Hummingbird search
algorithm
Hummingbird search algorithm is the new
buzzword in the online world. Multiple explanations are floating around the web
regarding Google’s Hummingbird. Every niche is using the ‘wait and watch’
policy on how they will be affected by this update. Let’s better understand
what this buzz is all about.
What is a Search Algorithm?
Google uses a program/technology to
sort through innumerable webpages and find information that it has stored in
its data centers, to provide the best and most relevant results to a user. The
search algorithm is updated regularly.
What does the Search algorithm do?
A search algorithm does three things:
1) Gets information from websites –
Crawling
2) Gathers information – Indexing
3) Sorts information for relevance –
Display Results
What happens when the algorithm is
updated?
When the algorithm is updated, the
display order, importance, and relevance of search results change and this is
called a ‘search rank change’.
What is the frequency of updates of the
Algorithm?
There is no set frequency for the
updates. Google makes almost 2000 changes to algorithms and tests it with
real-time data every month. Roughly 40% of the total updates make it to the
algorithm change
.
What makes Google change the algorithm
at regular intervals?
Websites try to take advantage of
Google by using black-hat techniques and try to cheat the search engine
algorithm. Google releases algorithms to eradicate these black-hat techniques
and also to update newer technologies.
What are black-hat techniques?
Black-hat techniques are aggressive
techniques which are targeted towards search engines and not users. These
techniques blatantly defy the search engine guidelines and influence them. E.g.
-putting a keyword 15 times on a page, to influence the relevance of the page
in search engines. This technique is called ‘keyword stuffing’.
What are the various updates?
For more than 3 years, Google has been
naming and versioning its updates. The updates are:
·
Panda
·
Caffeine
·
Penguin
·
Hummingbird
Hummingbird Update – A deeper analysis
Hummingbird is an iconic update because
Google changed its algorithmic core for the first time in 15 years. The update
was released on September 26th, 2013, at the garage where Google first started
its operation. Google believes the Hummingbird update is “precise and fast”.
What has changed in the core?
The old algorithm used to consider individual
keywords or phrases to display relevant results. The Hummingbird update looks
at the query as a whole, instead of attempting to identify the individual
keywords or phrases in the search query. It considers the whole sentence and
then looks for the most relevant results. In other words, the algorithm is
paying more attention to each word in the query, ensuring that the whole query
or the whole sentence/ conversation/ meaning — is taken into account, rather
than just particular words.
Conversational search is what the new
algorithm focuses on.
An example for Hummingbird:
Search Query – “What’s the
closest place to my house, to buy the iPhone 5s?”
Traditional Search – Will display
results on “buy” and “iPhone 5s”
Hummingbird – Will
understand the location i.e. house, place = physical store, device = iPhone5s
Will Panda and Penguin be a part of the
new algorithm?
Panda was an update against content
spamming websites and the Penguin update was used to penalize sites with
dubious backlinks. Both these updates were part of the old algorithm and will
also continue to be a part of Hummingbird.
Encrypted keywords
Google had started encrypting keywords
for anyone who was logged into Google since October 2011. The reason stated by
Google was privacy and that its aim was to block NSA spying activity. On
September 21, 2013, Google started encrypting all the search activity and the
timing was just right as it was just before the Hummingbird release.
Is SEO blind without the keywords?
Yes and No. Keywords will not be shown
in Analytics, which is a big drawback for SEO and this is the reason SEO is
blind. But the workaround is that the pages can be themed and the traffic to a
page can be measured to understand the relevance. Also, the Google AdWords
product can be used to generate a pattern and targeted keywords.
Long-Tail Keywords and Conversational
Queries
Keywords with more than 2 words in the
phrase are called Long-tail keywords. One of the main reasons is that the users
utilize these keywords to refine their search. E.g. iPhone 5s
sydney
Long-tail keywords have always been
considered beneficial because they typically have a high conversion rate from
highly-targeted visitors. Hummingbird will be looking at search strings of
three, four, five, or more words, instead of breaking them down and providing
results for the whole search string.
Long-tail keywords, which are normally
added to pages during the natural process of writing high quality content, will
generate more traffic for a website in the future.
Page Authority vs Homepage
Hummingbird will ensure Google displays
the most appropriate page of a website to users, rather than a home page or a
top-level page. Every single page will be targeted at potential visitors. This
will not only help improve conversion rates, as part of a conversion rate
optimization campaign, but also help drive traffic to the pages of a website
via Google results.
Quality of Content
Hummingbird is a giant effort by Google
to ensure good quality and relevant search results. Once a website is built on
quality, Google will ensure that bounce rates drop and average sales value
increases.
Is SEO dead?
An emphatic NO! High quality of content
and a well-rounded content marketing plan are the winners. Websites need to
find ways to cover the different aspects of the topic their site is related to.
They need to find ways to regularly implement new content and to do so, in a
way that will make them appear more authoritative to readers, users and the
search engines.
I have lost traffic what do I do?
Hummingbird might be one reason but we
have to look at other possibilities too. When an algorithm is released, there
are certain aspects of the algorithm which will be tweaked or improved. The
tweaking and updating of small parts of the algorithm will be done as a
data-refresh update.
Future of SEO
Technical elements of SEO will still
matter, but the focus will shift from being business-centric to
customer-centric. The major focus will shift from “keywords” and
“link-building” to “Themed content” and “earned links”. Following all the
Webmaster guidelines provided by Google, will help plan long term strategies.
The future will be a place where EVERYTHING will be “easier to find
online.”
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