Google recently announced that they will be using a machine learning, artificial intelligence technology called RankBrain. This new AI system from Google will teach itself how to deliver the most relevant pages for complex search queries. RankBrain will be used to process indexed pages, interpret “long-tailed” queries, and translate them efficiently so that it will deliver the best results for the searcher. While this was already a function of the Google Hummingbird Algorithm, the search engine claims that RankBrain will make that function even more powerful.
RankBrain is not an entirely new algorithm; rather it is one part of the Hummingbird Algorithm. While it may appear to just be an improvement for Google’s semantic search function, Google has confirmed that RankBrain is indeed a ranking factor. In fact, Google has confirmed that RankBrain is now their third most important factor for ranking websites.
In conclusion, Google is now using RankBrain, a machine learning AI system that is part of the Hummingbird algorithm. It’s purpose is most likely to “interpret the searches that people submit to find pages that might not have the exact words that were searched for”. And, it is now Google’s third-most important ranking factor.