The Rise of Voice Search.
We all use our mobiles to access the internet, it’s just so convenient.
With increasingly hectic lifestyles it seems we are now even too busy to type our queries into google on our phone. This has led to the rise of voice search.
A recent study reported that the three most popular voice searches are ‘Navigate home’ ‘Call home’ and ‘Call mom’. Nice to know we still appreciate our mothers!
Also becoming popular in our worlds are the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart devices. These are a great way to use your voice in order to play music, turn on lights, order products and get information. So not only are we using voice search on mobile but we are also using it increasingly at home while moving around the house.
The figures
50% of all searches will be voice search by 2020
30% of search will be done without a screen
60% of people currently using search have only started in the past 12 months
Why voice search?
Why are we seeing the rise in voice search? It’s all down to convenience and reliability. Humans can speak quicker than they type so the time spent searching is automatically reduced. It’s easier to speak than to type on a phone and voice queries are believed to be more accurate than text. There does not seem to be any downsides at all.
Optimise for voice search
With increased reliability and convenience, we know that voice search is here to stay. So how do we optimise our websites and online business profiles to get the most from this new trend?
Voice search queries are usually longer than text keywords so long tail keywords are important. We need to create content using keywords that relate to conversational speaking. We need to think ‘how would my customer ask for my product’.
Many voice searches are around local, so tell Google who you are, where you are and what you do. The very minimum a business should do is create a Google Business listing. This is free to do and will only take a short time to set up and verify. Once somebody searches for your business locally you have a greater chance of showing up if Google can find you easily.
With people searching using questions, a FAQ page on your website could be the answer. This is an easy way to get all the long tail keywords on your site in a user friendly way. Just think about conversational questions and answers and use your natural language to create them.
Another simple tip that is often overlooked is including contact details on a website. Sometimes we get lost in design and have images rather than text with our details. Make sure you also add your address and opening hours on your website in plain text that can be found.
Although the normal advice for SEO applies, by considering voice search and following this advice your business may reap the benefits of voice search.
