What is Hummingbird Algorithm?

Hummingbird is one of the most comprehensive algorithms of its time that Google made for convey better results to users. With this algorithm; the meaning which underlies the query and pages with geniune content that satisfies the user have become important for Google, rather than a key word or a query. 

In addition to geniune content, voice searchs and mobile queries have become more meaningful with Hummingbird. To sum up the goal that Google wants to achieve with the Hummingbird Algorithm, is to understand the underlying meaning of a query and list results accordingly.

Example: when the “Kastamonu Private Dental Hospitals” query is searched, Google’s aim is to understand that the user wants to find private dental hospitals in Kastamonu and to list them.

But as you see in the Picture,  even if it constantly being updated, it doesn’t work fully optimized still.

The point which Hummingbird Algorithm works most optimized for such queries and which we see it’s effect most directly is the listing of companies registered with Google Business.

So, this means that an important factor which distinguishes the Hummingbird Algorithm from others is it’s effect on local SEO. We can see this effect more clearly in voice searches and long tail keywords.

HUMMINGBIRD AND VOICE SEARCH

Voice calls have become more important with the Google Hummingbird Algorithm, making sense of long-tail keywords and determining the ranking in the SERP accordingly. Users usually tell what they want in the voice calls and expect a direct result, which exactly Hummingbird Algorithm’s service. Altough the Hummingbird is currently succesfull at local searches and Google Business, it will work better with the updates which will be made over time.

GOOGLE HUMMINGBIRD AND SEMANTIC SEARCH

Another matter that gained meaning with Hummingbird is semantic search. With this algorithm, Google tries to get the meaning that underlying the query and the most geniune content rather than word-focused results.

EFFECTS OF HUMMINGBIRD ALGORITHM

The effect of the Hummingbird is to make the users who don’t do SEO naturally , like in every algorithm and Google update,  lose ranking and accordingly traffic. The sites which lose the most traffic are those that use encyclopedic info (copying from sites like wikipedia)

To find out why you lost ranking in the Hummingbird, you should first review the scope of your content, how plain and clear it describes the topic, whether your page is user-friendly and how well Google search bots understand your page.

CONSIDERATIONS AFTER HUMMINGBIRD ALGORITHM

Thing which should be considered in the Hummingbird Algorithm is actually what should be considered in semantic SEO. Consequently, a user-friendly site and the content created for the user is the method that should be applied for all algorithms.

THINGS TO CONSIDER IN ORDER NOT TO BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY THE HUMMINGBIRD ARE:

• The website must be user-focused
• The users that enter the site should be interactive. A comment section can be added to the site to enable this. (you can add question-answer sections)
• When making contents, site should focus on meaning rather than words
• The contents should be geniune
• The contents should be written plain and clearly.
• The site should be organised in a way that HTML search bots can understand best.
• Backlink should be involved into the content naturally
• Social media sharing buttons should be used
• Paragraphs shouldn’t be long in order to make the content user-friendly.
• Chart and lists should be used in order to make the content user-friendly.
• Keywords which will be useful for long-tailed keywords and local SEO should be chosen considering algorithm.

WHEN DID THE HUMMINGBIRD ALGORITHM WAS ANNOUNCED?

Hummingbird Algorithm was announced on August 20th,2013 but it’s an algorithm which keeps being updated constantly.