Google Hummingbird and Semantic Search
On its 15th birthday Google announced the launch of a new algorithm called "Hummingbird".
Hummingbird, unlike Panda or Penguin, is not an update of the previous algorithm (Caffeine), but a totally new algorithm.
The new algorithm is designed to be fast and accurate, focusing on the user's search intent.
This is a big step in expanding Google's semantic capabilities and the ability to interpret complex searches, analyzing the meaning and intent of a phrase rather than individual words.
By understanding the user's intent, it is easier to display the pages that best respond to their search need, rather than displaying the pages that best match the individual words used by the user.
How will this affect SEO work?
Currently, SEO is very focused on working on keywords by which it is sought to position a certain website, however this new algorithm directs SEO towards an approach less focused on keywords and more focused on providing answers to the needs of the user.
1) Content strategy: The content strategy should be much more focused on generating quality, useful and relevant content for users.
Although this is currently the purpose of any content strategy, the keywords that we use in the content is still a very important factor to take into account.
With Hummingbird the idea will be to give less importance to the specific keywords used in the content and much more importance to the relevance and real usefulness that users can find in said content.
2) Share the content: The interaction that users make with our content will increasingly be a much more important factor in determining the quality of the content. Therefore, we must seek to generate contacts with influencers who can share and promote our content on the web.
3) Link Building: Low-quality Link Building will be even less relevant, since by not looking for positions for specific keywords, factors such as the "anchor text" of links will go down in history.
What can we do in the face of new search challenges? semantics?
Trond Lyngbø wrote an article on SEOnomics which summarizes very well how companies must adapt to semantic search to continue generating organic traffic.
This article is from December 2012, but the SEO advice given in it is even more relevant today after the announcement of the new algorithm.
1) Businesses must learn to adapt to semantic search.
2) A business must seek to position itself as the benchmark in providing answers to user inquiries.
3) Identify the main problems and needs of the users of our service or product. Provide solutions and answers. Information from search queries should be used to help determine user needs.
Basically the SEO work will change to focus more on providing solutions to the users behind the search queries and not on the positioning for certain search terms as a purpose.
This new algorithm seeks to eliminate less relevant results and content created solely to position itself without adding additional value for users.
