One of the biggest changes Google has ever made to its algorithm, the Hummingbird update, completely overhauled how Google interprets a user’s query. It was a pretty big turning point in not only SEO, but technology as a whole. The Hummingbird update made Google’s algorithm scarily intelligent and paved the pathway for RankBrain and other updates that enabled the algorithm to grow smarter and smarter. It’s commonly believed that the Hummingbird update was implemented due to the rise of voice search, as it could understand the actual nature of a search query.
Therefore, a Humminbird penalty might be unleashed on your site if your content doesn’t seem to be written in a natural way. Or, it could be that your content is not written in a way that Google thinks actually answers the user’s query. It can be difficult to decipher whether or not your site has been hit by the Hummingbird penalty, and that is why we always recommend hiring an expert to help you identify the problem (and create a tailored solution).