How to Fly With Google Hummingbird in 2014

Ever since Google introduced the Hummingbird algorithm in September 2013, the definition of search has changed forever. Because Google enjoys a considerably high share of search traffic, it is only obvious that any change it brings about will be conspicuous to everyone. This time, the change is rather huge and it aims at changing the searching experience forever.

What’s different now?

Till now, searches were very keyword focused. Short-tailed and to-the-point searches were supposed to be better and expected to return better results. Google, however, has rubbished all such claims with its latest algorithm. It aims at making searches more conversational rather than robotic. This way, searching will seem like just another conversation and will return better results. The reason behind this is quite justified, actually. If people type in the name of a technology or a product, then three things will rank under the same website –

• the one who manufactures the product,
•  the one who provides services related to the product,
• and the one who offers guidance or knowledge regarding the product.

This leaves the user with lesser relevant result. This means that the searches will now be more long-tailed and the results will be more specific and relevant. This will also wipe off unfair competition by the big fish.

How to keep flying with the Hummingbird?

To keep pace with the change, the content of a website needs to change accordingly. Now that the searches will be more conversational rather than keyword-specific, paying attention on stuffing in keywords here and there has been rendered useless. The whole sentence along with the keywords should make grammatical sense. Google’s emphasis on good, fresh and informative content has been reiterated with the introduction of this algorithm and so has the overall user-friendliness or usability of the website. The whole SEO process does not change, though. It is still down to good content and good link building. However, a few things have certainly gained tremendously more importance. Keep in mind the following things when optimizing your website for Google: