BERT

BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) helps Google understand context, especially how words relate to each other within a sentence.

It focuses on language nuance, not popularity signals.

Why BERT Matters

Traditional systems struggled with:

  • Prepositions
  • Sentence structure
  • Subtle differences in meaning

Example:

“Can you get medicine for someone at a pharmacy?” vs

“Can you get medicine at a pharmacy for someone else?”

Before BERT, Google often misunderstood these distinctions.

How BERT Improves Search Understanding

BERT:

  • Reads queries bidirectionally (left and right context)
  • Understands how each word modifies meaning
  • Improves relevance for complex or conversational queries

Google confirmed BERT impacts 10%+ of searches, especially long-tail and voice queries.

SEO Implications of BERT

BERT does not reward tricks.

It favors:

  • Natural language writing
  • Clear explanations
  • Well-structured answers

If content reads well to humans, BERT can interpret it correctly.