7 Ways the BERT Update Will Affect Google Marketing Strategies

Written by

Heather Shoup

Published on

Digital Marketing, Google SEO
Google Bert
How will BERT impact your Google marketing Strategies
It’s important that businesses keep with Google’s algorithm updates. Find out seven ways that the BERT update will affect Google marketing strategies here.

One in 10 searches performed in English in the US is generated using BERT.

No; not the character from Sesame Street. Google’s new algorithm is changing the way we search, making many companies reevaluate their Google marketing strategies. Without the proper strategy, your search engine optimization (SEO) might fail to attract the website traffic you need to boost your business. 

Here are seven ways the BERT update could impact your SEO strategy.

By learning more about the Google BERT update, you can improve your SEO and increase quality traffic to your site. Ignoring the update, however, could impact your marketing strategies moving forward. 

Strengthen your SEO and stay ahead of the curve with these tips!

1. High-Quality Content

BERT stands for Bidirectional Endorser Representations from Transformers. This update uses machine learning and natural language processing to better understand a consumer’s search. By fully understanding the context of a search, Google can provide users with more accurate search results. 

The ultimate goal for the Google BERT update is to understand and leverage search intent. 

Then, Google can provide its users with better content.

First, make sure your content is still relevant to your consumers. What are they searching for? What’s their intent when they start a search on Google?

The better you understand your customers, the more likely you can appeal to their needs. Otherwise, you’ll end up creating content they don’t want or need.  

Next, make sure you’re producing high-quality content. Now that Google better understands user intent, it will only display websites that appeal to the end-user. With this in mind, companies need to create unique, high-quality content to appeal to these customers.

Focus your content creation on providing your customers with value. Show consumers you’re knowledgeable about your industry. Then, use that industry knowledge to their benefit. 

2. Voice Searches

By this year, 30% of all website sessions will start without a screen. How? Voice search.

Instead of typing on their screens, consumers are relying on voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for the answers they need. The Google BERT update keeps this growing reliance on voice search in mind.

In order to provide users with the right search results, Google needs to understand the intent behind the search. That’s where BERT’s machine learning and natural language processing comes in. To display the right results for voice searches, Google needs to understand how people are speaking. 

This means you need to understand how your consumers ask questions, too.

There are a few ways you can improve your website for voice search:

  • Make sure your website loads quickly
  • Optimize images
  • Compress files
  • Make sure your site is responsive
  • Write the way your customers speak
  • Optimize blocks of content for featured snippets
  • Concentrate on local searches

By the end of 2020, it’s anticipated that half of all online searches will occur through voice search.

3. Artificial Intelligence 

Google is making it easier for users to search Google naturally. In order to adapt your Google marketing strategies for the BERT update, you need to understand your customers. 

After all, Google is already using artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand your customers, too. Artificial intelligence allows Google to provide users with the most relevant results based on their search. 

In order to make sure your content displays for these searches, you need to match your copy to the way people search.

That means:

  • Writing more naturally
  • Using longer, more conversational keywords
  • Speaking the way your customers do

Use tools such as Google Trends, Google Keyword Planner, and SEMRush to display for these search queries. 

The BERT update is all about context. It’s improved understanding of search queries is allowing Google’s AI to interpret phrases as a whole. Previously, the AI could only interpret words individually.

Now that Google can interpret how words related to each other, you can adapt your Google marketing strategies accordingly. Focus your time on creating easy-to-understand, straightforward copy to start.

4. Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are becoming more popular, especially as zero-click searches are increasing. These snippets appear in “position zero” at the top of a search page, above organic results. Snippets provide users with quick results, meaning they no longer have to click on a site to find the answers they need. 

It’s important to optimize your content for these featured snippets. Otherwise, your competitors will appear in position zero.

Featured snippets appear as:

  • Paragraphs
  • Lists
  • Tables
  • Charts or graphs
  • Images
  • Videos

In order to optimize for featured snippets, target tears where you content already ranks on the first page results. Then, look at who has the featured snippet spot.

Reorganize your content to appeal to that snippet. For example, you can use bullets and headers to better organize your content to improve readability.

Repeat the question based on the search query you’re trying to appear for. Make sure to provide a short, concise answer. Then, provide additional information through images, data, or diagrams.

Make sure to structure your pages so the information is easy to find.

Then, remove any information that’s off-topic.

Structuring your pages for featured snippets will help you appeal to the Google BERT update.

5. Keywords

To improve your Google marketing strategies, it’s important to understand Google’s goal to eliminate “keyword-ese.” This refers to the phrasing people use to get Google to understand what they’re searching for. 

Again, this helps Google appeal to voice searches by using its AI.

In order to improve your website SEO content, make sure to write using natural, user-friendly copy. Write the way you speak. Make the content conversational to appeal to your readers.

Long-tail keywords are becoming more popular, appealing to how people phrase questions and queries naturally. 

When you write for your readers instead of Google, you’ll improve your ranking. 

6. EAT

In order to better appeal to the BERT update, make sure to focus on the user’s question. In addition to providing an answer, you also need to provide more value than your competitors.

Focus on conveying your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, or EAT.

Demonstrate your expertise to become a go-to source of information for your customers. You can use diagrams and other visuals to create content your users love.

Then, demonstrate your authority by using links from relevant, authoritative websites.

Finally, develop trust by addressing complaints and remaining transparent with customers. Add social proof, such as reviews, to strengthen brand trust as well.

7. Localized Content

The last step to improving your Google marketing strategies for the BERT update is to focus on localized content. While it’s still important to translate your content for other countries, you also need to focus on your locals.

Make sure your content addresses the questions your locals are asking.

7 Ways the BERT Update Will Affect Google Marketing Strategies

Don’t let the BERT update slow you down! By understanding more about BERT, you can improve your Google marketing strategies to attract more site traffic. 

Get ahead of your competitors. Contact us today to get started!

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Heather Shoup

DIGITAL WEB WHISPERER

For over two decades, I've been deeply passionate about technology, marketing, and the ever-evolving digital landscape. My journey has led me to collaborate with a diverse range of clients globally, across various industry sectors. Committed to staying ahead of the curve, I continually invest in my personal and professional development, especially in mastering the intricate technologies vital for success in digital marketing.

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