What Can SEOs Anticipate from the Google MUM Update?

SEO content strategies evolve with every Google algorithm update. SEOs need to be prepared for whatever Google throws their way. The recent “Mobile-First Index” update is just the latest example. These changes determine how websites are developed and how SEO content is created.

There’s been a lot of speculation about what Google’s MUM update could mean for SEO. Some believe that it could signal the end of keyword-based optimisation. In contrast, others think it could simply be a refinement of the company’s existing semantic search technology.

This blog will dive into what MUM is, how it could affect SEOs, and what steps they can take to get ahead of the update.

The term MUM (Multitask Unified Model) refers to a new Google search feature that debuted in May 2021.

Adapt Your Strategy to Google’s Algorithm Changes

According to the Search On 21 website, the technology released in the fall of 2021 functions with AI or natural language comprehension and processing. MUM employs artificial intelligence (AI) or natural language to understand and process sophisticated searches with multimodal information.

MUM can understand several languages and converts information from various media types to respond to queries. MUM also understands image, audio, and video files.

How it Works

Google presented MUM as a thousand times more advanced upgrade to BERT. These technologies are both derived from natural language processing. However, MUM has risen above natural language processing. With this update, Google has made a quantum leap in understanding user intent and delivering results that satisfy that intent.

MUM improves the user experience by combining several technologies to make Google searches more context-based and semantic. MUM is designed to help Google tackle sophisticated search queries that a basic SERP snippet cannot handle.

The following is a list of the duties to be performed by MUM:

• MUM aims to provide a thorough comprehension of world data.
• MUM is versed in up to 75 languages ​​all at once to comprehend them. Each language was previously analysed in its respective language model using previous methods.
• MUM will efficiently process words, pictures, audio, and video and comprehend information.

The following can be derived from Google’s statements:

• Google utilises MUM to extend the semantic databases, notably the Knowledge Graph, to approach its stated aim of having a complete knowledge database.
• With MUM, Google aims to improve the worldwide search to bring together all indices and search instances on a similar qualitative level globally, ensuring that every country and language globally has a similar high-quality user experience while also working more effectively with their resources.
• The most significant news for SEOs is that MUM aims to utilise all media types to gather data (data mining), comprehend it, and process it in the search results. The search intention is appropriately served, and the user experience with Google searches is outstanding.

In other words, in addition to an enormous amount of text-based content, Google can tap into various information from all media types within the Google systems to improve the index. Therefore, even more recorded data may be generated. Information from text, video, audio, and pictures can be represented in the SERPs more accurately for search queries.

• An “about this result” box may also provide information about the source concerning the desired search result.
• The following is a list of data you may collect about the author via their name, title and general interests. The information comes from reliable sources like Wikipedia or the author’s website and whether the connection to the site is secure. You can also discover what the author discusses about themself and what others have written about them or the subject.
• It’s not clear to what extent MUM is employed here. However, it’s likely that the entity or source’s authority and trust also impact the ranking.

Google MUM Update: The Next Big Paradigm Shift Centred on User Orientation and Performance

The introduction of MUM marks the next great shift in Google search after BERT, Hummingbird, and Rankbrain. Unlike previous machine-learning-based developments, which used several trained models for various duties, at MUM, the objective is to employ just one model for all indexing, information retrieval, and ranking tasks.

Because of the emphasis on only one language model, comparing different languages for semantic interpretation is no longer necessary. The algorithms are developed based on English-language search queries and documents. They can be used to interpret all other languages, which is a significant advantage from a performance standpoint and semantically. Natural language processing is considerably easier to interpret in English than in other grammatically more intricate languages like German.

Google has long had an emphasis on English as the main language. Knowledge panels began including translations of English-language SEO content in 2019.

This is a major boost in terms of performance. The use of natural language processing or machine learning requires that the available data be used effectively. This requires the reduction of procedures that are being executed in parallel. Focusing on just one data model for each search query provides an efficiency and performance benefit by minimising processes running in parallel.

E-A-T and Google MUM’s Effect on Searches

Another major issue for Google is the validity of data. For years, Google has fought a quality battle with E-A-T, which future enhancements should bolster.

On the right-hand side, below the search result, there’s an “about this result” box that gives information on the page’s origin.

In a research paper produced by Google in 2020 titled “Multitask Mixture of Sequential Experts for User Activity Streams,” which discusses a technology dubbed as MoSE that is comparable to MUM in several ways, users learn about another method for distinguishing good content from bad.

MosE is a relatively quick and simple technology to use. Still, it can summarise rather effectively, utilising user data in a data model such as clicks and search history. It functions like traditional search engines, starting with the search engine user rather than with the indexed information. The focus is on the user’s intention, and Google may predict which questions and answers a user will require in their search.

The SERPs can provide everything the user needs to effortlessly move through the buying process.

MUM: What the Future Holds for SEO

The next piece in Google’s quest for a purely semantic search engine that constantly improves the context of search queries and content is MUM. As a result, the relevance of the content and passages matches the query intent context.

Since we likely won’t see a functioning quantum computer any time soon, Google must employ efficient technologies such as MUM to utilise existing computational capabilities for large-scale machine learning. In doing so, Google can speed up the development of its search engines without worrying about the hardware side’s performance. It could be said that software development has simply progressed past hardware development.

For the year 2029, a watershed moment for commercially viable quantum computers is anticipated. It is expected that Google search will be entirely semantic if that happens. By then, keyword text matching might just become a thing of the past.

Align Your SEO Campaigns with the Latest Advancements in Google Search

If there’s one thing that’s certain in the landscape of SEO, Google is constantly changing the way they process and display information. What worked well last year may not work so well this year, and what works today might not work tomorrow. As such, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and keep your finger on the pulse of the latest advancements in Google Search by adopting a relevant SEO content strategy.

At position1seo.co.uk, we do just that. Our team of SEO content specialists are experts in their field and stay up-to-date with all the latest changes so that your campaigns can too. Our SEO services include comprehensive keyword research, targeted content marketing, efficient on-page optimisation, link building and backlinking, and more!

Don’t get left behind – align your SEO campaigns with the latest advancements in Google Search and start debunking SEO content strategy myths by working with Position1SEO today. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you stay ahead of the competition.

If you’d like more information about our services, please visit our homepage or contact us at jason@position1seo.com for a no-obligation consultation.