5 things you need to know about RankBrain algorithm

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5 things you need to know about RankBrain algorithm

Since Google launched RankBrain as an important component of its search algorithm, there has been a lot of misunderstanding about how it works. More people have also been wondering how RankBrain affects SEO. The following are 5 things you need to know about RankBrain algorithm.

How does RankBrain work?

This is the Google machine learning algorithm introduced in 2015. The main goal for RankBrain is to help Google understand various queries especially those that Google has never experienced before. Though it is more significant to about 15% of the queries that Google has never seen, it also affects the common queries.

RankBrain further helps Google to understand and harmonize common queries when there are omissions or misspellings. For example, if a visitor is searching for … how to address headache with out using painkillers …, RankBrain will consider with out as a misspelling and change to without. Google can, therefore, match what the clients was looking for and deliver precise results.

RankBrain Learning

RankBrain learns and gets refreshed periodically even if Google has always remained quiet about the frequency. By learning, Google can update its system with new things especially those designed by other unrelated platforms. Think of other search engines with equally sophisticated professionals who are researching and trying new things pm a daily basis. RankBrain makes it easy to ensure that whatever you are looking for is available and in the right format for better UX (user experience).

Impact on search results

Notably, RankBrain does not impact search results in a great way like it has often been construed. Though it is the third most important in the Google Algorithm, it does not alter how the results appear in searches. Therefore, a far as your SEO campaigns have been done appropriately, there is nothing to worry about.

To optimize for RankBrain

From an SEO standpoint, you cannot optimize RankBrain in the same manner that you do other parts of Google Algorithm. For example, other parts of Google algorithm can be optimized using keywords, title tags, and page speed among others. However, RankBrain can only be optimized using natural language. This means writing great content in a manner that is natural, free flowing, and appealing. It requires careful use of keywords to avoid overstuffing or distorting the meaning of sentences.

Common misconceptions about RankBrain

Because many people do not understand RankBrain, a lot of misconceptions have emerged over the last one year.

  • Misconception #1: Advertising costs affects RankBrain: This is a misconception because RankBrain is not affected by cost on advertising. Whether a website commits $10 million on Adwords or $10, AdWords and RankBrain are not related in any way. Besides, Google confirmed that RankBrain is also not affected by advertising on social media.
  • Misconception #2: Social sharing affects RankBrain: This misconception started a few months after RankBrain was launched. However, no matter the number of times that a website is shared or liked by followers, it does not have any influence on RankBrain. Social signals are unreliable to apply in search ranking because they lack control over access to social data. Accordingly, social sharing cannot be applied in RankBrain or Algorithm.