No, it’s not Twitter. Just today, Google revealed that it completed a major undertaking in changing the way searches operate. It’s now known as Hummingbird by those internal to the giant Google. It’s said that the search engine change will impact over ninety percent of the results returned worldwide. Google has become a household word everywhere by people saying ‘Just Google’ it. Two years ago, 2011, it was referred to as Panda. In April 2012, it was known as Penguin. Another Panda update was released in early 2013.
Google is celebrating their 15th year anniversary but decided not to announce the change until today. Also known as a change in their algorithm, it has actually been in action for almost a month. Based in the Silicon Valley of California, Google is saying complicated questions will return improved, relevant answers assisting users who choose to input complex combinations of words. Searchers today find Google a go to place for asking questions of this dominating internet search giant. 15 years to Susan Wojcicki, doesn’t seem to be very long in existence and there’s a long way to go with the capabilities of search.
Of course, all eyes in the search and internet technology world will be on Google to learn about what and why the changes are the way they are. Everyone knows Google manages to keep this kind of information under secret cover. The company is stating the changes are also accommodating voice-based queries which are rising in popularity. Google noted they needed to change with this in mind and people becoming more mobile and reliant upon smartphones and tablets on the go.
Google Penguin’s algorithm update changed the way search engine rankings were handled and assigned when websites did not follow WebMaster Guidelines using SEO techniques now called ‘black hat’. Websites were not to participate in keyword stuffing, black hat techniques and intentionally making content deemed as duplicate. Code word Panda’s aim was websites in Google’s eyes providing poor user experiences. Google’s control is to de-rank the website potentially causing a site to lose volumes of visitors by not appearing on the highest search results possible.
