When BERT and MUM started becoming big topics in SEO, I kept seeing advice about changing the entire way we write.
Honestly, I didn't.
I didn't create a special “BERT writing style.”
I didn't start stuffing articles with related words because I thought MUM wanted them.
What I did change was much simpler.
I Started Thinking More About Context
BERT made me pay more attention to something writers should already care about:
Context.
A keyword on its own doesn't tell the whole story.
For example, if someone searches for something specific, they're usually looking for an answer to a particular question—not a page where that phrase appears 20 times.
So I started asking:
“What does the reader actually want to know?”
That question naturally improved my writing.
What About MUM?
MUM was interesting because Google described it as a technology capable of understanding information across different modalities and languages.
The practical lesson I took from that wasn't “add images because MUM likes images.”
It was simply this:
Sometimes text isn't the best way to explain something.
A screenshot can explain a software feature.
A diagram can explain a process.
A video can demonstrate something that would take several paragraphs to describe.
So I became more thoughtful about when visual content genuinely helps the reader.
What Didn't Change?
I didn't stop using keywords.
I didn't stop writing headings.
I didn't stop thinking about SEO.
I just stopped treating algorithms as something I had to write for.
That also connects with what I found while testing my own articles with NLP. You can read that experiment in What Google’s NLP API Actually Showed Me About My Writing.
For the bigger picture, I also recommend NLP and Semantic Writing — What I Learned From Testing My Own Content.
My Takeaway
BERT and MUM didn't make me completely change my writing style.
They made me more conscious of something much more basic:
Write so the meaning is clear.
Don't force keywords.
Don't add information just because it's related.
Don't add images just to make a page look optimized.
Give the reader the clearest answer you can.
That's a writing habit I expect to remain useful, regardless of what Google calls its next system.
Need a hand with this? Our SEO content writing team can help you put it into practice. Talk to ClicZeo.
