By Pep Canals, on 6 April 2023
Google MUM is an algorithm endowed with artificial intelligence that can affect SEO, since it's able to precisely understand any type of content. This allows it to give answers that are much more in line with the user's search intent. But what exactly is Google MUM and how can it affect the SEO of a website? What should be taken into account to maintain ranking? We explain it all below!
What Is Google MUM?
Google MUM (Multitask Unified Model) is an artificial intelligence-enabled technology that allows Google to more accurately analyze any type of content, including podcasts, videos and images. It also allows it to better understand user queries, including very complex ones.
What best defines Google MUM is its ability to multitask simultaneously. It can understand and generate language and provide a response that matches what the user is asking for. It is also a type of multilingual technology, as it is able to connect information from 75 different languages. Additionally, as mentioned above, it's multimodal, meaning it is able to understand information through any type of content.
The main objective of this type of technology is to offer the user an experience close to what they would have with another human being. In other words, a kind of conversation or consultation that is much more intuitive. The biggest difference is that here the language barriers are broken, since Google MUM can automatically translate a web page to give an answer that fits with what the user is looking for.
This new Google algorithm will arrive progressively and will change the way in which queries are made and answers are obtained in the search engine. At the same time, it will change the way we offer content and the way we do SEO.
What Are the Main Changes That Google MUM Brings?
With the arrival of Google MUM, the most complex searches will no longer be a problem. This technology has the ability to find and understand any type of information, even if it is in another language or in a format other than text. This means that if you want to obtain very specific information about a museum that is located in another country, Google MUM can translate the information on the official website to answer your question as accurately as possible.
In addition, with Google MUM it is possible to relate an image and a question, for example. This means that you could photograph a plate of food and ask what the recipe is and Google MUM would be able to relate both elements and give an answer in the form of text, a video or a link.
How Google MUM Will Affect SEO
The arrival of Google MUM will directly affect the way we create content and optimize it for SEO. This is a change that is causing a lot of concern among digital marketing experts, who do not know exactly to what extent it can hurt them in terms of organic traffic. However, content creation will continue to exist, it will just have to adapt to this new technology.
One of the most significant changes is that searches will no longer be divided into a series of keywords, questions, or phrases, since after an initial question, MUM will understand that the following ones are related to the topic without the need to specify this. For example, you can initially ask how to get to Miami from Boston and then what the weather will be like, and MUM will understand perfectly well that the user wants to know what the weather will be like in Miami in the near future. This leads us to the end of keywords or to a minimization of their use because MUM is able to understand any type of content.
There will likely also be a greater variety of content formats, making writing (although still important) dispensable. This means that when it comes to providing information on a specific topic, it will be possible to assess which format is the most appropriate.
We should also note that all this will lead to greater search competence. With MUM, there will no longer be language barriers, so your content will compete with all the content from other parts of the world.
It's also likely that there will be an improvement in voice search, as this is a type of technology that effectively understands what the user is asking for. This means that the more optimized the content is for voice search, the better.
When Will Google MUM Changes Be Applied?
Google MUM is still in a testing period, so we don't know when it will be implemented. It may take months or even years for it to become part of our daily lives.
In fact, the information available on the subject does not yet allow us to design strategies for the launch of MUM, so the smartest thing to do at this time is to continue creating quality content that meets the needs of your audience.
How to Optimize Your Website for Google MUM
As the information available on MUM does not yet allow you to create strategies that adjust to its algorithms and parameters, the most advisable thing to do at this time is to create quality content. This way, you can become a reference within your sector. In fact, it is believed that working on branding is one of the best strategies that can be followed at this time, as it may be key when MUM is operational.
It may also be useful to consider other content formats (not only text) because MUM will value those, but also because users increasingly appreciate having other options. Video and podcast formats are booming, so incorporating them into a content strategy can be beneficial both now and in the future.
No matter how many questions Google MUM generates right now, what is clear is that it will mark a before and after in the user experience, since getting to certain information will be much easier and faster. As content creators, we must try to provide that information in the most accurate and updated way possible.
