Google Announces "Hummingbird" Algorithm

Exciting news in the world of search. To mark its 15th birthday, Google announced a new search algorithm update called "Hummingbird." Amit Singhal, senior vice president of search at Google made the announcement earlier today.

The name "Hummingbird" symbolizes "quick and precise" search results. It's Google's mission to deliver the best, most relevant results and this update may bring them one step closer.

Over the last several months, search queries have dramatically shifted. Google Analytics data confirm this. More and more, people abandoning the traditional two-word keyword phrase for more conversational queries. People are searching using phrases like "movie where girl is blind and has a doll" instead of "Audrey Hepburn movie." When I searched using this phrase, Google made the connection to "Wait Until Dark" (one of my favorite movies). Personally, I find that fascinating and exciting.

We're seeing a dramatic shift toward context and intent. Google can look at search history, location, social connections, etc. to determine intent.

Hummingbird is also pretty amazing at comparisons. Check out Bacon versus Tofu. Sorry for this comparison, It's not my intent to make anyone feel guilty about eating bacon.

Google rolled out "Enhanced AdWords Campaigns" earlier this year. These new campaigns work across all devices. Hummingbird does the same. Google wants to serve us the most relevant results no matter what device we're searching from and they're just getting started.