In fifteen years of Google Search the algorithms have changed substantially. From very basic queries like 'Windows upgrade' to 'my computer is slow'.
Hummingbird as the last incarnation of the search algorithms is named, will try to answer with 'buy more memory at this store near you' or 'install linux' depending on their background knowledge of you as well as their understanding of the real intent behind the question. Maybe the best answer in your case would be an interesting topic on a technical discussion forum or a link to your handy geek friend on G+ instead 🙂
Google doesn't want to reveal the technical details behind the change but whatever it is, the new set of algorithms are already in place as they were silently implemented over the last weeks.
Did you experience changes in response on search or did your website move down in rankings?
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/26/google-recently-made-a-silent-shift-to-a-new-search-algorithm-hummingbird/ #Tech
Generally speaking my company's website, which I directly manage, had better rankings in the last weeks. Specifically more generic pages went down, while more "targeted" pages went up.
That's interesting and contrary to what I expected +Michele Brami Ping +Lee Smallwood +Matt Holmes +David Amerland
+Max Huijgen "targeted" doesn't mean some obscure SEO manipulation: it means answers to what usually our customers are looking on the internet. In this scenario I think that everything is working fine.
…unfortunately I can't tell if the keywords were the ones I believe the better, but visits duration and lower bounce rate are telling me that who arrives to my site, more than before, has a real interest in the content…
Well I realized a change – to the worse. Till now I thought it is due to my subjects getting more obscure, so my queries on Google did not turn up so many useful results as expected. As a workaround during the last days I more and more switched to yahoo. Much better to find good links there.
Thanks for the news +Max Huijgen
This fits with Googles big plan of giving you need before you want before you know you need it.
Sounds great in principle but I think its value will vary depending on the searcher and their intent.
Personally, I don't want to be double guessed – I want something which is transparent enough that I can phrase a query to get the results I expect. If Google is always trying to second guess me, then I have to be second guessing it – almost like two chess opponents.
In contrast, an unsophisticated web searcher won't think much about how the search engine works and will tend toward predictable natural language.
It's hard to meet the needs of both customers.
I'm not going to leave Google any time soon.
Every now and then I accidently use Bing or yahoo on someone else's computer and am amazed just how hard it is to find important stuff a lot of the time, particularly local Australian sites when you need it.
Google really does understand us better than we imagine.
🙂 now Google is mind reading?
Judging from my search hit conversions, it can only get better 😛
Same crap algorithm, big sites up top, chicken feed down the bottom.
+hegde supriya If google could remember why I went into the store when I get there, I'd be happy to opt in to their mind reading! +Russell Deasley "same crap algorithm"? Really? The sites with the content, and likely the answers to my questions should be at the top. Unless of course I'm looking for chicken feed.