Google's Algorithm: Is There Life After Hummingbird?

Chances are, you've heard a lot of rumbling about Hummingbird. When Google initially announced their new search algorithm, many questions were raised. When did the changes occur? What will this mean for SEO? Will web pages start to lose traffic? Before you go into full-blown panic mode, take a deep breath. Here is some good news: there is still life after Hummingbird.

So, what exactly is Hummingbird, and how does it differ from Panda, Penguin and all the rest? While simply put, Panda and Penguin were updates to an old search algorithm. Hummingbird is actually a new algorithm altogether. Google took both new and old elements and put them into this updated system. It is thought to return better and more relevant searches. How? It takes conversational searches into account. For instance, instead of simply searching for word matches, it considers the entire search phrase. That's right - it actually looks at the meaning of the search itself. One example? If you wanted to know the best place to buy a laptop battery in your area, it won't just search for ‘buy' and ‘laptop battery.' It will consider actual stores in your area as well. The hope is that this new algorithm will give users more of what they want - and help to filter out more of those useless answer site results.

It is clear that Hummingbird is making some serious changes to Google search results.... but what does this mean for SEO? From the start, the biggest concern about the algorithm was how it would impact businesses using search engine optimization techniques to improve page rank or web traffic. If you're worrying, you don't have to. According to Google, nothing is different about the way SEO will work with Hummingbird as compared to the old search algorithm. Hummingbird will simply allow the information already out there to be processed more effectively. They stressed that continuing to focus on high-quality and original content was the best way to be boost your page rank.

Change it never easy to deal with, especially when there are so many unknown factors. The reality is that anytime that Google makes changes to their search engine, it is a cause for concern. So much time and energy is devoted to content strategy and SEO. So, the last thing you want is to lose the results of all of that hard work! When it comes to Hummingbird, though, there seems to be nothing to fear. Still sceptical? Consider this: Google didn't actually announce the change until a month after the new algorithm was put to use. That means if your website didn't lose traffic initially and your page is still easily found during web searches, you don't have anything to worry about moving forward.

Hummingbird certainly caused a lot of commotion. However, the actual results won't affect the large majority of web pages. That means that SEO strategies continue to be an important way to improve your online visibility. Instead, of stressing out about Google's new search algorithm, it may be time to take your web page to the next level.

Are you concerned about Hummingbird affecting SEO? Then Contact Us at: 647-477-2992. At CMS Buffet, we understand how to improve the visibility of your online business.