Last month, Google announced its “largest upgrade to its search algorithm since 2001”, which has been dubbed Hummingbird. As you might guess, many businesses were concerned about this update, wondering how it would affect their current SEO efforts, and what they would need to change in order to stay relevant in Google search results.
What is Hummingbird?
Google says that the Hummingbird update will not have an effect on current SEO efforts. Original, high quality content is still king, and relevant links are still important. The Hummingbird change adds new dimensions to the algorithm, concentrating on what Google refers to as “conversational search”. This type of search is generally used with mobile devices and voice search queries – for example, someone may use their iPhone to ask Siri “Where is the closest Italian restaurant?” Before, Google might have only zoned in on the term “Italian restaurant”. The Hummingbird update allows Google to better understand the question, considering where you are located (if you have shared your location with Google) and what your search query is while crawling the web for answers.
How can you take advantage of the Hummingbird update?
Focusing on specific questions your customer base has may be the key. For example, you may want to use your blog to cater to the most frequently asked questions your customers have, as well as their interests. By doing this, you are showing Google that you can answer their questions directly and easily, and you are also including new, fresh content for Google to crawl.
If you need help writing the blog posts, or developing a strategy to incorporate the Hummingbird update into your current SEO practices, contact the marketing professionals at Sales & Marketing Technologies today.