Google has introduced yet another algorithm to its ranking factor and it seems like the search engine is taking a more ‘human’ approach towards the user’s search queries.
According to Google, this is the ‘most significant algorithm change in three years’. More importantly, the search engine giants also mentioned that it will affect 90% of worldwide searches.
The Hummingbird was created with two key factors in mind:
- To get a better comprehension of long-tail search queries posed by users
- Increase the prominence of Google’s voice search function and Knowledge Graph
In other words, this new algorithm was created to better connect with people and create a ‘two-way’ conversation between the search engine and users. The concept is very similar to Apple’s Siri and there is a great possibility that it will be favoured by mobile users who are always on the go.
Senior VP of Google, Amit Singal, said, “Having a conversation with Google should be more ‘natural’. So, if you tell your Nexus 7, ‘OK Google. Remind me to buy olive oil at Safeway,’ when you walk into the store with your iPhone, you’ll get a reminder.” Not only that, if you were to tell Google to “Compare peanut with olive oil”, the new comparison tool in Hummingbird will give users very detailed answers that would include nutritional facts and so on.
Hummingbird actually expands on the functionality of Google’s Knowledge Graph to give users accurate search results for complex queries that go beyond the regular keywords and search phrases that we would normally put into the search box. In other words, the search engine will also focus on the user’s exact questions rather than the individual keywords so that they can give you exactly what you are looking for. If you have been utilising solid SEO techniques, then Google will recognise all these factors and make your website rank higher on the search engine results page.
So What Does This Mean for Your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Efforts?
At the moment, Hummingbird doesn’t really affect SEO as long as you have been consistently implementing high-quality SEO strategies and tactics on your website. However, what you should really think about is how to better optimise your website as mobile-friendly as possible. We predict that more users are going to take advantage of the Hummingbird algorithm particularly on mobile because it provides fast and accurate results when they are on the go, and the improvement of the voice function will also make it easier for them to conduct mobile searches.
Remember these things when you are optimising your website for mobile:
- Your website should be using a Responsive Web Design
- Create mobile friendly websites with content that can easily be read on small screens
- Implement Local SEO strategies into your website
- Make sure you optimise the load time of your website as well
Our world is becoming more and more intertwined with the digital world, and this is a truly an exciting time as new technologies are being created with forward-thinking artificial intelligence to make our lives more interesting and profound! It doesn’t matter if you are a business owner, marketing manager, musician or entertainer; the digital world is progressively evolving! The real question is, can you be seen and be found on the online platform?
