What is the Google BERT Update?
To comprehend BERT, it’s critical to understand the basic function of Search: interpreting language. Even if you misspell a few words or have no idea how to phrase your search query, Google’s task is to figure out what you’re looking for and then deliver useful and relevant material in return. Keyword-ese is a technique of typing longer and more robotic-like sentences to “help” Google figure out what you’re looking for. These search queries typically appear odd and unnatural, which results in irrelevant or loosely connected pages being displayed and you returning to square one.
With its natural language processing abilities, Google’s BERT upgrade helps fight “keyword-ese.” BERT is a bidirectional encoder representation format created by TRANSFORMERS. In simple terms, BERT helps search engines deal with language like a person rather than a robot.
Context is crucial with BERT. Google may now consider the entire context of a search query rather than each word in isolation, thanks to BERT. So, most of the time, when someone searches for a specific phrase, it’s because they’re not sure how to describe what they’re looking for. Google Search Auto-Complete is one way that Google figures this out by analyzing how words in an inquiry are connected to one another. This is a huge step forward for Search!
What impact will BERT have on search results?
Both organic rankings and featured snippets are affected by the BERT update. BERT will assist Google is doing a better job matching the user’s query with relevant results, especially for more conversational, long-tail queries and those in which prepositions such as “for” and “to” are important to the context. In English, one out of every ten search queries will be aided by BERT.
BERT in Action
The BERT update also takes into account subtleties and nuances in human language that prior algorithms overlooked. For instance, Google offers the example, “Can you get medicine for someone who is ill at a pharmacy?” Before BERT, Google’s algorithm would give broad results about obtaining a prescription filled. In this example, Google completely neglected the context, believing that “for someone” was an insignificant element of the search query. After the BERT, Google offered a more relevant response about having a friend or family member take your prescription for you.
What will the influence of BERT have on your Content Marketing Strategy?
To make BERT work, Google created BERT to assist users in finding things more naturally and receiving more relevant results. According to Google’s Danny Sullivan, there’s nothing you can do to optimise for BERT except keep producing fantastic content for the end-user. As an SEO writer or content producer, you may adjust your content marketing plan with BERT in mind. Continue to produce well-written, easy-to-understand text that flows naturally.
BERT is especially useful for more conversational, long-tail search queries, so if you can anticipate the questions your target audience will ask, you can create more relevant content that will be of value to them.
