Have you noticed a new trend in your search reports: question -based search reports and longer- tail searches? Well, thanks to Voice Input, it is happening.
In today’s fast-paced life, most of us are looking for a quick way to achieve a goal or multi-task efficiently. Voice Search allows users to browse the internet and consumer information without actually going through websites on mobile devices or desktop.
Whether it is Siri or Alexa, most of us are getting comfortable using voice search and digital assistants. Voice search is easier as we can simply speak something instead of typing. Its accuracy has greatly improved in the last few years which means that you need to up your game and adapt the technology if you want to be ahead of competitors.
What is Voice Search?
Voice search allows you to speak into a device instead of typing the keywords in the search query to provide you with the results. It uses speech recognition to understand a user’s query and delivers the results orally.
Some great examples of voice searches are speech-to-text and voice dialing.
Some voice search statistics you cannot ignore are;
31% of smartphone users across the world use voice at least once a week.
By 2020, 30% of web browsing will be done without a screen.
20% of Google’s queries on mobile app and Android devices are voice searches.
Word accuracy rates for most major voice-search platforms has risen well above 90%
What Impact will Voice Search have on SEO
By 2020, half of the online searches will be made via voice search. Know the How Voice Search is Going to Impact the SEO.
Voice search Strategy improves user experience drastically and owing to its growing popularity, Google is placing a higher emphasis on voice search optimization. After all, improved user experience is what Google always looks for. It ranks websites accurately so users can find the best information for their query in the shortest time.
However, it is important to note that Voice Search SEO and traditional website SEO are different and some factors that affect the website rankings may or may not have the same effect on voice search.
So, when your users turn to their voice assistants and search for local businesses while on the go, is your brand ready?
To leverage voice search for your business, you will have to first understand what people are looking for – business info, deals, coupons, discounts, promotions, etc.
Best 6 Voice Search Strategies to adapt
Long-tail keywords: Voice search is not used in the same way as typing something into a search engine. People ask more direct questions to get relevant answers. So, try to use long-tail keywords in your content to increase the chances of your content ranking in voice search engine result pages.
Think from your user’s perceptive: After understanding your target audience, you must then understand what type of questions they are likely to ask when looking for your products and services. For better rankings, you must provide direct and concise answers. Make sure to build content around the questions.
Develop content in an informal tone: Make sure to develop content that has a colloquial tone. Unlike text search, voice search is direct and informal.
Focus on answering FAQs: Prioritize on answering questions like who, what, why and how conversationally and directly.
Focus on local searches: Most voice search queries are location-based content. Therefore, you must invest in local content. You can try phrases like “near me”.
Try voice search: To understand how voice search will impact your website, you should try the voice search yourself. By doing so, you will be able to find out how your competition is ranking. It will also help you learn about long-tail keywords and how they can help improve your ranking.
There are several ways by which you can make the most of voice search and increase traffic to your website and even a brick and mortar store. Regardless of the tricks you use, you must make sure to incorporate voice search in your SEO Strategy. It will boost your rankings in the search results.