Hummingbird ~ The Google Semantic Strategy that will change the way you search
- HummingBird Changes Google Search Engines into Google Answer Engines
Something big has happened this last week of September it’s called Hummingbird and it’s all about how Google answers your queries and what website answer returns in your screen. Google had its 15 birthday and they have given the world and the SEO community the Hummingbird algorithm.
What’s the Big Deal?
Estimates are that 90 percent of google searches are affected. What is most apparent today to the search user is a subtle visual change. Google has started encrypting all searches in the coming months all searches will be encrypted. Notice when you now search on google the return URL at the top starts with https://www.google.com/search?q=google+hummingbird
This is great for users concerned with privacy issues. For the SEO community using a thousand different tools to identify the sweet spot of searches it changes most everything and every tool they (SEO Professionals) use. Before Hummingbird SEO Focus was for keywords and link strategies that focused mass execution and data mining to achieve first page placement on a Google search. Many SEO products used Googles open structure to identify keywords and keyword combination searches. Including finding competition uses and overall searches on keywords. Last month (August 2013) this Data would show up in some very clever programs built by SEO companies used to drill down keywords to purchase or use to get your company on the first page of Google searches.
Try the google search … “hummingbird, SEO, keyword search, not provided, semantic” and you will see a huge result of key SEO companies and chatter.
Today most SEO programs will render keyword data as not provided.
Google has not abandoned keywords. Google makes its revenue on Adwords and selling auctioning keywords & key word phrases . What has gone away are the wonderful SEO independent tools that displayed a wealth of data or that you could hitre to find all the data including your competitions keyword data as reference for keywords in whole as to your SEO strategy. This lost information or more properly the google return of the words (not provided) has the SEO community scrambling for what is next.
Semantic Searching … Part of Hummingbirds algorithm’s goal is a one click user experience in defining “the intention of the user” Google search is trying to project the quality of the answer with the semantics and knowledge of the user query
The Google search engine is now logically trying to understand the meaning of the keyword search or the semantics of the question. In doing so they need to drill down with semantics on the keyword. Hummingbird algorithms return the best possible answer based on the users profile and semantics plus about 200 other items in what google feels the answer is in the quality of the content sitting at the other end or the answer and it (the answer) is in a single click.
The smart phone experience and answer does not have the same lengthy page result. Google Hummingbird has shortened the response to a smaller screen and Hummingbird is part of this intelligent quality semantic response.
Hummingbird is a huge advantage for Small Businesses
In the short term I wonder what % growth happens at Microsoft Bing and a move to Bing with the SEO community as they move a very good current working model of how they operate to Bing who utilizes a platform similar to pre Google Hummingbird.
In the long term google search and the SEO strategy just got a lot more personal. Sentence Semantics, Location, Content and the drive for one click answers = quality search or trusted search favorite. Google knows quality mobile, first time answer(s) on a small screen (this is how google makes it’s money) is where it’s at. I think quickly to my raised voice sessions with Siri.
Google wants a more detail oriented result to your keyword search based on sentence structure and trying to understand what you are looking for and displaying the answer result. The mobile search result is different on a screen in Denver as it would be in Dallas .
Mobile Web Smart Phone Searches Mean Voice Semantics
The mobile web, smart phones, semantics are driving hummingbird and the search/answer change
Search and the quest for answers on mobile devices are growing by leaps and bounds,and Google knows this by their analytics and data. Last month we (the SEO community) told you the mobile strategy on keywords was to use short tail keywords ( Short tail = small, quick type keyword searches you would do on your smart phone keypad).
Short tail keywords are not the solution to a robust search on mobile it was pre hummingbird SEO solution. Hummingbird is a deep and strategic move by google into voice recognition. It changes short tail strategies on everything mobile and google glass. We return to longtail logic with voice and smart phones. The key is input and processing as the new smartphones have processing power and the a very good working microphone that 90% of the working desktops do not have, or they do not work. Apples Siri or Google Voice is the future of search and how you interact with the input device voice wins in getting a deep quick always close answer.
Google Hummingbird is a deep algorithm that takes a huge step into the voice/mobile/search strategy. Googles vision is they want your answer to be the trustworthy answer based on semantics location and context at the other end the Hummingbird SEO Keyword strategy .
It’s about voice semantics
Try the following voice Semantic search examples . our keywords are the word Weather ~ Whether
Ask your phone the following 6 questions on Siri or using the Google search voice app:
- Weather?
- What is the weather?
- What is the weather this week
- What is the weather this week in Denver
- What is the weather like in October in Denver
- Whether I should go to Denver
All return different examples and Google wants the return as an trusted answer.
Google is scrubbing the web for quality content no site goes unturned matching keywords and semantics into the answer.
Hummingbird changes all SEO strategy. A good change and it does not focus on solely on most popular or money. It is content quality of keywords and the understanding of your customers questioning search semantics. Knowing your business and nailing down the keywords and the context of the semantics your customer uses is Hummingbird SEO.
What to do? How to take advantage of Google’s Hummingbird to grow your business?
- Grow your local business and Web presence
- Know this is a huge localized SEO strategy and you can compete and win against the “big guys” with a working plan.
- Add Mobile Web to your business strategy and your customers search options yesterday.
- Add Social media and reputation management to your website and business plan and train every employee how to ask for digital references.
- Stay on top of your content (it’s live)! Know what people are looking for and publish it on your web page modify and change it regularly.
- Think in term of context and Semantic Searches and answers – Ask your customer how they find you on the web.
- Ask your customers for reviews and placement socially ~ make this part of your daily digital marketing strategy (find a way).
- If you can not do this, do not have the time, or feel uncomfortable doing this add someone to your team who can!
