Hummingbird is the codename of an algorithm update Google implemented in 2013 to improve search results.<\/p>\n
Algorithm here means Google\u2019s complex system of locating and presenting the most relevant results from its index of websites and pages.<\/p>\n
Instead of presenting webpages containing searchers\u2019 keywords, Hummingbird aims to help Google understand and match searchers\u2019 intent. That process is called\u00a0semantic search<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although search engines regularly tweak algorithms to optimize user experience (UX), Hummingbird was more substantial than\u00a0previous Google algorithm updates<\/a>, such as Panda (2011) and Penguin (2012).<\/p>\n Then-Google engineer Matt Cutts described it as a \u201crewrite of the core search algorithm<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Using natural language processing and paying closer attention to context and user location, Google made search more conversational. And its results more valuable.<\/p>\n For example, if you searched \u201cPay taxes to the IRS\u201d before Hummingbird, Google\u2019s top result would have likely been the IRS homepage.<\/p>\n Now, Google directs you to the payments page, even though the search query doesn\u2019t contain the word \u201cpayments.\u201d<\/p>\n The updated algorithm forced site owners to focus on content\u00a0quality<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0relevance<\/strong>\u00a0instead of keyword quantity.<\/p>\n When Google understands\u00a0search intent<\/a><\/strong>, it can assess a page\u2019s relevance using more than just keyword density (the number of times a specific keyword appears on a page compared with the total word count).<\/p>\n As a result, keyword stuffing\u2014unnaturally forcing lots of the same keywords into a piece of content to help it rank\u2014became ineffective.<\/p>\n To understand the impact of Hummingbird, you first need to understand the impact of\u00a0the Knowledge Graph<\/a>\u00a0in 2012.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example where, without intent for context, the search term appears unrelated to its result:<\/p>\n If you search for \u201cmy precious,\u201d Google understands you want information about Gollum from Lord of the Rings, even though you haven\u2019t included \u201cLord of the Rings\u201d or \u201cGollum\u201d in your query.<\/p>\n Rather than assess the meaning of \u201cmy\u201d and \u201cprecious\u201d individually, Google ties the term to its broader meaning. It provides high-level information about the character from its Knowledge Graph.<\/p>\n It means searchers get the information they want in fewer clicks. Ultimately, they have a better Google search experience.<\/p>\n At first, the SEO impact of the Google Hummingbird update was subtle. Subtler even than the effects of the Panda and Penguin updates. Despite being smaller in scope, these earlier changes directly targeted search marketing practices that broke Google\u2019s guidelines.<\/p>\n Hummingbird\u2019s emphasis on content value marks a major step in Google becoming the user-first search engine it is now. And opened the door for other UX improvements<\/p>\n The \u201cOK Google\u201d voice search feature followed a year later, for example.<\/p>\n The increasingly sophisticated Google search algorithm continues to create richer, more fulfilling user experiences.<\/p>\n But it also means the bar is high for brands, SEO experts, and digital marketers aiming to reach page one.<\/p>\n We can help.<\/p>\n You won\u2019t rank by stuffing articles with keywords, but\u00a0keyword research<\/a>\u00a0remains a crucial element of Hummingbird SEO.<\/p>\n Because it helps you\u00a0better understand your ideal customers<\/strong>\u00a0so you can\u00a0tailor your content strategy to their needs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The result is more relevant organic traffic to your website and more opportunities to convert.<\/p>\n Start with Semrush\u2019s\u00a0Keyword Overview<\/a>\u00a0tool:<\/p>\n First, enter a seed keyword and click \u201c\u041f\u043e\u0438\u0441\u043a<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n The tool delivers a Keyword Overview report that includes searchers\u2019 locations, the term\u2019s popularity over time, general search intent, and related searches.<\/p>\n The report details what your audience searches for. So you can make your content more valuable. And balance keyword difficulty (i.e., how competitive the term is to rank for) and volume (how many people search for it) with your business goals.<\/p>\n To narrow down your list, look at the\u00a0keyword difficulty<\/a>\u00a0alongside each keyword suggestion.<\/p>\n The lower the keyword difficulty, the easier it will be for your content to show up in the top 10 search results.<\/p>\n So, for example, \u201chow to buy books on audible\u201d has a keyword difficulty of 42% but \u201chow to buy audible books\u201d has a keyword difficulty of 34% despite its similar search intent.<\/p>\n As the two\u00a0keywords are related<\/a>, ranking for the one with a lower KD% can help you rank for the keyword with more traffic.<\/p>\n You can narrow down your list on Keyword Overview, then save them for later, or export them as .XLS or .CSV files.<\/p>\n There are plenty of other Semrush tools to support your keyword research process:<\/p>\n Now that you know what topics you want to write about, we need to explore what\u00a0type of content<\/a>\u00a0you should create.<\/p>\n Get Keyword Suggestions<\/p>\n with the Keyword Magic Tool, the Biggest Keyword Database on the Market<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Competitive analysis is for inspiration only. To rank, your content must be unique.<\/p>\n You’ll stand out from your competitors by providing insight that others can\u2019t.<\/p>\n That means grabbing attention, engaging new visitors, and ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). This will get you even more clicks.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t just take our word for it. Check out\u00a0Google\u2019s criteria<\/a>\u00a0for \u201chelpful, reliable, people-first content\u201d:<\/p>\n Ironically, we\u2019ve copied those points from Google, but only to illustrate our advice. We\u2019ll never improve on Google\u2019s messaging here so we won\u2019t try. And that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n Google also assesses page quality based on experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trust (E-E-A-T). These elements form part of the company\u2019s\u00a0Search Quality Rater Guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, what can you say that others can\u2019t? How can you improve on what\u2019s already out there?<\/p>\n Here are five ideas to start with:<\/p>\n The first step to help you choose the right length and format for your content is to perform a\u00a0competitor analysis<\/a>. Once you understand what works for your competitors, you can create something similar or spot content gaps to fill.<\/p>\n You can use the\u00a0Organic Research<\/a>\u00a0tool to analyze your competitors\u2019 sites and identify their best-performing pages.<\/p>\n Head there, enter your competitor\u2019s URL, and click \u201c\u041f\u043e\u0438\u0441\u043a<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n If you want to inspect a specific part of their site (like their blog), enter that exact URL.<\/p>\n The tool provides relevant information like website traffic and the keywords your competitor ranks for.<\/p>\n Head to the \u201cPages<\/strong>\u201d tab to find content inspiration.<\/p>\n It lists the URLs under that domain, subdomain, or subfolder. Each has data showing organic traffic, the number of keywords the page ranks for, and backlinks.<\/p>\n Order the pages by \u201cTraffic<\/strong>\u201d to see which formats work best for your competitor.<\/p>\n Brands often use blogs to publish various types of content, not just straightforward blog articles. You might also see listicles (a portmanteau of \u201clist-article,\u201d meaning a blog article in list format), how-to guides, annual round-ups, reports, whitepapers, and more.<\/p>\n Use what you learn to choose the best formats for your content.<\/p>\n A person with real experience in the topic you want to cover can add depth and trustworthiness to your content.<\/p>\n Find someone who can turn their knowledge into great content in the form of a guest post or article quote. Or look for an expert you can interview for unique insights.<\/p>\n Instead of discussing a topic as others do, tell authentic stories that involve your brand, clients, or customers, like case studies.<\/p>\n These will be unique to your brand, helping you, and those you work with, stand out among the competition.<\/p>\n As well as providing depth and originality, anyone you involve can help with\u00a0content amplification<\/a>.<\/p>\n Readability makes content more engaging. And when people engage with your content, Google knows it\u2019s relevant and valuable. It satisfies the Google Hummingbird algorithm, so it ranks higher.<\/p>\n Here are some ideas to make text-based content (e.g., blog posts, ebooks, and social media posts) more readable:<\/p>\n The\u00a0SEO Writing Assistant<\/a>\u00a0can help you improve content readability.<\/p>\n It scans your piece in real time and provides quick-to-apply recommendations.<\/p>\n Either write or paste your article into the tool\u2019s text window or use an add-on in\u00a0Google Docs<\/a>,\u00a0WordPress<\/a>, or\u00a0Microsoft Word<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then add your target keywords and click \u201cGet recommendations<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n When covering the same topics as others in your industry, consider their content and look for gaps.<\/p>\n How can you cover the topic in more depth? What unanswered questions does your competitors\u2019 content leave your audience with?<\/p>\n You may be able to combine ideas from the top search results for your topic to create a more definitive guide.<\/p>\n Aim to be as helpful as possible. Use plenty of clear, actionable advice to improve readers\u2019 lives. A lot of content overlooks this.<\/p>\n Semrush\u2019s\u00a0SEO Writing Assistant<\/a>\u00a0can also tell you how original your written content is before you hit publish.<\/p>\n Copy your draft into the tool\u2019s text box, add your target keywords, and click \u201cGet recommendations<\/strong>.\u201d Then look for the \u201cOriginality<\/strong>\u201d score on the right.<\/p>\n Schema markup (schema.org<\/a>) is code that describes elements on your website in a way that search engines understand. The data that schema markup conveys is called\u00a0structured data<\/a>.<\/p>\n Google uses it to recognize the meaning behind various content elements (e.g., processes, text formats, and media types) so it can serve richer results and helpful snippets.<\/p>\n For example, the recipe markup will give Google a recipe\u2019s ingredients and cooking time. Google can present that information on its results page, like this:<\/p>\n It helps searchers quickly choose results that meet their needs.<\/p>\n Including recipes, Google currently understands\u00a031 different types<\/a>\u00a0of schema. The others are:<\/p>\n Although there\u2019s no hard evidence that structured data impacts rankings, it does allow Google to present valuable information to searchers sooner. That improves the search experience as it helps users choose their destination faster. So it should at least indirectly affect organic search performance.<\/p>\n Adding schema markup to tell search engines what\u2019s on your page can be daunting if you\u2019ve never used HTML before. However, Google\u2019s\u00a0Structured Data Markup Helper<\/a>\u00a0will generate the code for you. We explain the whole process in detail in our\u00a0beginner\u2019s guide to structured data<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that you know how to create Hummingbird-friendly content, it\u2019s time to build user-first content and SEO strategies to generate more organic traffic.<\/p>\nHow Did Google Hummingbird Impact SEO?<\/h2>\n
Google Hummingbird SEO: Content Best Practices<\/h2>\n
1. Conduct Keyword Research<\/h3>\n
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2. Create Original, High-Quality Content<\/h3>\n
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Conduct Competitor Research<\/h4>\n
Use Subject-Matter Experts (SMEs)<\/h4>\n
Create Anecdotal Content<\/h4>\n
Make Your Content Readable<\/h4>\n
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Go Deeper<\/h4>\n
3. Use Schema Markup<\/h3>\n
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Satisfy Google Hummingbird with a User-First Content Strategy<\/h2>\n