In September 2013, Google announced a new algorithm update for its search engine, with the aim of bringing more effective information to its users. The new Hummingbird update is the latest step Google has employed in its bid to become the one-stop destination for all information on the internet. The update is an indicator that the company is making ever-increasing moves to become the most important information source in the lives of all online users. But what effect will the Hummingbird update have on web marketers?
Content needs to be richer and more informative
The new update will affect the type of content website owners use in order to improve their search engine optimization. Content will now have to be much deeper, and contain more relevant information than ever before, in order to rank highly on Google’s PageRank. Websites will need to produce content that directly answers the questions of web users, rather than merely responding to specific keywords and phrases. In-depth, high quality information embedded within a website will now increase that site’s chance of ranking highly after the new Hummingbird update. In addition, websites need to maintain a well designed website, which will improve the chance of Google’s spiders finding that content, and placing it higher in its search rank.
Context matters
With the latest Hummingbird algorithm update, context matters more than ever before. Previously Google took a guess as to which sites would best match the queries of its users. Now, websites will rank highly if they correspond to a query based on a particular location, or other local factors. For instance, a website which has healthy inbound traffic based on a key-phrase such as “best photography equipment for students”, will now rank lower than a website which relies on phrasing such as “best photography equipment in New York for students”. Google is becoming more location-specific, and the new updates recognizes context, as uses graph data to better understand more complex search queries.
Authorship is becoming more important
An important change in Google’s algorithm is the rise of ownership, and in particular the ownership of a website or blog. Make sure you create and update profiles, and all written content is attributed to an author. This ties in with Google Plus, and pages that are attributed to Google Plus accounts are much more likely to rank high on PageRank. One reason for this is that attributed content with a validated Google Plus page is less likely to feature content with spam, and therefore Google is making strides to only feature this type of content on the first page of results of any search query.
Adapt your written content
When you write content, try not to just use one phrase or term, and instead use variations of that word, or synonyms. The new Hummingbird update will focus on the overall meaning of any online content, rather than relying on a specific keyword of phrase. Google can now show search results based on its understanding of what the user is looking for rather, than the keyword or phrase that was in-putted into the search box. Let’s use an example. If a web user was looking for a chess event in Boston, but didn’t include the keyword “event” in their search, Google will understand exactly what the searcher is looking for and will display these amongst its search results. Structured data is more important than ever after this latest update, and website owners are encouraged to make use of this. There are different type of structured data, including books, reviews, songs, videos, and more.
The future of Google’s algorithm data
Experts predict that Google has a number of other changes up its sleeve which affect its algorithm rankings. Therefore, it is imperative that web marketers take notice of these new changes and update or adapt their websites or blogs accordingly. The changes could have a detrimental effect on those who have always relied on a healthy ranking on Google. The new update will cover around 90% of all search queries around the world, meaning that it will have a profound effect on those who rely on search engine optimization to increase online traffic and boost business. Content producers will have to make sure that all written content is as informative as possible, as well as featuring keywords and phrases which are well within context.
