Voice search is quickly becoming the norm.
Voice search might seem like it’s just getting started, but devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home are the most advanced voice assistants that people have ever used. Voice search isn’t just shaping up to be the next big thing.
It is the next big thing.
Conversational AI is the driving force behind voice search, and it is constantly being refined. According to Google, its word recognition accuracy has increased from 80% to 95%. This level of growth is only possible if the use of voice assistants increases, and devices become easier to use and interact with.
Voice search will continue to be a platform for brand and consumer engagement for as long as smartphones, mobile devices, and social media platforms are the mainstays of this digital world. In fact, 48% of consumers now use voice for “general web searches.” If you want your brand to remain relevant and visible to consumers, you must incorporate voice search into your marketing strategy.
Why Should You Include Voice Search in Your Marketing Strategy?
Today, voice has become the new touchpoint for consumers. Voice search is appealing to customers because it is faster and more convenient than typing a search phrase into a device. Voice search facilitates hands-free multitasking because the majority of customers use multiple devices at once.
On the other hand, since voice is a new technology, its impact is only going to grow. For marketers, this means that voice search will change the way you do search engine optimization (SEO), drive traffic to your digital profiles and website, show your products to consumers, and communicate with your customers.
SEO and Voice Search
Voice searches are becoming increasingly popular, and as a result, search engines like Google are shifting their attention to optimizing results for voice searches.
Because voice search and traditional search are not the same, the factors that influence your website’s ranking may differ.
Tips for improving your voice search strategy:
- Since voice searches are typically longer than text searches, you should include longer keyword phrases in your content. Customers may type “Bars in New York” when looking for a bar, but when speaking aloud, they may say “What are some of the best bars in New York?”
- Similarly, voice searches are typically phrased as full questions rather than short phrases or keywords. As a result, include relevant question keyword phrases.
- When people use voice searches, they only see the top result, which is different from text searches. This means that, while a consumer can choose to move on to the next option via a voice assistant like Siri, the likelihood of your brand being chosen is slim to none if you are not actively pursuing position zero. You should concentrate on optimizing your featured snippets.
- Create a FAQ section that answers frequently or frequently asked questions by customers.
- Use structured data markup with rich snippets, breadcrumbs, and site links.
Google’s Focus on Local SEO
Given the explosive growth of voice search, it has a significant impact on how local businesses are discovered. The majority of people who use voice search today do so to find local content or information.
“Approximately 22% of all voice search searches are for local information” -From Search Engine Land
If you own a local business, you should capitalize on this opportunity by incorporating a local voice search optimization strategy into your marketing strategy.
By incorporating local business schema into your website, you increase your chances of being discovered via voice search. It allows search engines to easily crawl your website for information about your company. This, in turn, increases your website traffic and sales.
Insider Tip: Use a schema generator tool to quickly create a local business schema, upload it to your website, and optimize it for local SEO.
Voice Search Gives Priority to Micro-Moments
Google has been urging marketers to consider micro-moments. The definition of micro-moments is “intention-driven decision-making and preference-forming moments that occur throughout the whole customer experience.” If a consumer asks, “What is the best bar in New York?” you can’t give 100 different answers.
As consumers increasingly use their mobile devices or voice search to find answers, you have an opportunity to be there and deliver that information. By being available to the consumer, you can give your business a competitive advantage.
As a brand, you must improve your voice strategy for micro-moments because:
- The majority of consumers are not loyal to a brand. They are unsure of the brand they want to buy from when they look for information online.
- Smartphone users are more likely to purchase from a business other than the one they intended to purchase from because the brand was able to provide information when they needed it.
- Being present and visible in mobile searches can increase brand awareness by 46%. Furthermore, 51% of smartphone users discovered a new product through a smartphone search.
So, What’s Next?
Voice search is expected to have a significant impact on how consumers search for information on the internet. As a result, it is essential for businesses to actively optimize for voice search as part of their marketing strategy to rank better, be present for the customer, and increase their visibility on Google.