Voice Searching has become increasingly popular, as more and more of us take to our vast range of technological devices to browse the internet and find information with ease.
But what is Voice Searching? Why has it seen such rapid growth recently? And how does it impact SEO? We investigate.
Table of Contents
What is Voice Searching?
Voice Searching is a method of searching for information by talking to a digital assistant on your phone or computer – that has been downloaded from an app store or comes built in – to acquire the relevant information or to complete a command.
Two examples of Voice Searching, include:
Google Voice Search – also known as Search by Voice – is a product produced by Google that allows users to use Google Search by speaking – instead of typing – on a mobile phone or computer.
Siri, who was brought out by Apple in 2013. Three years ago, however, it didn’t seem to make much of an impact, as people who would enamored by Siri’s charm for a week or so, and then the popularity would slowly fade away.
The variety of digital assistants available today has grown extensively, with Siri, Cortana, Alexa, Google Assistant and Google Now being only the most popular and well-known options available from major technology companies. A search on any app store will display many more options, with an astonishing variety from a number of other companies trying to compete and keep up with their more popular counterparts.
Today, that has changed drastically, with Voice Searching gaining popularity like never before. But why?
The graph below – source from Search Engine Land – illustrates how popular voice searching has become over such a short period of time:
The reason behind Voice Search’s growth
Business.com quoted someone saying that “using voice responsive products is poised to be the next thing to be a daily habit since the smart phone”, and they couldn’t be more spot on.
Voice Searching has become so much more than an easier way to search for information, as digital assistants can do so much more than just that, all from wearable devices (for example: Apple Watches), tablets and our mobile phones.
What’s more, Voice Searching has been shown to be more popular now because it is convenient and saves time. The graph below, taken from Search Engine Land, shows the top reasons that users turn to Voice Searching in the US, with the top reason being when their hands or vision is occupied.
Impact Voice Search has on SEO
Now that more and more people are using voice searching to conduct online searches, there is a need for marketers to change their approach to SEO.
According to Search Engine Land “The ways individuals interact through voice search and queries is different from the way they interact with a search box. Because search queries are more conversational in natural language, they tend to be longer, more nuances and reveal greater intent”.
Voice Searching gives users the opportunity to be more specific with their search, allowing them to go from simple queries they would normally search into the search box – “local Chinese restaurant” – to using lengthier searches – “the best local Chinese restaurant known for their Chow Mein” – that will bring up more specific results.
Business.com said that professionals – in order to stay visible in search results – need to focus “their content on commonly asked questions, and catering opportunities like schema mark up to make it very clear the questions you’re answering – being succinct in your answers, and doing everything in your power to optimize for local search”.
Need help?
If you would like to know more about Voice Searching and how your business can optimize its content for Voice Searching, contact your local SEO agency in Dubai, as they will be able to help you create a plan of action and guide you through all the steps you need to go through in order for it to be a success.
