Google Bert Update: What It Means for Huntsville SEO?
Google announced a couple of updates to the search engine algorithm in 2020. Among the updates, one major change was the Google Bert update.
In October 2019, Google had introduced BERT to help better understand the context of search queries. Experts called BERT a big step forward in the processing of search queries. The latest update to BERT, released in October, will allow search engines to present more accurate results based on the search intent.
But what exactly does the update mean for SEO? Here we will shed more light on the search engine algorithm update from Google.
An Overview of BERT
BERT, or Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, is a deep learning search engine algorithm for processing natural language.
The algorithm understands the nuances of search queries to display more relevant pages on the search results age. It has been built on a mathematical model that has been dubbed ‘Transformers’.
Transformers analyze a search term in the context of all other terms in the search query. Instead of looking at words in isolation, the model will interpret the meaning through analyzing the position of words and the meaning of prepositions in a search query.
Reason for the BERT Update
Google has been focusing for many years now on improving the algorithm to present more relevant search results.
The Hummingbird search engine update introduced in August 2013 made it possible for the search engine to better understand search queries. The Search engine algorithm now analyzed the entire phrase instead of just individual terms in the query.
The RankBrain; released two years later in 2015 was also a significant update in this respect. It allowed an understanding of complex search queries that contain terms with multiple meanings. With the release of the update, the search engine could now better process dialogues, informal words, and new words that enter into the common language.
With the popularity of technological features such as Voice Search, search queries are now getting longer with more terms.
Experts predict that Voice Search will comprise about 50 percent of the search queries in the next two years. That means that a majority of search queries will be long tail.
Put simply; most search phrases will be closer to human language. And Google is aware of this fact due to which it had rolled out the BERT update.
BERT will become a significant part of the search engine algorithm. The algorithm is at the development stage, which will be improved going forward. The update released in October 2020 was just one such improvement in the algorithm.
Understanding the 2020 BERT Update
The Google BERT update, announced in October this year, improves on how Google understands search terms. The search engine update analyzes search terms in a more precise manner.
Google search will now be able to better understand conversational queries. It can now analyze prepositions used in the search results like ‘for’, ‘to’, and others when displaying search results. That means you can now search in a way as if conversing to a person rather than talking to a caveman.
The latest BERT update will affect the long-tail queries. The update improves on the understanding of longer search terms that are entered into the search bar or spoken through a Voice Assistant.
Google provided a lot of examples in the blog post on how the BERT update better understands search queries.
BERT can help in providing more relevant search results. It can display features snippets that are more relevant to the search terms.
Here is a comparison of the search results before and after the BERT update. The example shows that the search results are now more relevant. In the first instance, Google displayed a Washington Post article on a travel visa. But after the BERT update, the search result is more relevant as it displays the site of the embassy from which the user can obtain the visa.
Here is another example that Google shared in its blog post. As you can see in the image below, the search results after the BERT update are more relevant.
Google previously would consider the term ‘stand’ similar to standalone that could lead to irrelevant search results. Using BERT, Google can now better understand that the term ‘stand’ in the context of the other terms. In the example below, the search engine understands that the term ‘stand’ refers to the physical activity related to the esthetician.
How Can Google BERT Affect Your Website?
Google BERT at the moment does not apply to all the queries. It is estimated that only about 1 in 10 queries are affected by the algorithm.
But going forward, the search engine algorithm is likely to have a major impact on the search engine rankings.
Google has said that the demands of the BERT algorithm push the hardware capacity. That is why, at the moment, the algorithm will have a limited impact on websites. Still, you should update the SEO strategy of your site with BERT in mind as it will play a significant role in search engine rankings.
You should focus on creating unique and compelling content that addresses real-life problems and concerns of users. Moreover, the content should be super specific to the keywords that you are targeting.
For instance, if you have an ecommerce site that sells healthy beverages, and you write a blog on the benefits of healthy drinks, then the content should be specific to the topic. You should not write a review of your health drinks and instead focus on the benefits.
BERT will get more sophisticated with each update. It will know whether the article is informative or a landing page to sell goods and services. Therefore, you must focus less on keywords and more on writing engaging, specific, and informative articles.
SEO is an ongoing process that can help your site to gain organic traffic. Contact igwebs to improve the ranking of your site. Our Huntsville SEO experts utilize the latest techniques that are effective in optimizing the website ranking.
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