Google announces search overhaul using MUM algorithm

Google has announced that MUM will be integrated into certain searches on Google Search. Google’s search results page is undergoing changes that will introduce new ways to discover and explore topics for certain searches.

This new research method builds on the old method of finding answers and introduces a more intuitive way to explore topics.

In the coming months, Google will guide users to thematic paths in a redesigned search experience for certain searches that will be more visual.

One of these changes is apparently already being researched.

Google’s MUM algorithm

Earlier in 2021, Google introduced a new search algorithm that can search in multiple languages ​​and with images to find answers to complex questions.

This algorithm is called MUM, short for Multitask Unified Model.

The feature most used by Google is the ability to search with images instead of just text.

Google has already announced the integration of MUM in its Lens application in the coming months.

How Google MUM will change search

The MUM algorithm will be introduced to Google search and will bring dramatic changes to the very idea of ​​what search means.

Users are currently looking for answers. But this new way of searching will help users explore more complex tasks while also introducing an entirely different way of presenting answers, especially with pictures.

The goal of these changes is to make the search more intuitive.

Google search redesign

Google called this change a search overhaul and that’s exactly what it is.

This new version of the search takes three big steps away from the old search engine of the ten blue links.

MUM modifies research in three important ways:

1. Things to know
2. Focus on the subject
3. Visually searchable search results

What do you need to know about Google?

The “things to know”Integrates Google MUM to understand all the ways in which users explore a topic. Google provides the example of the keyword phrase, “acrylic paint. “

Google notes that there are over 350 topics associated with this keyword phrase.

The “things to know“The feature will identify the most relevant or the most popular”paths“that users take by exploring this topic and bringing up more website content related to it.

So rather than waiting for users to perform follow-up searches, Google search will anticipate these related topics and bring up the content.

Here’s how this new search function works:

“For example, we can identify over 350 acrylic painting related topics, and help you find the right path forward.

Video animation of the “Things to know” feature

Exploring the topic in Google search

The second new feature is called Topic Zoom. This feature allows a researcher to enter and exit related topics.

A searcher can broaden the topic or zoom in to a more granular subtopic.

Visual exploration

The third new MUM feature is the one that appears to be now available in Google Search.

Visual exploration is a new visual way to explore a subject.

This new feature will not appear for all searches.

It is limited to researchers where the intention of the user is to find inspiration.

Google explains it this way:

“This new visual results page is designed for inspirational searches like ‘Halloween decorating ideas’ or ‘indoor vertical garden ideas’, and you can try it out today. “

How Google MUM and AI are changing search

These new search methods appear to be designed to help searchers discover more websites and web pages on the web.

Rather than limiting users to the ten blue links, Google makes it easier for searchers to crawl topics on many more websites than the old ten blue link method.

This should be good news for publishers.

How do you SEO for this? I suspect nothing is going to change on Google’s side when it comes to search optimization.

The traditional way of doing things where title tags and headers are used to dump high traffic keywords in the SEO style of Keyword-1, Keyword 2 maybe needs to be revisited, but that’s the case for several years.

It can be helpful to follow Google’s guidelines for titles and headings when using them to describe the topic of the web page and sections of the web page.

Making a web page easy to understand is one of the main attributes of good SEO.

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Read Google’s MUM ad in Google search

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