The use of neural matching means that Google can do a better job going beyond the exact words in business name or description to understand conceptually how it might be related to the words searchers use and their intents...
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 2, 2019
The update was implemented globally, which means that it works for all Google versions around the world.The use of neural matching in local search doesn’t require any changes on behalf of businesses. Those looking to succeed should continue to follow the fundamental advice we offer here: https://t.co/tPkyuyMjsP
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 2, 2019
Neural matching - what is it?
Neural matching was introduced to support searching in 2018 and initially worked for about 30% of all searches. As you can see, Google is still working on expanding its reach and this time it focused on local search. It’s a system based on AI (artificial intelligence) which helps to better match the search queries to their real meanings. It can be compared to searching the net with the use of synonyms. Users searching for information in Google, very often use different phrases or words than the keywords used on websites providing answers to the search queries. Neural matching is supposed to solve the issue and ensure a better match of the search queries and search results, even if the used keywords are different. Examples of differences in search queries and search results:What phrase is used by users when searching | The synonym on the website providing answer to the search query |
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