Google Hummingbird is an update in the search engine algorithm of Google. Google publicly announced this update on 26th September 2013 which also happened to be the eve of the company’s 15th anniversary, although it clarified that it had started using this update almost a month before. Interestingly the word Hummingbird draws its origins from the small bird also by the same name which is known for its speed and accuracy. 

Why is the Google Hummingbird update relevant? 
The Google Hummingbird update is quite relevant as it gives more meaning to the search function and goes deeper into a search query to find out why a user is doing a particular search rather than just determining what the user is searching for. In other words, the Hummingbird update seeks to relate Context to Search by finding out the intent of a user in a search query. The Hummingbird update is based on the principle that search queries are actually of a conversational nature and therefore any search associated with them should be of a semantic nature so that it captures the full essence and meaning of the search query and not just a small portion of the search. Earlier on, search queries were based on a few words of the search sentence whereas now as per the Hummingbird update, the new search query captures the full meaning of a sentence before bringing up search results. The Hummingbird update also seeks to improve the mobile search results page with results being provided on cards so users can focus on the answers.

How does the Google Hummingbird update affect SEO? 
The Google Hummingbird update is actually interwoven with SEO. That’s because when a user does a search using Google, only those pages are brought up in search results that are relevant to the search query whereas pages that have similar keywords belonging to the search query or those pages that are at the top, do not come up in search results. This implies that the content on any web page should be prepared and written in such a manner that it answers the natural questions of any web user that are of a conversational style and based on normal human behavior and thinking.

The concept of Knowledge Graph is built into this algorithm which basically means that there is a repository of information available with Google and based on the search query of a user, Google correlates the available information with the search query and provides the results to the user in a easy to use manner so that the user does not need to browse multiple pages for the information as the results are already there. Also, based on the results users can build further searches and questions.

One of the biggest benefits of the Hummingbird update to website owners is that users tend to stay longer on search engine result pages and this increases their exposure to sponsored ads which are also there on the search result pages and therefore this increases the possibility of sales through sponsored ads that ultimately increase revenues of companies.

Steps to make your website compliant with Hummingbird update

Nothing really major needs to be done except a few guidelines that need to be followed:

• Continue to create content on the site that answers long tail searches which are of a semantic nature.
• Do not stuff unnecessary keywords into the content.
• Keep the flow of writing natural just as if you were talking to another person.
• Make extensive use of social media and share the content across various channels.

Use back links from good PR sites.