Understanding Google’s new Hummingbird Search Algorithm

Yesterday, at Google’s 15th-anniversary celebration, they announced that it had changed its algorithm once again. Many people may wonder what this means for their SEO campaign and the future of search?. So we here at Nvision thought it would be a great time to address some of these questions.

What is “Hummingbird”?

Hummingbird is a rebuild of their previous algorithm that Google implemented in August; this means that if you have not noticed a change in your rankings or organic traffic in that time then this update has not, yet, affected you.

Why “Hummingbird”?

Google has had quite a recent history of naming things after animals and that continues. However, this time Google did not choose the animal arbitrarily, the hummingbird was chosen because it represents the “fast and precise” nature of the updated algorithm. With this new algorithm, Google has expressed that they are looking to focus more on what is referred to as “Conversational Search.”

What is “Conversational Search”?

Earlier this year, Google announced that it had begun integrating conversational search into their Chrome browser. The idea behind this is to be able to use search in the same way you would speak to your friend. For instance, with conversational search, you would be able to ask Google “how far is the closest Apple store from where I am?”

As you can see Google has taken my current location. Then mapped for me the way to get to the closest Apple store.  These kinds of queries are the future of Google search. This is why building a strong brand, through social media, and having offices. Or at the very least mentions of various locations you serve. Are becoming increasingly important to Google and are strong factors in rankings.

Google performs hundreds of updates to their algorithm every year. However, this is the first time in many years that they have done a full overhaul of the whole algorithm. Keeping up with the algorithm and developing strategies to ensure your site can be found when your customer’s search is the purpose of an SEO. If your business needs a helping hand dealing with Google, be sure to get in touch with us.