Optimizing Voice Search

Why optimize? It is found that since 2016, 20% of the queries made in Google are voice searches and it the numbers doesn’t show any signs of decreasing any time soon. ComScore even predicted that by the year 2020, 50% of the queries are type-free.

With regards to type-free, the key factor that makes voice searches popular among the people is convenience. People can now easily access the net while driving, cooking or doing something with their hands full.

Busy people and slow typers appreciate such a feature especially when it gives them the information they needed without stopping from their tasks.

Be Conversational

Preparing yourself for the onslaught of the voice search trend, you have to think conversational. According to Google, almost 70 percent of voice activated-queries are conversational in nature.

The typical keywords that people input into a search box found in voice search queries are little to none. Where one may inquire while typing, “Thai milk tea”, voice queries may go “How do I make Thai milk tea?” or “What are the ingredients of Thai milk tea?”.

People searching the net via a virtual assistant are asks for information in a manner as if they are asking a friend or a fellow person. Moreover, inquiries are much longer than the usual searches done when typing.

What you can do: In order to utilize and make that manner work for you, you have to think specific, conversational and natural languages. Focus on questions revolving around who, what, why, when, where and how.

Keywords are the Past

Regarding the conversational way how people interact with their voice searches versus text searches, 1-2 keywords are considered history.

Long Tail keywords are longer and more specific compared to the typical short and generalized keywords. For typed inquiries, may generate less traffic but has a higher chance of converting visitors into customers. Long tail keywords are already beneficial to SEO.

How much more beneficial it will be with the demand of voice search and the conversational way people ask the net? You can bet that these key phrases are going to be the next big thing.

What you can do: Optimize your keywords and implement longer and more specific phrases. Where “bottle cap collection” becomes “rare bottle cap collections” and “bottled drinking water” instead of “water”.

Mobile Is Key

Voice searches on mobile come in handy while on the go. Regarding that situation, it is no wonder that mobile devices are peoples first choice for voice searche. Aside from the looming presence of the mobile-first indexing in the near future, voice search on mobile devices adds up to the reason to focus on improving your site’s mobile friendliness.

Due to its mobility, compact and space-saving features, mobile devices nowadays are essential for people’s everyday functions.

Google keeps on improving the user experience of their search engine with fast page loads on requested search queries, informative snippets and suggestion boxes.

Go Local

People using mobile voice search three times more likely based locally compared to text searches. This relates to the study that 63% of mobile device users search locally.

If you have a physical store, this is a good reason to optimize your voice search features to improve business. Voice queries such as “near me”, “nearby” and “nearest” are used more often than not which can boost customer visits.

It is found that voice searches that use “near me” have grown 130% from 2014, and it keeps on growing with more people using and utilizing voice searches.

What you can do: Boost online and offline presence with the use of voice search by optimizing microdata. Input any crucial and specific information such as:

• Sitemap

• Location (detailed address, landmarks, neighborhood, etc.)

• Store Hours

• Prices

• Contact information(phone number, email, website, etc.)

Keep this information updated and be active with customer reviews.

In Conclusion

Search assistants such as Siri and Alexa were never more profitable than before at home, at work, and in school. With Google adding more languages to its voice search, the need for voice-activated queries will be even more widespread in the future.

It is convenient, it is efficient, it is easy and fast. Due to those facts, many are expecting that the demand for voice assistants and voice search features would keep on growing in 2018 and beyond.

Voice search is just one of the many changes that we will have to adjust and adapt to. One of these days, we will get used to it and it will be the next normal until another new feature replaces it.

And one more thing that will be incresnigly important is getting right mix of SEO to take into account voice search.

But are you ready this new change?