Google’s Semantic Search Coming Up Next…

Google’s focus on quality of search will soon transpire in its push for understanding of the meaning of search phrases, not just each word. After some testing and discoveries in that area, Google is ready to roll out some changes related to semantic search capabilities.

The new technology will make it possible to spot concepts and associations connected to a search query that will improve the related search terms displayed in the results. Some examples will illustrate this: a search for “definition of astronomy” will trigger the algorithms to associate related terms such as “all about astronomy”, “meaning of astronomy” and “astronomy vs astrology”.

Google’s progress in the area of semantic search does not come as a surprise, as Google has been criticized over the years for using an aging approach to search queries based on analyzing keywords vs understanding their meaning. That kind of limitation has been discussed for some time and Google has been looking for solutions. Google’s semantic search technology is focusing now on the questions that people are asking through Search queries, understanding their meaning, and the ability to respond at a conceptual level.