To mark the special occasion of Google’s 15th anniversary, the company has produced a whole new algorithm for the first time.
Previous algorithms, such as penguin, have seen adjustments made, however, this is the first time that a whole new algorithm has been put in place.
From the user’s end perspective, the main alteration will be the language that one uses to search.Hummingbird will make it easier to search more conversational sentences. Instead of just picking up on words, the algorithm will pick out popular phrases which people use in everyday conversations. Search terms such as:
“Show me pictures of the tower of London” will now respond with better matches, recognising that the sentence was structured as a request.
The main reason for Google switching to a more conversational style of request is due to recent advances in voice technology. Siri on the iPhone was a major revolution in voice technology and Google do not want to get left behind by being bound to keyboard searches while fumbling over the voice commands. An algorithm which notices a conversational way of speaking and writing looks to be in keeping with the future of mobile technology.
Voice technology will be the future of search engines, both at home and on mobile devices, and Google is planning on perfecting this approach as soon as possible.
This is an exciting time for SEO as the focus of the field is moving towards true customer satisfaction. The term SEO used to be associated with tricking the Google algorithm, for example through back link exchanges. Now the focus is on providing a service for the user.
The question an SEO expert would ask themselves used to be: ‘How do I appeal to the algorithm so that I can climb the rankings?’
Where as the new hummingbird algorithm forces every SEO expert to ask: ‘How do I best answer this query for the user?’
The new Google hummingbird algorithm will be a revolution in website quality and every SEO expert who takes pride in their work will relish the challenge of bringing businesses and their customers even closer together.