If you’re a business owner, and you’ve hired an internet marketing agency for car dealerships, then it’s helpful to know at least a little bit about SEO. Maybe you know a great deal already, in which case, this article can serve as a refresher. If you don’t know very much, then here is a brief look at what changes Google has made over the past decade-and-a-half, and what it means for the current state of optimization.
The Hummingbird Update And RankBrain
With the advent of the “Hummingbird” update, Google went from a literal interpretation of web search terms to a semantic one. That means that they stopped emphasizing words and phrases verbatim, and they started focusing on the perceived intent behind search terms. This has made a positive impact on the Google user experience. RankBrain, the AI behind the algorithms, can assess what users are likely to want and direct them to the best options for that on the web.
How Is The Experience Better Now?
The transformation of Google from a literal term search engine to an intuitive or semantic one is something that we might take for granted now, without completely appreciating how remarkable it is. Fifteen years ago, Google users might have had to use several different word combinations if they didn’t get what they were looking for on the first try. Those who were using SEO had to try and incorporate the exact words and phrases for which people were looking into their websites, even putting them in areas where they didn’t fit organically. This led to users going to places they did not want to go, and it was frustrating to them. Semantic search has rendered these frustrations a thing of the past.
As someone who deals with SEO to try and get high website rankings, what this means is that you must be constantly vigilant in trying to understand what Google wants. They will continue tinkering with the algorithms, and you must be ready to respond accordingly. If you’re finding it too much to handle, give serious consideration to hiring an internet marketing agency. It’s their job to understand exactly what content is going to be valued highly by Google’s web crawlers, and they will respond accordingly to send the most potential customers in your direction.
