Ever since the launch of the voice search feature by Google in the year 2002, voice search has come a long way in terms of technology, usability, and utility.
Voice search and AI (Artificial Intelligence) are playing a major role in this era of the digital marketing revolution that we are witnessing.
Instead of being typed in on a keyboard, a growing proportion of searches are being spoken nowadays.
Around 3.25 billion people are currently using voice-activated search and assistants globally.
Apple Siri, the first voice search assistant, was launched in April 2011, and since then we are surrounded by many more major names like Google Assistant (Google), Alexa (Amazon), Bixby (Samsung), and Cortana (Microsoft).
According to Forbes, It is estimated that 50 percent of all the searches across the internet will be voice-based in 2021.
In this article, we will discuss the voice base search and its emerging trends.
Let’s Dive in.
Why is Voice Search Getting So Popular?
The voice search experience depends on the following factors:
- The device
- the assistant
- the type of question being asked.
Gone are the days of typing in the search query.
Almost 7 out of 10 people prefer to search by using voice-based assistants rather than typing.
Humans generally have the tendency of making their lives simpler and easier.
As typing is a tedious task for most of us, we prefer voice search any day and anytime.
With the advent of voice assistant devices and improvements in smartphone voice assistants, it has become super easy to give commands and get things done.
Voice search allows users to get things done instantly and efficiently and also allows them the opportunity to multitask.
Not just advanced features such as carrying out online purchases or controlling other smart home gadgets, its more popular usage remains the basic queries and information requests like checking the weather, playing music, or setting a reminder.
The most noteworthy and potential benefits of voice search have taken place for the disabled community, especially the visually impaired people.
It allows them to bypass the text-based functions which are quite inconvenient for them.
Improvement In Voice AI & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies control and influence our internet searches and also our interaction with our smart devices.
According to a report by Google, around 72% of people who own voice-activated devices claimed that they used these devices as part of their daily routine.
Since the prevalence of AI base technology is increasing, the search algorithms to accommodate machine learning must keep evolving from time to time.
Mobility of Voice Search Devices Globally
Almost everyone owns a Smartphone nowadays and they know that voice search has become more mobile than ever.
Most of the searches are done using natural or conversational language.
Google’s voice search on smartphones is available in over 100 languages. The Voice Search feature is not just limited to smartphones or smart speakers, it is available on many different devices.
Use of Voice For Local & Hyperlocal Search
As per the recent stats, 58% of people were able to find local businesses using the voice search engine on their smartphones.
The searches for ‘near me businesses have also gone up.
If we compare, the mobile searches have surpassed the desktop searches in recent years which has significantly led to the growth of ‘Local Search’.
This certainly has led the local business vendors and marketers to fine-tune their SEO strategies in order to capitalize on the rise of hyperlocal searches.
How Voice Search Is Changing SEO?
With the rise in the trend of using voice search engines, the biggest challenge faced by Digital Marketers is to regularly fine-tune their SEO strategy to optimize for voice search.
With an accuracy of 95%, the Google voice recognition feature is not the only platform working on the perfection of voice recognition in order to capitalize on voice search.
China has come up with its own speech recognition system, – iFlytek. With an accuracy of 98%, it not only translates English to Mandarin but Mandarin to many different languages.
Moving forward any business which seeks to attract the most possible inbound traffic to their websites will have to implement Voice SEO.
According to Google, 65% of all voice search queries are delivered in a conversational manner.
The search engines are turning into answer engines as voice searches have resulted in increased web traffic and higher retention.
The most important function of a voice search engine is to provide prompt and correct answers and not just a result to the user’s query and that’s why it has become all the more important for SEO and Digital Marketers to ensure the provision of credible information which can be easily processed by search engines in order to provide answers efficiently.
One can optimize for voice searches on their site in the following ways.
How To Optimize For Voice Search?
- The key is to use natural language with direct answers to specific questions.
- Schema markup and rich snippets can be used to help keep queries and answers organized in a way that is better understood by search engines.
- It’s important for merchants to keep their Google My Business listing and eCommerce stores in proper order with up-to-date operating information since voice search is often used to conduct local searches.
- The content should be fresh and optimized and it should be ensured by the elimination of duplicate pages, obsolete contact information, and old operating hours.
- The appearance of voice search results is greatly influenced by the Domain Authority and traditional Search Rankings.
Conclusion
The voice search industry is expected to grow into a billion-dollar industry in the years to come.
Not only it’s advisable to invest in this and capitalize on the opportunity, but it is also imperative to use it in the best possible manner in order to generate profits and add significant value to the overall purpose of this technology.
Optimizing for voice search is not merely a market trend – it is a necessity.
Considering all the best practices and challenges, one must create a voice search strategy that not just delivers but is also calibrated to their unique business objectives.
