Nowadays, it is challenging to understand and appreciate just how much impact search engines, such as Google and Bing, have on our everyday lives. You can imagine what it was like to search for information, such as product features, in the old days. It was a complicated and time-consuming process. Thanks to search engines like Google, this process is much easier now. However, as valuable and important as Google is to today’s society, the search engine still has its limitations.
They say that moms always know best, but can we say the same about Google MUM update? Did you know that Google has launched the most recent update as the answer many were looking for in order to make Internet search more comprehensive and intuitive?
Instead of improving search in any single way, Google can use MUM to create a range of new and improved experiences. According to experts, the update is a lot more powerful and comprehensive than BERT.
What’s the Google MUM Update?
MUM is Google’s latest technology that will enable the leading search engine to better understand search intent and content. MUM stands for Multitask Unified Model. It is a machine learning model that is not only better at understanding written text but any type of content, such as images and videos.
As a user, you have to perform about eight to ten searches on Google to find relevant information for complex tasks. For instance, if you are planning an adventurous road trip across the US, you could not simply type in “how can I plan an adventurous road trip from Washington to Florida.”
Note that at best, Google will likely give you travel directions between each state; however, keep in mind that it would not understand what you actually want. So, you would prefer to plan your road trip around top-rated parks and other attractions along the way, based mainly on user recommendations and ratings.
This is where MUM comes in. It breaks down complex queries and delivers comprehensive results, just like asking another person. Also, with more recent advancements, such as the latest BERT update, search engines have improved their language processing capabilities. This is important as it enables them to better understand queries and then return more relevant and valuable results.
The MUM algorithm understands about 75 different languages. This implies that it can pool and serve results in order to give users the most comprehensive and holistic search experience.
Google made it quite clear with its reporting update that it won’t have any effect on a website’s traffic or rankings.
How MUM Works
Thanks to artificial intelligence technology, projects like MUM are not a pipe dream anymore. Did you know that MUM works by analyzing and processing complicated terms and search queries and running these complicated processes simultaneously?
With training in more than 75 languages so far, this program can efficiently perform multiple tasks simultaneously to bring up comprehensive and relevant search results.
Multimodal Information Gathering
The best thing about MUM is that it is designed to provide genuinely useful and valuable responses to searches and queries that do not have a simple answer. This makes its multimodal capability particularly interesting.
Instead of just understanding information in text form, MUM can comprehend and understand images, audio, and video. You should know that this multimedia savvy comes into play in an exciting new feature Google is developing for its Google Lens search tool. It lets you initiate a search simply by aiming your smartphone camera at a real-world object.
Thanks to MUM, you can snap an image and then supplement it with text in order to create a search that may not have been possible to express or articulate with words or pictures alone. As a result, MUM can provide nuanced answers and advise that, yes, those hiking boots or equipment are suitable for this trip.
Applies Artificial Intelligence to Google Search
There is no doubt that when many people hear about artificial intelligence, they tend to get nervous. However, note that Google is dedicated to using AI responsibly. This is why each new addition to Google Search, including this update, undergoes major quality testing before being used.
Google carefully and thoroughly tests every step it takes forward with artificial intelligence to improve users’ access to relevant information. And to avoid any bias in the systems, it also evaluates any patterns that may indicate bias in machine learning.
Implications for SEO
Google is yet to roll out MUM anywhere. However, over the next couple of months, the company will test this fantastic technology in its various products.
For example, Google will gather information in order to ensure that it works as intended without any machine learning bias. However, this is the future of search. So, over the next few years, you can expect MUM to become mainstream. Also, digital marketing strategists and experts around the globe have to start preparing and planning for this eventuality.
And it is possible that Google’s ability to carefully aggregate valuable information from multiple sources and then provide a relevant response will mean less traffic. So, if Google answers the search query or term entirely on the SERP, there is less incentive for users to click on a page. Users might still visit the webpage for context, though.
Release of Google MUM
You should know that Google MUM is not available for the masses yet. While Google hasn’t announced the date when the MUM update will be going live, the company is running internal pilot testing of the MUM update. As a result, you should be on the lookout for various MUM-powered features as well as improvements on many Google products in the coming months.
Final Thoughts
MUM’s strength mainly stems from its multilingual, multitasking, and multimodal nature. It can change search engines forever and even multiply the effect that the BERT update had in 2019. As a result, Google will cease to be merely a search engine and grow more into an intuitive information presentation machine.