iGB Affiliate 50 AprMay | Page 12

TRAFFIC GOOGLE HUMMINGBIRD DEMYSTIFIED: FROM KEYWORD RESEARCH TO LINK-BUILDING The release in September 2013 of Google’s Hummingbird algorithm was welcomed with the usual storm of “SEO is dead” posts on online marketing blogs. However, Google Hummingbird did not kill the game but simply changed some of its rules, impacting the ways in which content should be produced and optimised. Matteo Monari of BizUp shows what webmasters should change about their strategy and why. SINCE SEPTEMBER 2013, Google has been using an improved algorithm to provide the queries of its users with “precise and fast” results. This evolved algorithm focuses on the semantic value of web pages and user queries, trying to better understand their real meaning and the underlying user intent. As a consequence, Hummingbird, the name Google gave to the algorithm, has impacted the way in which SEO-oriented content should be produced and optimised, from keyword research and mapping to link building. 18 months on from its launch, what Google Hummingbird really meant for SEO is finally clear, and a few key changes should be applied to standard SEO processes. Here is what to change and why. Keyword research Keyword research should be the foundation of any SEO strategy. Once the goal of your site is clear to you, you should ask yourself what kind of searchers you want to attract and what kind of user needs and demands your site should fulfil, i.e. what information are the searchers you are targeting looking for? Are they really looking for information or do they want to accomplish something, for example, playing a certain game or getting a specific bonus code? Most of the time, the best tool for clearing these doubts is Google Adwords Keyword Planner1, which can shed so YB