What is the Google Hummingbird Algorithm?
There was a time when Google could easily be fooled! How? With spam links and low-quality content stuffed with keywords. In fact, Google used to prioritize content that had lots of keywords and links. You could write your keyword 40 times in a 20-line text to make Google show your website in the top search results.
But what happened then? Those who were producing good and useful content weren’t getting the recognition they deserved, and their content and websites were not being seen. That’s when Google decided to launch new algorithms to combat spam websites.
The first algorithm created by Google was the Panda algorithm. This algorithm checks if your text contains copied or low-quality content and penalizes your website if it does. The next was the Penguin algorithm, which targets websites using spammy link-building techniques.
In September 2013, Google announced the launch of a brand-new algorithm called the Google Hummingbird algorithm. In this article, we’ll examine this algorithm together.
Was Google search always this good at understanding meaning?
No! Before the Hummingbird algorithm, Google couldn’t understand the meaning we were looking for so quickly and accurately. This algorithm made a major shift towards semantic search. Google greatly improved its understanding of the questions users are searching for, thus better grasping user intent.
Google considers this algorithm its biggest advancement since 2001. But how exactly does the Hummingbird algorithm work?
How the Google Hummingbird Algorithm Works?
The advancements of the Hummingbird algorithm in text search and conversation, both of which are strongly related to semantics and the relationships between words, are quite impressive. With this algorithm, Google astonishingly returns results that match the user’s intent in text searches. Now, search results are not limited to the exact words but include the meaning of words and their synonyms.
Why It’s Named the Hummingbird Algorithm?
Have you ever seen hummingbird footage on TV? This bird flies so fast that you can’t see the movement of its wings.
Google chose this name for its new algorithm for precisely this reason. The Hummingbird algorithm quickly and efficiently examines keywords and content, recognizing their synonyms as well. Besides showing you the closest results, it also penalizes content that overuses keywords.
What is the purpose of the Google Hummingbird algorithm?
Unlike the Panda and Penguin algorithms, the Google Hummingbird algorithm is not a penalty-based algorithm that aims to remove low-quality content from search engine results pages. Instead, it changes how Google responds to different types of data. This algorithm is a new way to understand the real meaning of a text or question during a search, not just a specific keyword. The use of keyword synonyms is optimized with Hummingbird. Instead of listing results with exact phrases or keywords, Google can now show more results related to our topic.
With the Hummingbird algorithm, Google quickly understands the purpose of the search to determine exactly what the user is trying to discover. This is what we refer to as semantic search. The goal of the algorithm is to show users the closest results so they can reach their goal in the shortest amount of time. Thus, Hummingbird was created to determine the most appropriate and high-quality pages that meet searchers’ needs.
Additionally, with this algorithm, Google can infer and interpret text to obtain significant results. Even if we search for ambiguous keywords, Google can still show us the desired result. The Hummingbird algorithm, with the help of Google’s Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search, makes searching easier for us.
Google Knowledge Graph
Nowadays, when you search for something on Google, you’re not just looking for a specific result; you’re looking for a purpose. The Google Knowledge Graph, which started in 2012, helps people obtain the most accurate and relevant results in the shortest amount of time. Google can gather this information from across the internet using the Knowledge Graph.
You might have noticed that when you search for a movie name, detailed information about the movie, a list of all its actors, and much more is shown on the right side of the Google results page. But how does Google know how to bring you closer to your goal? This is where semantic search comes into play.
Semantic Search
In semantic search, Google no longer focuses solely on keywords but uses the meaning and context of words to deliver the desired results to users.
For example, it can store your browser history and, by accessing information related to previous searches, your location, and more, show you the result you’re looking for. If you travel to Bushehr and type “seafood restaurants” in Google, it will show you restaurants located in coastal cities. Now, try the same search in non-coastal cities, and you’ll see a list of available seafood restaurants in those cities.
Similarly, if you frequently search for SEO-related topics in your browser, you’ll notice that Google suggests related content in future searches. This is achieved through semantic search.
Improving SEO with the Hummingbird Algorithm
The most important impact of the Google Hummingbird algorithm update on SEO was reducing the focus on keywords. It no longer matters if the words you use in your content are directly and exactly related to what the user is searching for.
When the Hummingbird algorithm was first introduced, some believed it meant the end of keywords. However, the reality is that only their importance has changed. Now, instead of writing content for specific keywords, you need to create content that addresses that particular topic. But how can we improve our website’s SEO with the Hummingbird algorithm? Here are some effective methods:
Use Diverse Keywords and Descriptive Phrases
The era of stuffing your text with a single keyword is over. Now it’s time to use primary keywords, secondary keywords, and descriptive phrases in your content.
Use Schema
Let’s first see what schema is. We mentioned earlier that when you search for a word, such as the name of a movie, detailed information appears on the right side of your browser, collected from various websites like Wikipedia and IMDB.
This is shown to the user with the help of Google’s Knowledge Graph and using schema.
You can use schema in your website’s code. This helps Google understand what your website is about. You can visit schema.org right now and familiarize yourself with various schema codes.
Increase User Time on Website by Reducing Bounce Rate
A high bounce rate means users are leaving your website very quickly. To reduce this time, you can use the following methods:
- Optimize your website’s page load time.
- Make your website layout user-centric so your content is easily accessible to users.
- Reduce the ads displayed on the sides of your website as much as possible.
- Ensure users can easily search within your website, so take this point seriously.
- Prioritize mobile devices and optimize your website for mobile use. Nowadays, most people browse the internet via mobile phones.
- Use short paragraphs and ensure your content is readable.
- Use relevant keywords.
- Have convincing CTAs (Calls to Action).
- Avoid pop-ups as much as possible. No user likes pop-ups.
- Make sure to open internal links in a new page.
By using these methods, you can significantly reduce your website’s bounce rate.
Optimize Anchor Texts
Anchor texts are the blue links within a text that guide you to internal or external pages of a website when clicked. Anchor texts should be chosen in a way that aligns with your website’s overall content. For example, if your website is about medicine and health, the anchor texts within the content should also relate to this topic. To optimize anchor texts, you can create a list of your website’s internal links and external backlinks, review these links to see if they are suitable for the target page, and make sure to use keywords in your anchor texts.
Use Images and Videos
Long and detailed articles are a great way to explain complex topics and introduce them to people seeking information about that subject. However, sometimes people don’t have the patience to read long texts. This is where visual content like images and videos come to your aid. Infographics, videos, and even simple visual elements like charts and regular photos can add the needed spice to your content.
Hummingbird: The Future of Internet Search
Google is continuously updating and becoming more intelligent each day, and it does this with the help of the two wings of the Hummingbird algorithm: the Knowledge Graph and Semantic Search. In recent years, Google has focused on understanding user behavior and experiences, creating a revolution in how search results are determined with the help of Hummingbird and the RankBrain algorithm. RankBrain is one of Google’s latest solutions for better processing data and displaying the best results and rankings. In reality, RankBrain was an auxiliary algorithm to the Hummingbird algorithm, designed based on artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.
