Remember the good old days of search? You’d type in a few words, Google would spit back a list of pages with those exact words, and that was that. It was simple, if not always helpful.
But those days are gone. If you’ve felt like you have to work harder to get the information you need, you’re not alone. You might even feel like the cranky old man yelling at a cloud, wondering what happened to the search engine you knew.
The truth is, Google is getting smarter. It’s not just about matching keywords anymore; it’s about understanding the deeper meaning and intent behind a search. This shift has been happening for a while, driven by a series of major algorithm updates.
Let’s talk about how Google’s evolved over the last decade and what BERT can do to improve your site’s SEO.
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The Evolution of Search: From Simple Words to Deeper Meaning
Search engines have gone from being word matchers to meaning makers.
Each major update has pushed Google closer to understanding not just what we type, but what we mean when we type it. Here are some of the major Google algorithm updates we’ve experienced over the last decade or more:
- Hummingbird (2013): This was when Google first started trying to map “entities,” or the relationships between things. Instead of just seeing “Riven” as a word, it began to understand it was a video game and could connect it to its developer, release date, and related games.
- RankBrain (2015): Building on Hummingbird, RankBrain used that entity data to impact search results, and upon its release, it became the number three ranking factor for the Google algorithm behind links and content.
- BERT (2018): This is the big one. BERT is the formal Natural Language Processing (NLP) used by Google that considers the sequence of words in a query to derive a more accurate meaning.
An Example of Today’s Algo Intent Limitations
While these improvements make search smarter, they also introduce quirks when intent gets prioritized over literal meaning. Sometimes, that can make finding exact information more frustrating than it used to be.
As an example, our very own Adam Wells, one of our Senior SEO Strategists, ran into this when trying to find the lyrics to a song. He typed in a line he remembered, “royce joint or two with joyner lucas.” Instead of showing him the song lyrics, Google provided an AI Overview stating that Royce da 5’9″ and Joyner Lucas never made a song together.
What happened here?
Google returned an AI-generated overview stating Royce da 5’9″ and Joyner Lucas had no collaboration — because it prioritized intent and context over literal words. Only when he rephrased or used quotes did he get lyrics.
This highlights how search engines now prioritize semantic meaning over exact phrasing. Google was looking for the meaning behind the search, not just the words. To get the results he wanted, he had to either rephrase his query or use quotes to force Google to search for that exact string of words. See his blog for more details on this example.
This might seem like a small inconvenience, but it’s a huge shift. If you’re accustomed to using search in the “traditional” way, you now have to take extra steps to get the same information.
The Case for Simplicity & Tangible Tactics
Google’s NLP process breaks sentences down to individual words (tokenization), tags them by part of speech, and then simplifies each word to its root form (lemmatization).
Because of this, it stands to reason that simple sentences will be easier for them to process. This idea extends beyond just sentence structure. That’s why clear, straightforward content is more digestible for both search engines and users.
When we work with you, our goal is to simplify complexity. But here are some practical SEO tactics you or your in-house team can use right now:
- Check the SERPs for Intent: Before targeting a keyword, look at the search engine results pages (SERPs) to see what’s already ranking. Does Google show blogs, product pages, or a mix? This tells you what searchers are looking for and what kind of content you should create.
- Use the Knowledge Graph as Your Blueprint: If a knowledge graph appears, pay attention to it. It’s your blueprint for how Google has mapped the entities for that search. Use structured data like schema, relevant internal links, and on-page references to reinforce that your entity is the same one.
- Format for “People Also Ask:” Look at the pages that are ranking and see what questions are being asked and how the answers are formatted. Using bulleted lists, tables, or short paragraphs can help your content get pulled into these valuable sections.
- Simplify Your Content: Since NLP breaks things down, make your content easier to process. Write in the active voice. Alternate between long and short sentences to make it more human and readable. Get straight to the point without burying the lede or make it interactive to capture attention.
The Greenlane Difference
So, how do you do your job when Google is actively looking for meaning in every query? You partner with a team that’s as inquisitive as you are.
At Greenlane, we’re always learning, discovering, and sharing new things. We don’t just follow the crowd or suggest a tactic because “everyone else is doing it.” We’re dependable and dive deep into the data because we’re genuinely curious about how things are performing and how to improve them.
Explore our SEO Services today, and reach out about support with NLPs.
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