Google hummingbird algorithm for your business and marketing strategy

With the wide array of intelligent changes that Panda and Penguin have brought to the table, it was merely a matter of time before Google’s developers found a way to “smarten” search engines, further helping business and marketing strategy.  Enter Hummingbird!   The latest Google update allows search engines to assess the context of a query (as opposed to seeing the words within the query as separate entities).

What is Hummingbird?

Hummingbird is an entirely new algorithm developed by Google geared to approach search engine queries with the speed and accuracy of…well, a hummingbird.  The goal is to provide results that actually answer the question correctly the first time. 

What Does this Mean for Business and Marketing Strategy?

From a business and marketing strategy standpoint, you really won’t need to change much. Legitimate back links that are earned using proper SEO strategy are still important, as are careful placement of keywords and engaging content. Long-tailed keywords, however, will become more important than they have in the past.  *(A long tail keyword is typically a more specific, lengthy query that often utilizes more of a sentence structure).

Although Google’s new algorithm will understand these searches as questions, as a marketer, you can help it along by creating targeted blog posts and custom content to improve ranking.  The good news is it’s much easier to rank highly for a long tail keyword such as “dog toys without squeakers” than the more general keyword “dog toys.”

Bottom Line

Ultimately, what is going to meaningfully change is the way Google’s new algorithm interprets the way we search.  The goal is that pages matching the reason for the search will do better than pages matching just a few words.  Google stated that Hummingbird is paying more attention to each word in a query, ensuring that the whole sentence or meaning of the conversation is taken into account, rather than just certain words.

More Hummingbird FAQ’s

To read more about Hummingbird, how it can affect your business and marketing strategy, and FAQ’s including:

 – How Can You Take Advantage of Hummingbird?

–  Hummingbird Do’s and Dont’s

– Optimizing for the Hummingbird

–  A Brand New Way to Look at Key Word Optimization

please see Asher Elran’s comprehensive article titled “Should You Change Your SEO Strategy Because of Google Hummingbird?“: