SEMINAR CONTENT PRESENTATION

Topic-Google Humming Bird Search Algorithm

Abstract
Since its launch, Google has always strived to provide the most relevant search results possible
for its users, at the end of September,2013 as part of its 15th anniversary celebrations, Google
announced the introduction of Hummingbird, a new algorithm that allows the search engine to
process and sort its index more efficiently. With this new algorithm, Google is better able to
understand the meaning of a phrase and return more precise results to complex search queries.
The update is another major step towards connecting users to the information and content they
are looking for, more efficiently than ever. These changes provide brands with an opportunity to
become more relevant and useful to consumers by expanding their content strategy to include
more informational content on their site.
The new algorithm, named Hummingbird because it is fast and
precise, is the most comprehensive algorithm change Google has made since 2001 according to
the Google experts. By releasing an algorithm that revolves around the natural, conversational
search characteristics of its users, Google will ultimately drive brands to develop better content
for its users.

CONTENTS
1. A Brief History Of Google Search Evolution
1.1.
A Pictorial Representation of Google Evolution
2. What is Google HUMMING BIRD SEARCH algorithm
3. What are the changes
3.1.
How Does this Help Google
3.2.
Humming Bird and Voice Powered Searches
4. What It Means For Brands
5. SEO and Google Humming Bird Algorithm
5.1.
10 Steps to Targeting Your Optimization to Googles New Hummingbird
Algorithm
6. Google Humming Bird and Organic Rankings
7. Optimize for Mobile devices

A Brief History Of Google Search Evolutions

Over the years, Google had made thousands of changes to the way it finds and prioritizes
information on the web.
While most of these changes have been small, there have also been several major changes, which
have significantly impacted how marketers think about SEO.
February 2003Boston: More emphasis on quality back links.
March 2003Cassandra: Cracking down on linking from co-owned domain, hidden text &
link.
May 2003Dominic: Improvements to the counting & reporting of backlink
July 2003Esmerelda& Fritz: Improvements to the index infrastructure.
November 2003Florida: Crackdown on, key-word-stuffing & other black stack seo tatistics
January 2004 Austin: Crackdown on invisible text, meta tag-stuffing.
February 2004 Brandy: Index expansion, roll out of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI).
February 2005 Allegra: Crackdown on suspicious-looking links
May 2005Bourbon: Improvements to how duplicate content & non-canonical URL are
treated.
June 2005 Personalized Search: Results take users search history into account.
October 2005 Jagger: Crackdown on reciprocal link, link farms, paid links.

October 2005Google Local: Map data is integrated with Local Business Center (LBC) data.
December 2005Big Daddy: Update to URL canonicalization, redirects, & other technical
issues.
November 2006 Supplemental update: Changes to the supplemental index & filtered Pages
May 2007 Universal Search: Integration of traditional results with News, Video, Images,
Local, etc.
June 2007 Buffy: Update to single word search results & other small changes.
April 2008 Dewey: Unspecified update to the search index.
February 2009 Vince: Big Brand get a boost in search results.
December 2009 Real time search: Twitter feeds, Google News, & now content are
integrated into real-time feed.
April 2010 Google Places: LBC rebranded Places, is integrated more closely with local
search results.
May 2010 May Day: Crackdown on low-quality pages ranking for long-tail keyword
searches.
June 2010 Caffeine: Launch of the new web indexing system, resulting in 50% fresher index.
February 2011Panda: Crackdown on thin content, content farms, sites with high ad-to-content
ratio.
November 2011 Freshness Update: Greater emphasis put on recent content in search results.
January 2012Search* Your World: Google+ data & user profile included in search results.
February 2012Venice: More localized results appear for broad queries.
April 2012 Penguin: Crackdown on link schemes, keyword-stuffing, other black hat tactics.
May 2012 Knowledge Graph: Relevant facts & images included alongside traditional results.

September 2012 Exact Match Domain: Crackdown on low-quality sites that have search
terms in their domain names.
August 2013 In-depth Articles: New type of results, dedicated to more evergreen, long-term
content.
August 2013 Hummingbird: Google recognizes full-question searches, emphasizes highquality content.
Over the past years google has been consistently bringing changes to their searching mechanism
to provide better results for the users.Its all about bringing up the most relevant and essential
information to those who need it,this evolution also represents googles forward thinking towards
the future,

A Pictorial Representation Of google Evolution

We can see the growth of Google since its birth,after 15 years of service, google simply
maintains their position as the best search engine, its because it always curious about the future
and delivering new changes to the world, In present google brought a massive change to its
searching mechanism affecting 90% of the searches worldwide, After Panda, Caffeine Googles
greatest update known as Google Humming Bird Search Algorithm

What Is Google Humming Bird Search Algorithm

Simply we can say that, Humming bird the latest update to the Google search engine
By the Update to the searching criteria, Google Hummingbird aims to better understand the
intent of the query instead of just looking at the keywords used in the query.
Many people have compared Hummingbird to previous Google updates such as Penguin and
Panda. The truth is that despite them all having animal-related names, they are very different.
Penguin and Panda are considered algorithm updates. They are bolt-ons to the old algorithm.
Hummingbird is a completely new algorithm in itself. Parts of the old algorithm, such as Penguin
and Panda, are still used in Hummingbird but the foundations have fundamentally changed.

Some other people have compared Hummingbird to Google Caffeine, an update to the indexing
infrastructure that went live mid-2010. Caffeine was also a new algorithm, but the main
difference is that Caffeine updated how Google crawled and indexed sites. Hummingbird deals
with the second part of the results, which relates to how to process and order the results once
they are in Googles index
Googles announcements surrounding the new algorithm made it quite clear that online search
keywords are going to be more conversational in nature in the future, especially as voice search
technology catches on.
Innovative and compelling content would continue to find preference with search engines. High
quality inbound links remain as important as ever. Keyword usage in moderation and its correct
placement would still be as valuable as before.

What are the changes?

So far, the effects of Hummingbirds release have been relatively inconspicuous when
considering Googles overall search experience. In fact, the Hummingbird algorithm had been
integrated into Google searches for over a month before its release announcement, yet most users
and marketers didnt recognize any changes.
However, according to Googles SVP of Search Amit Singhal, Hummingbird currently affects
90% of worldwide search on Google.
So if Hummingbird is already this ubiquitous, why didnt everyone notice its release right away?
Simply put, its because weve come to expect the best, most relevant search results from
Google.
Hummingbirds algorithm is designed to improve on Googles strong foundation by enhancing
its ability to understand the context and relationships of the words in a search query. Instead of
viewing each word in a silo like a traditional Boolean search, Hummingbird is designed to
understand the querys meaning as a whole as opposed to just matching key words.
In light of this, search results will begin to place more emphasis around the specific context of
the search and begin to infer what the user is trying to accomplish with their search.

The simplest example of this improved contextual understanding may be a query such as How
far away is Montreal. Instead of pulling search results for web pages that feature the most
matches for far, away, Montreal, etc., Hummingbird will infer through signals and data that
the user is in Toronto and is asking a question about distance and will give the following result:

Over time, these inferences should only improve and be able handle more complex queries such
as Where can I buy Campbells Chicken Soup. By combining Hummingbirds contextual
understanding and the information already acquired through Googles web crawls (store location,
hours, inventory, etc.), this new search algorithm will lead to even less barriers between a Google
search and an in-store conversion (or any other result the user desires).

How Does this Help Google?

This new algorithm Google is better able to understand the meaning of a sentence and return
results to far more complex search queries. In the past, Google analysed keywords individually
and tried to match those individual keywords to the content of the site, but as search queries
evolved, so has Google.

Information from Googles Knowledge Graph also appears more often than it did previously,
which helps Google provide answers directly in their search results. Early indicators show that
the medical-related queries appear to show Knowledge Graph info more often than others. Below
is an example of a two-word query in which an answer from the Knowledge Graph is shown at
the top of the search results

Google also claims that Hummingbird does a better job of linking users to the specific page or
answers theyre seeking. Three examples of queries they gave during the Hummingbird
announcement were:
1. Acid reflux prescription This used to list different types of drugs; now it lists treatment
options in addition to types of drugs.
2. Pay your bills through citizens bank and trust bank Previously, this would have brought up a
link to the banks homepage, but now it links directly to Citizens online banking page.
3. Pizza hut calories per slice Third party sites had been given top rankings, but now Google
links directly to the Pizza Hut page with this information.

HUMMINGBIRD AND VOICE POWERED SEARCHES

Finally it is also worth mentioning that the changes associated with the Google Hummingbird
algorithm are mostly directed to long-tail queries via voice-powered searches. With voice, search
is moving away from keywords and focusing more on the intent of queries. Users are searching
using phrases in the form of questions or requests; they are conversing with their search engines
rather stating commands as they do when they are typing searches.
Viewing each page on your site through the lens of what are the questions this page answers? is
a good exercise as you review and enhance your content that is targeted at the earlier stages of a
customers journey where they are in the information seeking phase

WHAT DOES HUMMINGBIRD MEAN FOR ON-SITE CONTENT &

BRANDS?
This update is very much targeted at answering informational search queries more efficiently.
Commercial search terms such as used cars for sale and cheap flights to New York seem to be
impacted less than navigational and informational searches.
The changes in Hummingbird provide an extra incentive for brands to expand their content
strategy and develop more informational content that is relevant and useful to your consumers.
Three things your brand can do to adapt its content strategy today:

1. Review which synonyms and related words Google believes are related to your brands core
keywords and incorporate those into your content.
2. Review internal search data to better understand what questions consumers are asking. Also,
think about the intent behind the query to ensure that your content is clearly addressing their
specific informational need, e.g. are people search for information related to a specific area or
specific life stage. This approach to your content strategy will allow for your brand to be
more visible during the research phase of your customers journey.
3. Use Google Suggest to identify queries in the form of a question. Ensure you have content that
speaks to these queries.

SEO AND Google Humming Bird Algorithm

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search
for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines are preffered by their targeted
audience.
SEO has always been a fast moving space that is constantly changing and in this too
we will all need to adapt, evolve, and move on. With this recent update, brands need to spend
time paying attention to page and content-centric SEO instead of looking at organic performance
at the keyword level. There are a host of tools outside of site analytics that allow us to monitor
various useful metrics but more importantly, also allow us to monitor performance vs. the market
which is becoming ever more important for our clients. After all, its great to be 20% up year
over year, but if you have lost market share, it means your competitors have grown more. Whilst
performance measurement will be hampered in certain areas, we feel it could improve in others.

10 Steps to Targeting Your Optimization to Googles New Hummingbird

Algorithm
According to respected industry experts, and some nebulous information from Google
themselves, we can get enough of an initial idea of how to target the changes incorporated in this
new algorithm.
People who visit your site also use the product, service or information found there and have
questions or comments about them. Therefore if you can provide those searching with the

answers, tips and information theyre seeking or provide those who are offering such tips, answer
and info a forum to provide it, youll build out your site with the right type of content which
Hummingbird eats. Google advises seos to have original, high-quality content. The difference
between such content being naturally generated and it being strategically generated for the
purposes of having such content there to result in rankings and traffic is Search Engine
Optimization. These steps were valid and vital prior to this new algorithm evidence leads us to
believe that theyre even more so now.
These are the steps to getting your site optimized for Humming Bird
1. Define what you are (or what youre optimizing for). What is it? This may seem super-obvious
but the devils in the details so it can help by sitting down and writing out a good description of
exactly what you are.
Example: Im a product. Im a noun. Im a boot. Im used for skiing. I come in
different sizes, colors and versions. I fit different skis. I dont fit snowboards. Im a new product.
I have different attributes such as flex, stiffness, etc.
2. Define your target market: Who are they, how old are they, where do they live, where do they
use this thing, when do they use this thing, etc. To get this data its good to do some searches for
statistics and demographics on your product and industry
For ski boot example we can define them thus:
a. Theyre people and include both male and female
b. They run the range in age (although this can define certain opportunities such as childrens ski
boots) however there are age groups which dominate the sport
c. They live all over the country but a great portion of them (likely the majority) live within an a
couple of hours drive from a major ski area
d. They ski at established ski areas (e.g. resorts, parks, etc) most often in mountainous areas
e. When they ski is based on certain seasonal dates however there are key dates among these. A
search for this information provided a report by the National Ski Areas Association which states:
visits were estimated to be up 2 percent in the early season; up 16 percent during the
Christmas and New Years holidays; up 7 percent during the January 7 to February 18 period; up
14 percent in the February 19 to March 24 period; and up an impressive 25 percent during the
March 26 to closing period.

This information allows one to generate content (as well as promotions) around the most popular
seasonal dates.
3. Research your thing: Hit the main websites that define your thing such as Wikipedia,
competitor websites, manufacturer websites, top magazines, etc. Find out what theyre made of,
how theyre made, what they include, what industry terms are used, how they originated, etc.
Just selling ski boots on your site doesnt mean you would normally need to know or provide this
information but if you want to create a significant amount of diverse and relevant content then it
can greatly help.
4. Build your keyword list with a variety of not only keywords but relevant questions, comments,
quotes, statements, related terms and related people, places and things. A lot of search queries are
actual questions and the mass majority of searches include proper nouns so people are interested
in the top skiers, the top ski resorts, the top brands, the top techniques, etc.
Use Search Engines to delve into information about your thing and view how people actually use
it in content. Example: Search Google for specific types of sites which offer the more
conversational side of content surrounding your thing. Use the Site operator in Google to
research (e.g. Site:blogspot.com ski boots). This searches all of the blogs on Blogspot for the
keyword ski boots. This search returned the following result at #1:

5. Increase the conversation: Content begets content so by having this quality related content
along with a mechanism for dialog (e.g. a forum) allows people to get involved. Ad a forum or
other to your site and begin populating it with topical questions. Link to your blog posts about
the same and then to your site. Entice people to contribute. Use hot or trending topics or use
controversy to spark debate .
6. Blend conversational content with descriptive content on your pages along with links to
further content.
7. Drive traffic to these pages

Join blogs and communities and contribute but dont spam or break the rules by selflessly
promoting. If youre able to convey (via an included website URL in your signature, your brand
as your username, or allowed links to relevant content, then you can provide valuable content to
users of those blogs, build respect in you and your brand and build up your authority not to
mention the potential for links.
8. Mix in Social: Make sure you have your buttons to share with Google+, Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, etc so that people can carry on the conversation. Post your content to your Social pages
and when people respond and share you can promote their responses on your social pages. If
theyre on Google+ make sure you mention them and + their comments.
9. Get reviews going on your site: Reviews are loved by Google and theres specific Schema
markup just for them. Reviews can be hard to get going and you may be left with a lot of page
that dont show a review so to get around this you can do a company review first. CNET does
this to great effect with Donwload.com where they have a CNET review and additional user
reviews. This does require you to provide a valid review of the products or whatever it is youre
reviewing. If youre providing a service then you can ask your clients or customers to review
your service and you can post that. This can be done via the website, via other websites such as
Yelp or you can ask them to fill out a survey card or simply call them and ask. As long as the
review is real it can be posted. One thing you can do is provide them with 5 questions that you
wish to be reviewed on and list those as five separate reviews on your website. Remember, false
reviews are not only unethical; theyre illegal in many states/countries.
10. Now that you really know your product or service, built your keyword and topic list,
generated content, launched and linked that content, pushed that content, got user interaction on
that content then its now time to report on that content by using it to determine how youre
doing in Google.
Since you have your list of keywords, questions, topics and related nouns, its time to run those
against your domain in a Ranking Report. Along with your specific rankings youll see which
pages are being ranked. You can then get an idea from certain elements of the page what you can
do to optimize and increase your position. Combine that with data from programs like Screaming
Frog and Open Site Explorer, among others, and youll see what opportunities you have to do
onsite optimization and link-building.

Combine this ranking report data with available keyword data from other search engines in your
analytics program and youll be able to surmise which keywords generated traffic in Google.
This is not by any means a concrete method for getting past the Not Provided roadblock but a
great relative yard-stick.
The ranking report shows you where a page or pages are in terms of position for a keyword. Your
analytics data will provide you with the entrances to that page from organic search (including
Google) and keywords which resulted in entrances (excluding Google). Combining this data with
some keyword volume data from the Adwords Keyword Planner (and like tools from other
sources) and an idea of Googles market share can give you a decent idea of the quantities you
are likely to receive from each keyword
Take all of this data and placed it in a spreadsheet with each keyword taking up a row and my
data on each of those in the columns of that row.

Google Hummingbird & Your Organic Rankings

Next part of taking full advantage of this update for your Google organic ranking
results is first of all, if your keywords that you are targeting aren't in the first page then
realize that just as Google hummingbird is trying to answer the search intent of search
queries, you must also know the search intent behind the keywords you are targeting.
Now the next part of Google hummingbird and your rankings is much to do with these 3
sections: Your Content on Your Website (Especially Textual Content and HTML Markup)
Content That You Market on Internet (e.g. off page SEO marketing)
Social signals, local business citations (dependent on your online niche) for example: if you are
offering product reviews, or locally based services etc. then surely social mentions of your URI
becomes important and much data can be gained by Google hummingbird algorithm.

Optimize for the mobile user.

In addition to supporting semantic search, the ability to better parse voice commands and
questions should add further attention to optimizing your site for mobile search (via Google's
recommended base platform of a responsive design website) and to developing content that can
attract and enable mobile--specific searchers (who tend to use phrases that are more localized in
nature).

CONCLUSION
The updates Google has made with Hummingbird address the changing nature of search as
queries become more complex and consumers rely more heavily on local, navigational and
voice-powered search. To take full advantage of these algorithm changes, brands need to ensure
their website content provides information to consumers most common questions. If your brand
is able to provide clear and easy-to-find answers to brand-related topics, it will drive traffic to
your site and loyalty among consumers. As for google their task is to provide the users with best
content, over the years we have witnessed their triumph towards excellence, and I can say that
humming bird algorithm is a perfect example, and Im sure that after 15 success full years this is
just a beginning for Google, They Have a Long Way To Go