What is Google Hummingbird?
Google Hummingbird was a major update to Google’s search algorithm, released in August 2013. It represented the most significant change to the algorithm since 2001 and was described by Matt Cutts, the former head of Google’s web spam team, as a complete rewrite of the core algorithm.
Hummingbird improved Google’s understanding of longer, natural language queries, particularly benefiting mobile voice searches. It focused on extracting key terms from complex queries to provide more relevant results. Despite affecting around 90% of searches, its impact on search results was not drastic. Hummingbird laid the groundwork for future updates and enhancements to Google’s search capabilities.
Is Google Hummingbird an Algorithm?
No, Hummingbird was not a standalone algorithm like PageRank or RankBrain. It was a rewrite of Google’s core algorithm, enhancing its ability to process and understand complex search queries.
