How Does Google Hummingbird Improve Query Understanding?

Asked 10 months ago
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Google Hummingbird is a Google update that supports Google in better understanding your questions.

Instead of focusing only on single words, it helps Google to better know what the meaning behind what you type. By asking in this way, you make sure Google can understand the whole thing, even if it’s a complex question.

Google Hummingbird improve query

Why Did Google Need Hummingbird?

Before Google introduced Hummingbird, search engine focused on finding individual words in your search. Now, if you write "best pizza near me", google will only look for these words on websites.

This didn’t help, though, because it didn’t understand the context of your search. When all you wanted to do was find pizza restaurants near you, Google thought everything had to be safely separated. The truth was that it wasn’t great at figuring out exactly what you really needed.

But Google wanted to solve this problem. It wanted to provide better, more useful answers for people that are asking questions.

Related : What are the 3 key ranking factors that Google uses in their algorithm?

How Does Hummingbird Work?

Google Hummingbird scans the entire search and doesn't just consider the words. Hummingbird scans the whole sentence in order to understand what it is you really want to know.

If for example you type “Where can I get pizza near me?” Google knows that you’re interested in pizza places nearby. That is, it doesn’t just search for the words 'pizza' and 'near me' separately. Instead it parses the question as a whole and understands you want nearby restaurants.

Google also knows where you are thanks to Hummingbird. If for instance you type something around you, say 'pizza near me', Google knows to grep it with the IP you are campaigning with. Not only is this easier, but it makes it much easier to find what you need.

What Makes Hummingbird Better?

Before Hummingbird, if you typed more verbose or more detailed questions, Google occasionally couldn’t figure out what you were asking. Say you asked, “How do I make the best pizza at home?” — Google might have been confused and returned pizza place results rather than pizza recipe results.

That is where Hummingbird comes. it lets Google understand questions much better. And, when you type in 'How to make pizza at home' Google pulls up pizza recipes not pizza restaurants.

Sort of like hummingbird helps with more complex searches. Sometimes, we don’t just lookup for single words. We make long or specific questions, ‘What is the weather like tomorrow in New York?’ These types of questions the hummingbird can understand and provides the correct answer. For figuring out the full meaning behind your search, it’s actually much better at it.

Long-Tail Keywords and Hummingbird

One thing I really like about Google Hummingbird, especially when working with long tail keywords, is that it’s really good at ‘regurgitating’ in order to find unique pages. The kind of keywords that I’m referring to here are the long tail’s, which are longer and more specific terms like “best vegan pizza near me in Los Angeles”.

Until Hummingbird before, that kind of specific question might not have been able to be handled well by Google. However, Google can now understand these long tail searches a little bit better. It takes the entire question and reports on the most similar results.

For example, say if you type “best vegan pizza near me in Los Angeles” on Hummingbird – it will understand that you’re looking for vegan pizza restaurants in a certain city, which is what you’re searching for, and will show you those results.

Voice Searches and Hummingbird

As voice searches have increased, so has Hummingbird. It’s far more natural and conversational to ask a question aloud when you ask it. So, instead of saying “pizza near me",” you might say “what’s the best pizza near me?

Google understands questions spoken out loud like this one with Hummingbird. It will listen to the way you talk and will work to get the right answers. That is increasingly important for our smartphones and smart speakers, since so many people are looking by voice.

Say, for instance, you ask your phone, “What's the weather like today in New York?” and Hummingbird will know what you mean and respond to your question. So, it doesn’t just recognize the words 'weather' or 'New York' — it knows you’re talking about today’s weather in that city.

“Hummingbird is all about understanding the meaning, not just the words.”

Google’s Hummingbird update is about this key idea. It’s to understand what you search for, rather than the exact words. Google is strengthened with Hummingbird because it’ll help Google return you results that are better and more useful – because it can now understand your question as a whole.

Conclusion

Google Hummingbird has help Google learn from your intentions (not just your actions) which means they understand what it is you’re really looking for in google, not necessarily what you’re typing. Because it committees your search up whole and responds with better, more accurate answers.

Matching words was the overwhelming focus of Google before Hummingbird. With Hummingbird, Google can answer long, complex questions as well as the short ones.

And it’s incredible at grasping long tail keywords and voice searches. That means, if you’re typing a question or saying it out loud, Hummingbird works for the best answer.

For anybody who is searching on Google right now, Google’s Hummingbird update is making search on Google easier and smarter, and getting people the information they need faster and better.

Answered 10 months ago Mercado Wolski