Google MUM is an AI-powered algorithm that will make searching online easier. MUM stands for Multitask Unified Model.
At the annual Google I/O developer conference on May 18, 2021, Google announced that they are working on a new AI-based technology called MUM which will be a thousand times better than the BERT update in 2019.
Google MUM is a machine learning model that is not only better at understanding written text but, in fact, any kind of content. This multimodal approach means MUM can open information from different formats and make connections between different types of information, enabling Google to provide better answers to complex search queries.
What is Google MUM?
MUM can understand any type of content better and link various pieces of information to provide precise answers to complex search queries.
Google says that, for more complex queries, it usually takes about eight searches for the user to get the best results.
With it users no longer need to do multiple searches to compare and get deeper information.
Why is Google MUM Important?
So far, netizens rely on keywords to search for something or find something on the internet. MUM provides a very human convenience because it can help you find many things without having to type in any keywords. This is the main goal of Google, which is to provide internet users with a search engine that can process very complex data (photos, videos in various languages, and so on).
This breakthrough will be very important because MUM can help humans get very detailed answers with faster search times and search speeds than previous versions. In addition, you will not feel like you are looking for an answer in a search engine, but rather ask for an answer from other “humans”.
What are the advantages?
1000 Times Better Than BERT
When Google introduced BERT in 2019, the update was said to be able to understand search better than ever.
BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) allows Google to better consider the context around language and user intent to provide more useful and accurate search results.
And Google MUM is a major update or addition to BERT and works the same way, using natural language processing, with a greater ability to multitask across different media types and the ability to understand more languages. According to Google, MUM is 1,000 times better than BERT.
Remove Language Barriers and Understand 75+ Foreign Languages
Google MUM can understand more than 75 foreign languages and this will remove the language barrier previously had by AI.
Because so far it has been dominated by understanding English, searching with questions involving international contexts is more difficult to find definite answers. Now with this Google MUM, the possibility of Google understanding these international contexts will be even greater!
This localized search will certainly have an impact on SEO, business, and digital marketing. Therefore, adaptation and use of this localization will make the competition even more fierce!
Multimodal Information
According to Google, MUM can open information in documents (HTML, PDF, TXT, etc.) as well as image, video, and audio content, contextualizing and linking content in ways that go beyond the “artificial” language level.
The ability to read and understand a variety of formats means MUM can present information gathered from video and image sources as well as text.
Implementing Advanced AI to Apply to Search
Google MUM uses an advanced level of AI to provide reliable and unlimited information, which is easy and safe for internet users around the world to access. This power will be applied to Search to provide more relevant and helpful answers. Until now, MUM is still being developed to make Search more efficient and “trained” not to give bias to the system.
Google MUM Effect For SEO
These are some of the effects of Google MUM:
Changes in Search Habits
Google MUM can answer very specific questions.
It is estimated that the impact is in the form of reduced volume for general keywords and increased search volume for specific keywords or better known as long-tail keywords.
Content Presentation Style
With Google MUM, the Google search engine is transforming into a personal assistant. Therefore, content creators have to adapt by changing their content presentation style.
Loss of Language Boundaries
Google MUM can understand 75 different languages. This opens up huge opportunities for new markets in these 75 languages. At the same time, it opens up very tough competition for Indonesian-language content.
If you can use it well, then this will have a very good impact on your business. But if you make a wrong move, then this can be fatal.
Content-Type
Google MUM is capable of extracting information from various types of media. Therefore, to be the best, you should no longer focus on only one type of media.
Produce as many different media types as possible to complement your content. With Google MUM, users can also perform voice searches more easily. Therefore the search volume is likely to increase.
Branding
The presence of MUM is like opening a global competition. No more language restrictions, no more content type restrictions. Text content will compete with video content and audio content at the same time. Vice versa, video content will also compete with text and audio content.
Therefore, branding is mandatory to be able to stand out amid this very tough competition. For SEO, branding has become much more important than ever.