting about 90 percent of global searches, has apparently been noticed by few. Yet, those who pay closer attention to their search results may have already begun seeing more relevant links appearing in their SERPs in response to their most complex search queries. As for businesses, some may potentially have seen their search traffic rise or fall since the implementation of the new algorithm, depending on their current SEO practices. Yet, no matter which side of the search equation you happen to be on, this development represents good news for those who aren’t trying to game the system. As a consumer, you’ll be more likely to get the answers you actually want rather than those that relate to the various literal meanings of the terms used in your query, many of which, prior to the update, would have had absolutely nothing to do with your actual search goal. As a business, you should see more organic traffic reaching your website that may never have ended up there through literal keyword â€Å"relevance† alone. Analysis Advice for Businesses in Light of Hummingbird What is the upshot of the new Hummingbird algorithm, and how will it affect search marketers and the webmasters who oversee their websites? Perhaps even more importantly, what can businesses do to come out on the winning end of the deal in the aftermath of Hummingbird? The following information and suggestions should help reassure those website owners who are not resorting to Gray Hat or Black Hat SEO tactics to draw undeserved traffic to their sites: 1. As alluded to above, the new wider implementation of the conversational search that Google originally began using in its Chrome browser when it introduced Knowledge Graph last year and is now applying across the entire Web should offer brand new opportunities to businesses as searchers take advantage of Google’s ability to respond to the overall meaning of their queries and are thereby directed to relevant websites they may never have otherwise found. As always, websites that contain a wealth of related terminology sprinkled throughout their content to support their main keywords will give Google much more to work with in parsing these conversational queries in such a way that the right users find their sites. 2. SEO is not dead. Keywords may no longer be used in quite the same way they were previously — a good thing overall since they were so often misused or ineffective — yet they will still feature prominently in search queries in the sense that they will remain a vital part of the language used to express the searcher’s intent. As one analyst has stated, â€Å"As long as search engines require us to enter some type of term in order to find information, nobody can convince me that keywords aren’t and won’t continue to be important.† 3. Despite the comprehensive changes brought about by Hummingbird, one thing still hasn’t changed where Google is concerned (and never will): Publishing relevant, helpful, value-added unique content that’s aimed at people and not search engines is the best way to rank well in Google search results. As long as businesses publish original, high-quality content that meets peoples’ needs and attracts credible inbound links, they have little to worry about. As the analysis of one CBS Moneywatch writer concluded, â€Å"The upshot for many companies is that they’ll need to become less reliant on keywords in collecting customer data and focus more on providing content that is of value to the people they want to reach.† For businesses, this may be the crux of the Hummingbird matter.