Be it Google or be it Facebook, both these giants have been a big fan of changing their algorithm now and then to make their platforms better, smarter and faster. Google released a huge update to its algorithm called BERT (rolled out worldwide on December 9th), which stands for Bi-directional Encoder Representations from Transformers. Google, in its official blog, also mentioned that one in every ten searches is going to be affected by this new update. It is the most significant change since Rankbrain (Google’s first machine-learning artificial intelligence system) in 2015.
WHAT CAN BERT DO?
BERT, state-of-the-art technology for natural language processing (NLP) can help a computer understand language the way a person does, by utilizing things like nuances and context and how sentences work together. The update is explicitly about Google understanding spoken human words or voice-based searches better than they could in the past. What is important to understand about this algorithm update is that it does not actually change how sites rank, instead it helps Google to understand the actual nature of the query better in order to display more relevant results.
WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR STRATEGY?
The best thing you can do at the moment is to be prepared for voice-based searches. Start with identifying the keywords that fuel your search engine optimization efforts. Use long-tail keywords that mimic the way that we speak to voice-based search devices.
Next, you need to think about how well you need to apply your keyword research in your content strategy to optimize your digital marketing efforts. You need to deliver more diverse information on your website so that you can tap into this brand-new search opportunities.
Also, understand that voice queries are often in the form of a question, so adding more FAQs directly to your site is going to make you better able to tap into those voice search opportunities.
You will find it interesting to know that one in every four-voice searches have a local intent, whether people are walking down to a café nearby or looking for things that are near them. You cannot ignore local optimization if you are a local store or have stores across cities.
So ask yourself if the digital aspect of your business model is ready for this Google’s latest algorithm update? Are you prepared for voice searches and what you feel about this update? Do let us know your views in the comment section below.