Hummingbird is the biggest iteration of the Google algorithm since
Caffeine in 2010. It is, however, going to have less impact immediately
on search marketing than the Panda and Penguin updates. Amit Singhal, of
Google, said 90% of searches have been affected by this algorithm
change. It was interesting to note, however, that very little was said
within the industry about affected rankings before the announcement was
made.
The details of the Hummingbird amendments are provided below,
detailing what has changed and how it impacts search marketing
strategies.
In general terms, Hummingbird is a step towards the Google algorithm
becoming artificially intelligent. Google’s goal is to be able to serve
content based on what the searcher wants. A key performance indicator of
this development is surely the number of searches a user makes in a
short space of time (the higher number of searches denoting that the
content is not relevant to their query) and also the number of pages a
user visits per search term.
For example, 8 years ago 30% of searchers would look at search
results past page one of Google. Today, it is only 10% and it is likely
to decrease as Google improves the indexing of searches against the real
intent of the search (thus making it even more significant to increase
SEO rankings).
So let’s have a look at Hummingbird in detail. What are the changes
and what does this mean for search marketers and website owners.
Semantic Search
Semantic search will be discussed more and more in regards to SEO
over the coming years, particularly as search devices change, search
queries evolve with the technology, and Google and information retrieval
technology adapts to changing hardware.
Semantic search is where an algorithm, like Google’s, retrieves
information based on the meaning of the search as opposed to matching
the content against the search term. Google’s aim is to index all
content based on semantics and it will continue to improve in this
regard.
Before Hummingbird, Google was indexing content by using pattern
match to marry up content within its database against the search query.
Today, Hummingbird is more intelligent, and now indexes content based
on the query intention. This includes some key elements such as the
context of the search and the searcher’s requirements. For example, the
context of the searcher can include variables such as the device a user
is searching from, the time the search was made (local) and/or the
frequency of similar searches from the same device, allowing Google to
understand more about the search habits of that user. With a better
understanding of searchers, Google can make better judgements about
search intent and improve the content served from the index.
Website Content
As Google continues to improve its semantic search algorithm, websites will need to continue improving content for end users.
Providing the best content for basic brochure websites may be the
hardest since a large majority are relying just on textual content.
Gone are the days when SEOs could focus on keyword density and target
keywords within alt tags, meta tags and H tags. More granular research
is needed into multiple keyword variations, although this recommendation
isn’t a result of the Hummingbird update.
Webpage content breaks down into only three core sections – images,
text and video – and a combination of all three determines the theme of
the page. It is important that companies, SEO practitioners and in-house marketing teams see that each page has its own theme of which all content types contribute to improving.
For example, if I have a page about “Mailing bags” then I want to
give as many signals to Google as possible that this page is highly
targeted for all relevant search terms. Therefore, from a contextual
point of view, I want to ensure it is optimized for all search
variations for this product, including mailing bags, mailing cartons and
mailing pouches. I also want to make sure the text content covers
important practical information – for example, the uses of the product
and application. This is particularly important with the Hummingbird
update because Google is specifically looking at how it can serve
content better for practical searches beginning with things such as “how
do I… ” or “what is the… “. More information on this below.
Secondly, you want to ensure that you have relevant images on the
page, for example, maps. 20% of all searches have “local intent” in the
UK, and it’s even higher on mobile. So maps are a significantly
important element to add to websites.
Another important factor to help serving content against intent is schema markup, specifically for videos.
All of these elements contribute as signals to Google to say “Hey, this page is very relevant to that search term”.
Material Searches and Application Searches
This is an aspect we have been working on with clients for a while
and we are not surprised that Google has covered it in the Hummingbird
update.
We have worked with clients to optimize their websites which contain
multiple bespoke products and have seen that there are clearly two types
of searches being made. Material searches are searches for a certain
product based on what it is – so for example, a search of “cardboard
boxes” is a material search. The searcher is clearly describing the
product that they are looking for in the search term. Similarly, a
search for “coffee table” is someone looking for a very specific item.
Application searches, on the other hand, are queries made by users
who are looking for something or someone to do a required job, but the
searchers are not sure exactly what they are looking for. For example,
the search phrase “packaging material for moving house” may be used by
someone wanting to find packaging solutions to meet their house moving
requirements, but the searcher may not know exactly what is needed. The
searcher is, in effect, asking Google to provide the answer. This is
where Hummingbird is enhancing its semantic understanding of search
queries and improving the indexing of content for each user. Google may
consider factors like past search history, the device used, and even
elements like personalized search with “Search Plus Your World” which is
another change similar to Hummingbird that also contributes to better
indexing of content based on a user’s needs.
So, in short, focus more on searches to do with the usability and
performance of your products and services (applications), rather than
material searches which just describe what you do.
Knowledge Graph Tap In
Google is also ranking sites based on information in your Knowledge
Graph. This is probably more relevant to larger companies or brands. Do
not, however, underestimate the significance that local search and
Knowledge Graph are likely to have on impacting rankings.
Use of Mobiles
More and more people are speaking searches into mobile phones which
is where Hummingbird determines the meaning of a search. These spoken
searches are invariably longer search phrases and mainly contain a
question. Google’s search results need to be able to answer these
questions so the focus for Hummingbird is to understand the semantics of
the search term, be it by location, device and/or search intent of the
text query, to serve the most relevant results.
Use of Local Searches on Mobile Devices
40% of searches made on mobile have local intent. Therefore, think
about the content on your website and how it appears on mobile. Does it
format correctly? Is it easy to use? By this I do not mean is it
responsive and built in HTML5 because that is only a temporary solution.
Consumers on mobile are in a different buying mode, so content on your
desktop website may not be relevant to a consumer on a mobile device.
For example, your store locator links are going to be very important
to mobile visitors but, if your store locator links are buried in the
footer of your desktop site and they are regurgitated the same way
through your responsive design, then this just isn’t good practice.
Google will be making changes in the coming year to give increased
weight to mobile optimized content. Hummingbird is, effectively, the
first step towards this goal. Google wants to see content created to
best serve a user’s “intent”. This includes the device used to perform
searches.
Long and Short Tail Keywords
We are going to see Hummingbird have a more significant impact on
long tail search terms (longer string search terms where there is a
question or element of uncertainty within the searcher’s mind) than on
head terms (short tail). Head terms and generics may be affected within
certain industries, but greater variations will be seen for longer
terms.
This is because of conversational search.
Conversational Search
Use of voice search creates longer search query strings and it is
important to serve content to match these searches. Think about user
guides and how-to guides, if you have products with multiple
applications.
Ikea is a great example of a website that has good video content
showing how to put together each furniture type. This is great content
to index for conversational search.
Some people recommend making text content more conversational. We do
not, however, see this making a difference in regards to ranking
effectiveness.
In Summary
Make sure your content is geared towards a user’s intent. Think not
only about what is being searched for, but also about what searchers are
trying to find based on contingent factors such as location, search
device and time of search. Match your content and increase semantic
signals to assure better indexing.
Hummingbird is the beginning of some major changes to content
indexing. Google will become better at determining user intent and
semantic understanding, and with changes in consumer habits across
multiple channels – particularly mobile – search marketers will need to
adapt as well.
Article Source:
http://www.sitepronews.com/2013/11/15/googles-hummingbird-update-significant-businesses-think/