Google has announced that it will be introducing its new MUM (Multitask Unified Model) algorithm to search, which means that Google’s search results page (SERP) will have to adapt, as this new algorithm will introduce new ways of discovering and exploring content for certain searches.
The MUM algorithm, capable of searching by context and a in multiple languages at once, will change the way Google displays search results.
Over the next few months, Google will be rolling out this redesign, which aims to guide users to a new, more intuitive way of searching, with a redesigned experience so that the searches are more visual. This is because the Google MUM algorithm makes it possible not only to search across content in multiple languages, but also to use images to find answers to complex questions.
How will search change with Google MUM?
With the current search engine, users perform searches by asking the searcher questions. However, with the introduction of MUM, it will be possible to explore more complex tasks.
Google has pointed out three main features that will change with the introduction of this new algorithm and they are “Things to know”, topic-based exploration and visual exploration.
The feature “Things to know” allows Google to understand all the ways in which users can explore a topic. For example, if a user searches for “acrylic paint” on Google, they will know that there are over 350 different topics associated with this keyword. This new functionality allows Google to identify the “paths” that most users take to explore this topic and will display the content that is most closely related to these paths, as well as to the user’s usual searches.
In this way, instead of users being the ones performing follow-up searches from a basic keyword, Google will preempt these searches and display related content and topics.
The second feature, the browsing by topicwill allow users to search for content on a topic and expand their knowledge or explore a variety of related subtopics.
Finally, the visual scanning which will allow a topic to be explored from images. This functionality will be restricted to searches where the user is looking for inspiration such as “Christmas decorating ideas” or “indoor garden ideas”.
