Google has been busy lately. On top of recently introducing a new default attribution model, they’re hinting at visual search results optimization with what they call Multitask Modeling. The company believes that such an update would further streamline product discovery and provide users with better contextual search results.
As Google dives further into the territory of artificial intelligence (AI); looking at you Elon Musk; it begins incorporating more intuitive designs and functionality in its own systems. The proposed Multitask Unified Model (MUM) would allow people to perform queries using variable inputs and several other elements as search parameters, leading to better discovery.
To quote Google:
“In the coming months, we’ll introduce a new way to search visually, with the ability to ask questions about what you see.”
To put it plainly, with such an advanced search function, you can use a visual or image as a reference to find similar items. For example, using an actual photo of a printed T-shirt instead of looking up results after manually typing it in the search bar.
Likewise, if you don’t know what certain objects are called or would like to learn more about specific processes, you can supply the search with an available reference.
Things To Consider
When it comes to total search capacity, functionality such as this opens up whole new opportunities. You allow users to greatly expand their discovery as well as provide and track new and relevant insights and behaviors.
While on the topic of relevance, the MUM is said to also facilitate broader contextual search based on advanced machine understanding, along with new elements such as Google’s “Things to know”. All of these are designed to help better direct user queries to more relevant results.
Google describes it as:
“If you search for “acrylic painting,” Google understands how people typically explore this topic, and shows the aspects people are likely to look at first. For example, we can identify more than 350 topics related to acrylic painting, and help you find the right path to take.”
Considering the current landscape of SEO, and the nature of Google SERPs for that matter, implementing the MUM maximizes discovery because of its ability to more clearly identify new trends by supplying more heavily related and close-knit results.
Google plans to roll out the new features over the next couple of weeks, including more visually aligned deep-dive search options, reoriented visual search parameters, and expanded and more comprehensive product listings.
The Wrap
Google may not update as regularly as the other platforms, but when they do, they do so with a focus on impactful, quality-of-life changes designed to improve the convenience and efficiency of your online activities. Catering to both personal and entrepreneurial operations, Google aims to make searching more immersive and exploratory while at the same time making it easier to transact with a wide selection of different merchants.
It’s been a while since we last heard and experienced major changes to the world’s most popular search engine, but what we can expect from MUM and all the added utility of the new updates is that our browsing experience will now be more of a discovery rather than just mere “browsing”. From a business perspective, both engagement and sales are likely to increase since brands and audiences would both have access to more relevant content and information.
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