26
September 2013
Google unveils major upgrade to search algorithm
By Richard Taylor
North America Technology Correspondent
North America Technology Correspondent
Google has unveiled an
upgrade to the way it interprets users' search requests.
The new algorithm,
codenamed Hummingbird, is the first major upgrade for three years.
It has already been in
use for about a month, and affects about 90% of Google searches.
At a presentation on
Thursday, the search giant was short on specifics but said Hummingbird is
especially useful for longer and more complex queries.
Google stressed that a
new algorithm is important as users expect more natural and conversational
interactions with a search engine - for example, using their voice to speak
requests into mobile phones, smart watches and other wearable technology.
Hummingbird is focused
more on ranking information based on a more intelligent understanding of search
requests, unlike its predecessor, Caffeine, which was targeted at better
indexing of websites.
It is more capable of
understanding concepts and the relationships between them rather than simply
words, which leads to more fluid interactions. In that sense, it is an
extension of Google's "Knowledge Graph" concept introduced last year
aimed at making interactions more human.
In one example, shown
at the presentation, a Google executive showed off a voice search through her
mobile phone, asking for pictures of the Eiffel Tower. After the pictures
appeared, she then asked how tall it was. After Google correctly spoke back the
correct answer, she then asked "show me pictures of the construction"
- at which point a list of images appeared.
Big
payoffs?
However, one search
expert cautioned that it was too early to determine Hummingbird's impact.
"For me this is more of a coming out party, rather than making me think
'wow', said Danny Sullivan, founder of Search Engine Land.
"If you've been
watching this space, you'd have already seen how they've integrated it into the
[predictive search app] Google Now and conversational search.
"To know that
they've put this technology further into their index may have some big payoffs
but we'll just have to see how it plays out," Mr Sullivan said.
The news was announced
at an intimate press event at the Silicon Valley garage where founders Sergei
Brin and Larry Page worked on the launch of the search engine, which is fifteen
years old on Friday.
At the event, the search behemoth
also announced an updated search app on Apple's iOS, as well as a more visible
presence for voice search on its home page.
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