What is the Google algorithm and how it works
Google Hummingbird is an algorithm, released on August 30th 2013
on the occasion of the celebration of the fifteenth birthday of the homonymous company and operational from 26 September of the same year. Google’s new algorithm still affects about 90% of the results in the SERP, so about 3.15 billion searches every day.
The name “Google Hummingbird” was chosen because just like the “Hummingbird”, this algorithm is fast and accurate.
Here’s how Google defines the word “Algorithm”
“You want an answer, not billions of web pages. Algorithms are computer programs that search for clues to give you back exactly what you want. “
In the meantime… ..how the GOOGLE search engine and its algorithm work
Google’s search is done billions of times a day in the blink of an eye. Having your own site internet on the first page and in the top positions of Google SERP is by now, objective of those who want to do business. The journey of a search term begins even before typing, with the crawling and indexing of the Web on which millions of millions of documents are available, that’s why it is important to have your FIRST site on GOOGLE.
The Web is like a constantly expanding public library with billions of books and without centralized management. Basically Google collects the pages during the crawling process, after which it creates an index to know exactly how to search for information. Similarly to the index at the bottom of the books, Google’s index includes information about words and their positions. When you perform a search, our algorithms, to put it in a very basic way, search the search terms in the index to find the appropriate pages.
From this moment the research process becomes much more complex. If you are looking for the word “dogs” you certainly do not care to find a page containing the word “dogs” hundreds of times. You may want to find pictures, videos or a list of breeds. Google’s indexing systems detect many different aspects of the pages, for example the publication date, whether or not they contain photos and videos and many other factors. With the Knowledge Graph, Google continues to go beyond matching keywords to better understand the people, places and topics that interest you.
All the power of Google comes from the following mathematical formula:
This is the reduced version of the formula and, in essence, it shows how some of the things that changed humanity were born from a few symbols.
Google ‘s algorithm was mainly created on PageRank, an algorithm that analyzes the links between various sites. PageRank is based on the name of Larry Page, one of the two creators of Google. This algorithm assigns “a numerical weight to each element of a set of hypertext documents, with the aim of measuring its relative importance within the series”.
In other words, Google’s algorithm is the formula that analyzes and determines the position of a website within a search carried out on Google itself.
This PageRank process was patented (US patent 6,285,999) but Google only has exclusive license rights because the patent belongs to Stanford University.
Many people do not know that Google’s original algorithm is based on HyperSearch, a search engine created by Massimo Marchiori, an Italian computer scientist who has made important contributions to the development of the World Wide Web.
In fact, in HyperSearch the results were based not only on the individual positioning of the pages, but also on the relationship between the individual pages and the rest of the web.
Over time, Google ‘s algorithm has become much more sophisticated and the most recent versions remain top secret. Google ‘s latest algorithm must evaluate many new factors that were not present many years ago. For example, social networks, spam, duplication of content and exponential growth of websites.
Know the Google algorithm mean understanding exactly how much weight Google attributes to each element of a site to determine its ranking within the searches carried out by users.
For this reason , Google ‘s algorithm will always remain very secret and the only way to deepen the knowledge of how Goggle positions websites within the searches carried out by users is to use the experience and knowledge accumulated in the SEO sector. . It is also essential to continue monitoring the evolution of Google and its algorithm to stay updated on the changes to be made on your SEO strategies.
Google’s Hummingbird Algorithm Features
In a nutshell, Google Hummingbird seems to live up to its name. It is fast and light enough for smartphones and tablets. It is difficult to summarize the update in a few words.
Unlike the January 23rd that involved the redesign of Google images, Google Hummingbird will focus primarily on content in terms of quality, in order to always guarantee an excellent user experience. These are the company’s efforts to create a research product that meets the needs of a changing class of consumers. The following updates are among the most significant changes associated with this new search algorithm:
- It is mobile-friendly
Google is well aware of the fact that “mobile” search queries will soon surpass searches made on personal computers, and that voice recognition is increasing rapidly. That’s why Google focuses heavily on the mobile app, and why Google Hummingbird represents a step towards the future in which to answer questions through a search engine simply by picking up the phone and talking.
- It is Question-Oriented
In most cases, consumers use less mobile search to find definitions and more to answer questions focused on simple and immediate answers, such as “Where is the best coffee in New York? ”The goal of Google Hummingbird is to provide the best possible answers to these questions.
- It’s Semantic
Remember the early days of search engines, or the last time you tried to search for something in a basic catalog in the library? An exact match was retrieved for your search, even if you accidentally made a typo. Google is “smart” and understanding the context of typed queries, this new search algorithm is a significant step towards semantic search. As Matt Cutts points out, Google Hummingbirds and other algorithms of the future “things, not strings.”
Google Hummingbird aims to provide search answers that are accurate enough for mobile users to always count on an excellent result. This is Hummingbird. Process search history, location data, social media, and other factors taken into consideration to try to better determine the answer you want.
- Information Ownership Matters
One of the most specific changes observed so far with Google Hummingbird is the focus on providing the most accurate answer possible, from the original source. A specific example shared by the search engine following the launch of the indicated algorithm is that the first result for queries for “calories per slice of pizza hut” is now linked to the official Pizza Hut page. , where previously the query directed you to an independent nutrition site.
- It’s More Conceptual
Until a few years ago, it would have been inconceivable to use Google to answer a complex and abstract question such as “Tell me about modern art” . Google Hummingbird is one step away from being able to deal with abstract queries and understand the context of the questions. Will he ever be able to recover concrete and perfect answers to theoretical questions? No, but the search algorithm is certainly an attempt to move in a direction that is less “database” and more ” conversation” like an incredibly intelligent human being.
What impact will Google’s algorithm have on SEO marketing content
Few things are certain in the world of inbound marketing, but one thing is clear: every time there is an important update for the Google search algorithm, SEO professionals strive to understand it thoroughly. Surprisingly, there have been relatively few negative reactions to the most recent change, and major research publications have declared the update a positive move for companies of all sizes.
– Will my website traffic decrease by updating the Google algorithm?
– How should I adapt my SEO and Marketing strategy?
The short answer is, there is probably no need to do much of anything. There have been no changes to Google’s official quality guidelines since the release of the search algorithm, continuing to focus on: originality, quality, and delivering value. However, if you’ve been engaged in keyword stuffing, cloaking, or buying links, there’s a good chance you’ll be penalized by Google Hummingbird.
It seems entirely possible that as semantic search continues to rise, SEO best practices will continue to evolve. Like the search engine, Google’s algorithm will continue to improve the ability to gather the broader context on search queries, the need to use the exact keywords in the title, tags in images, meta description etc will probably disappear.
Was your website affected by the Google Hummingbird Update algorithm?
What changes have you noticed with this new Google algorithm?
