The average number of daily searches conducted on Google in 2012 was 5.13 billion. That itself should explain why it causes worldwide ripples when Google officially announces that it has tinkered with its search algorithm yet again.

What is a Search Engine Algorithm?

A search engine such as Google or Bing must sort through billions of web pages when a user searches online for a keyword or key phrase sitting anywhere in the world. The search engine uses a complex algorithmic formula to come up with the closest possible search results in the shortest amount of time to satisfy the user’s search query.

Is Hummingbird a New Algorithmic Update?

Hummingbird is not a new update to an old algorithm, but it is a completely new search algorithm from Google. Google has announced it officially and it believes that Hummingbird should return better search results for the users.

How many elements does Hummingbird algorithm look at?

The precise number of aspects and elements or “ingredients” that constitute the Hummingbird algorithm remains unknown. But it is believed that more than 200 major elements go into it. The search engine looks at all these major factors before determining what kind of page rank a particular web page should get in response to a user’s search query.

Is this algorithmic change very significant?

The significance of such a major change in the search algorithm can be seen from the fact that not many at Google itself are able to recall when such a dramatic change was made in the past. Amit Singhal, the chief of Google Search says that he joined the company in 2001, and that was the year when he had last seen a dramatic change of a completely new algorithm such as the Hummingbird.

What happens now to the algorithmic updates of recent
times?

Google Panda and Penguin have been game-changing algorithmic updates in recent years. The new algorithm Hummingbird will take these updates into account, and will incorporate their important aspects. Google has said that the new algorithm will include new parts as well as some of the old parts.

What is going to be new about Hummingbird search?

Google believes that voice search may be the next big thing in the arena of Internet search. When searchers make use of voice search, they typically use more “conversational” keywords and key phrases. The Hummingbird will be geared towards comprehending those searches effectively, apart from the regular traditional searches.