Google BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) is a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm update that was introduced by Google in October 2019. It is designed to better understand the context of words in a search query and to improve the relevance of search results.
The impact of BERT on SEO can be significant, as it has the potential to change the way search engines interpret and rank content. With BERT, search engines are better equipped to understand the relationships between words in a query, allowing them to provide more accurate results. This has led to a greater emphasis on quality content that accurately represents the meaning of a query, and provides value to users.
Examples of changes that impact SEO as a result of BERT include:
- The increased importance of high-quality, relevant, and valuable content.
- Greater emphasis on natural language content, rather than keyword-stuffed content.
- Improved ability for search engines to understand the context of a query, including colloquial language, sarcasm, and context-specific meanings.
In summary, BERT has shifted the focus of SEO from optimizing for keywords to optimizing for user intent and the overall user experience.