I've been working in social media marketing and the online sphere for a number of years now, and during that time I've seen Google unroll a number of significant updates to its searching algorithm and mechanics.
In June 2010, the Caffeine update significantly boosted Google's speed and accuracy. In early 2011, the Panda update saw the search giants cracking down on sites with limited content and quality issues, affecting as much as 12 per cent of search results. And in April 2012, Google took radical steps to punish sites guilty of keyword stuffing and spam linking with the Penguin update.
Each time one of these major changes - or any of the other smaller updates that have occurred over the years - was unrolled, businesses across the world have been forced to take action in order to ensure their social media marketing strategies were keeping up with Google's latest restrictions.
Put simply, those that failed to act were left behind.
Now the tech whizzes at Google have done it again. On September 26, the company announced it had already rolled out a significant change to the algorithm dubbed "Hummingbird" - a moniker reflective of its "precise and fast" nature.
Wondering just how significant Hummingbird is? Google Search Chief Amit Singhal has reportedly told Danny Sullivan, Founding Editor of online marketing website Search Engine Land, that the Google algorithm has not been rewritten this dramatically for more than a decade.
So now it's time to ask the hard questions - what does Hummingbird mean for social media marketing, and what do organisations need to do to adapt to these changes and stay on top of the SEO game?
What's the point?
First of all, it's important to explain what Google's objective was with Hummingbird.
Today, more and more people are using Google in a conversational way, rather than just plugging in keywords. Instead of searching for "Property Brisbane", they're searching "What is the best real estate agency in Brisbane". Hummingbird is intended to address this shift and answer users' questions more wholly.
How can you take advantage of these changes?
Well, a good strategy is to begin targeting your headlines towards these conversational search habits. Take a look at the title of this piece, for example. Rather than using a header like "Google updates search algorithm", I used a conversational, question-based headline that real people are likely to plug into a search engine.
You'll also want to continue working towards becoming a recognised authority in your space. As always, publishing fresh, original and useful content will help you attract readers and generate links, thus boosting your rankings.
Another big focus of the Hummingbird update is the Google Knowledge Graph. The Knowledge Graph - for those who aren't familiar with the term - is the little box of information that shows up to the right or above your regular search results. Google has dubbed it "the future of search", and it's intended to help users access accurate, concise information faster, without having to click through to separate pages.
This means your website will need to offer real information of value if it is to attract users. This is another reason why authoritative, useful content is fast becoming the name of the SEO game.
Claim ownership of your content to generate this authority and become a recognised expert in your sphere.
Don't slip into bad habits
It's important to note, of course, that many of the anti-spam and keyword stuffing algorithm updates Google has unrolled over the past few years are still in place.
That means you'll want to continue using good, legitimate SEO strategies, lest you take a knock in the rankings. You can also take advantage of Google's disavow tool in order to distance yourself from any dodgy websites that might be linking to your pages.
Keep these best practices in mind and you'll be well on your way to mastering SEO in the Hummingbird era.
By Darren McCoy
