What is Google MUM, and what does it mean for my business?

Mum’s the word - but this Google core update is hardly a secret.

We’ve broken down everything you need to know about Google’s MUM, and what this means for B2B businesses across the UK.

What is Google MUM?

MUM stands for Multitask Unified Model and is the technology that Google introduced to their search feature in May 2021. 

This update to Google’s algorithm aims to answer search demands by using an AI-powered algorithm, helping to improve online search capability.  And it’s 1000 times more powerful than its predecessor, BERT.

Currently, users need to carry out multiple searches to compare content and gain deeper insights. MUM will remove the need for that by accessing previously hidden information around a query.

The Multitask Unified Model has the ability to truly understand content, and provide solutions that are relevant. This doesn’t just include text, but images, videos, and podcasts too. Plus, it can understand 75 languages, meaning it will be able to give users the most accurate content, regardless of the language it was originally written in.

Google believes MUM will redefine the way search engines provide useful information.

 How does Google’s MUM effect B2B content and SEO?

When creating B2B content, it's crucial to ensure you write for both search engines and people. This is even more true with MUM. 

So in light of the new update, here’s some things to remember:

• Make sure everything you publish is high quality, focused, and answers the specific question asked in the title. For example, if you were writing a blog about this Google MUM update, but began talking solely about the previous BERT algorithm, it would know something is wrong.
• Multimedia is your friend! Including videos, relevant images or links to podcasts on your website is no longer optional, it’s strongly encouraged. Non-text formats will help you get noticed by MUM’s algorithm and generate more traffic.
• You’re now competing with content created in 74 other languages. Your content will now be competing with some of the most significant results from around the world. Although this removes language barriers, you should consider having multi-lingual SEO as part of your strategy.
• Use structured data. If you’re not properly using H1s, H2s, H3s and any other meta information, your website will drop in rankings. If your team is intermittently changing structured data for style, not search, now is the time to consider training.
• MUM will understand what’s relevant, and what’s not. Because you’ll be competing against content from around the world, consider where the volume of traffic is coming from in your chosen keywords.
• SEO is still important! Although MUM will have a better understanding of a variety of content, it’s still crucial to give Google and other search engines a clear understanding of what your content is and who it is for with SEO optimisation techniques. 

Creating content with Google MUM in mind

Unlike BERT, there is a lot that B2B businesses can do to create rich, engaging content with this new algorithm update.

Because Google’s MUM will understand your content better than ever before, it’s more important than ever to create rich, engaging content for your audience. The more relevant and engaging the content is, the more likely you are to be found first time.

While Google’s MUM will bring in core changes to how users find content, it’s still vital you include:

• Structured data, alt-text and metadata, so search engines can understand what’s on the page.
• Relevant, targeted long tail keywords, altered to your persona.
• Content that has been written for people, not the search engines.
• Backlinks and internal linking where possible.

Ultimately, now more than ever, great content is king. With Google MUM, you have the power to reach audiences globally. 

Now multiple searching may be a thing of the past, it’s vital to know who you’re talking to, what they want to know, and what they’re likely to search for to find that content.