Now let’s take a look at a few items you need to pay attention to with the Hummingbird release.
Some content may need to be reworked…
I repeat, only some content may need to be reworked as Hummingbird is built around providing answers rather than content like it did with previous algorithms. Google, as a short-cut for searches, is pulling information from various websites that help answer questions like Wikipedia and displaying that information at the top of the page above all of the sites that might provide additional info into that particular search which may cause some of your searchers to miss your content because Google has already answered the question for them. Therefore, as you review your content and rework it where necessary, be sure to have specific content answer questions rather than just provide information.
You can very simply look at how your content is performing the question/answer task by doing a Google search using both allintitle: and site: to find content that needs fixing.
Example: allintitle:”how do” site:signworld.org
You should begin creating content and changing content into the “How do”, “How can”, “Where do I”, etc. formation.
Don’t try to work the system
Google created their algorithms and therefore they already know about most of the loopholes. Guess what, they’ve also figured out how to close up those same loopholes… Don’t try to create additional links by turning every piece of content you have into a question/answer format.
Create more content…
Do I really need to explain this one?… Perhaps for some it can’t be said enough. So here it is… Create more content!… Content is what builds authority of information and more importantly a fresh stream of content proves that your information is not stale which results in Google relying on your information more and more when ranking links.
Quality of links is key
The Hummingbird algorithm loves relevant and credible links. Avoid at all costs linking to a website just to link; it will not work in your favor. Remember, I mentioned earlier that Google is smart and created the algorithm so therefore they have looked at these tactics and do not reward irrelevant and unnecessary links. Relevant links include social media sites, blogs, press release sites and large and powerful websites. Other Signworld websites are not large enough to create authority unless its sites like the ones Sunrise Signs and Iconography have put together. Even they are on the fringe of being “authoritative”. The best links are those links that forwards to reputable publications and direct readers to specific information that has to do with the info they are reading.
Use every option available to you
I’ve mentioned this quite a bit in the past and will continue to do so. Google loves Google. Google has a number of useful tools available for use that it favors over other similar tools. When searches are done, Google prefers YouTube over Vimeo and Vine, and, it prefers Google+ over Facebook and Twitter. The use of Google’s tools, which also include Maps and Adwords, provides additional SEO opportunities. More importantly, the use of YouTube in particular provides additional content for site visitors to see rather than read. YouTube is expected to become the largest search engine by the end of 2013 because the premise is built around visual content that answers questions…
I hope this insight into Hummingbird is helpful to you and doesn’t scare you too much. The good thing is that most of what has been implemented in past algorithms is being carried over into the new set, so PageRank and other signals are still very important which will help many retain their rankings. But as Google continues to move forward and tweak Hummingbird with additional updates it will continue to put more emphasis on high quality, original, subject-rich content. As you continue to add that content to your site, you will build up your credibility.
