Google’s big, scary BERT update is here.

But the good news is that, after taking a deeper look, this algorithm update is not scary at all. 

Tensions grew across the marketing world before the Google BERT launch because this was introduced as one of the biggest algorithm updates in recent months. That announcement led many to assume that it would upend traditional SEO-focused content strategy. 

BERT has definitely changed some things, but most of Builder Designs’ home builder clients have made it through the transition just fine so far.

The update, which went into effect late last month, was named for Google’s Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. That mouthful was luckily shortened to BERT.

This technology enables users to train their own state-of-the-art question answering system by harnessing the power of transformers. These models process individual keywords in relation to the other words in a sentence to add context.  

This is a change from the traditional model of one-by-one ordered evaluation that tended to lose the intent behind searches, or more simply, lose the human element of search. 

Ultimately, Google’s change was made to improve day-to-day searches and help users more quickly and easily find what they need. 

That means content will continue to be your top priority. However, the keyword strategy that drives your content creation might change.

For example, our traditional focus on simple keywords like “new homes baton rouge” will shift to emphasize long-tail search terms like “new construction homes for sale in baton rouge la.” Google’s Keyword Planner, the SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool and Moz Keyword Explorer are a few great resources the Builder Designs team uses to gather these lists for our partners.

This research may also lead to some great content ideas that do not quite fit on a community or city page of the site, but may be perfect for a blog like “new developments in baton rouge” or even “baton rouge homes for sale with pools”.

Google is also placing a greater emphasis on the snippets feature as a way to simplify search queries for users seeking a quick answer. While this is not entirely controllable on page, the keyword research we referenced above can help you identify important words and use them in more precise ways. 

In conclusion, the BERT update really should not be scary if you’re publishing well-written, useful content. For some SEOs, the cat-and-mouse game of subverting the rankings process continues. 

However, at Builder Designs, we maintain that the best long-term strategy for your SEO is to create interesting, educational, and keyword-focused content. If you need some assistance, an audit, or just some inspiration for content planning, Builder Designs is here to help. Call Amber at (913) 393-3367.