If you haven’t heard, Google is reinventing the way searching for things works with their newest neural network algorithm, BERT. It is an acronym for (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) and it debuted in Google’s search system in late October. 

Here’s what Google said about BERT, “These improvements are oriented around improving language understanding, particularly for more natural language/conversational queries, as BERT is able to help search better understand the nuance and context of words in searches and better match those queries with helpful results.

Particularly for longer, more conversational queries, or searches where prepositions like “for” and “to” matter a lot to the meaning, search will be able to understand the context of the words in your query. You can search in a way that feels natural for you.” This will be extremely important in making sure that no matter the way someone might phrase a question whether it be via voice search or typed search that it gives the best and highest ranking answers.

74% of consumers that search for something on their phone visit that store that day so if you have a complete Google business page and the correct keywords your business will be put in front of your target audience. Understanding natural language is very complex and this is a significant step for the way that we find the things we are looking for.

Here is an example of BERT, using a pharmacy:

If you would have searched for that before the latest upgrade that 2017 MedlinePlus article about getting a prescription filled appeared instead of the correct information on how to pick up a prescription for someone else. Now on the right image BERT now serves a legitimate 2002 article from the Department of Health and Human Services about how to have a friend or family member pick up the medicine on your behalf.

If there are anymore updates from Google we will be sure to inform you and to hear more about this listen to our podcast from Tuesday!