5 Things Your Credit Union Needs to Know About Google Hummingbird

 

You may have heard by now that Google is changing how its search engine works. With all of the online flux between search engine sites and social media platforms, you may not have realized this change, known as Google Hummingbird, could have a major impact on your credit union’s website search engine optimization (SEO). We know you want your website to get all of the attention it deserves. We want that for you too – that’s why we’re going to share the top five things your credit union needs to know about Google Hummingbird. 

1. It’s more than keywords – Google has changed its search algorithm to include not just keywords but the context of the words as well. Believe it or not, this is kind of a big deal. Google itself is saying that this is the largest change to the algorithm in 12 years. Not sure what a “search algorithm” is? Think of it as a set of filters that Google uses to sort through results.
   
2. It’s already up and running – That’s right, Google Hummingbird has been up and running since August. Changes are you haven’t even noticed it when you search on Google. But you might notice the change when it comes to your websites analytics.
   
3. It’s gotten better at conversation – Google Hummingbird is paying more attention to how a question or search phrase is worded to put it in more of a context. If a member searches for “ABC Credit Union online banking” it’ll put a link to the credit unions online banking login page at the top of its results instead of just the credit union’s home page.
   
4. It’s more mobile-friendly – More and more people are using tools like Siri on their iPhones to perform searches. Google Hummingbird knows it needs to use your smartphone’s GPS when you ask to find a “credit union near me” and will pull up credit unions closest to your location.
   
5. It’s made it easier to write Web copy – No more stuffing your website pages with keywords. Google Hummingbird looks to answer the “who, what, where, when, why and how” of a search term or phrase. It lets you write your content in a more contextual way instead of trying to find creative ways to insert those impossible-to-incorporate keywords! 

So, what does all this mean for your credit union? Nothing, if you have well written and carefully thought-out content on your credit union’s website. You should be relatively unscathed by Google Hummingbird. But, if it’s been a while since you’ve taken a good strong look at your content and update it, this might be the perfect opportunity to do so.

If your credit union needs help with SEO, analytics or updating its Web content, contact CU Solutions Group at 800.262.6285 or info@cusolutionsgroup.com, or visit our website.