Is Your Business Ready for Voice Search? How Humans And Voice Assistants Co-exist
In the near future, it’s likely that most searches will be conducted through voice
October 18, 2022 17:05We’re in the age of digital assistants, and it seems like every day there’s a new one on the market. Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple Siri- they’re all competing for a spot in our homes and on our phones.
While some people are hesitant to embrace this new technology, there’s no denying that voice search is here to stay. In fact, Comscore predicts that by 2023, 60% of all searches will be voice searches.
So what does this mean for businesses? Well, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to start optimising your website for voice search. But how exactly do you do that? In this blog post, we’ll explore how humans and voice assistants can coexist and how you can start optimising your website for voice search.
The rise of voice search
The rise of voice search is upon us. It's been slowly creeping into our everyday lives for years now, and with the release of new devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, it's only going to become more prevalent.
So what does this mean for businesses? Well, simply put, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need to start optimizing for voice search.
Humans have been using their voices to communicate since the dawn of time. But with the advent of new technology, we're now able to use our voices to do much more than just talk to each other.
We can now use them to control our homes, our cars, and even our computers. And as these technologies become more and more ubiquitous, it's only natural that we would start using them more and more to search for information.
So what exactly is voice search? Voice search is a way of searching for information using your voice instead of typing keywords into a search engine. You can think of it like a conversation: you ask a question aloud and the voice assistant gives you an answer.
There are two main types of voice assistants: those that are built into devices like smartphones and smart speakers (like Siri or Alexa), and those that are standalone app-based services (like Google Assistant). And while both types of voice assistants are becoming increasingly popular, it's the latter that is really starting to take off in terms of usage.
What voice search means for businesses
Voice search is a growing trend as more and more people use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. And it’s not just young people; a recent study found that 41% of adults use voice search at least once a day.
So what does this mean for businesses? First, it’s important to understand how voice search works. When you use a voice assistant, you’re typically asking it questions or telling it to do something. The assistant then uses artificial intelligence (AI) to understand your request and provide an answer or complete the task.
This is different from traditional search, where you type keywords into a search engine like Google and the results are based on an algorithm that ranks websites based on their relevance to those keywords. With voice search, the results are based on understanding the context of your question and providing the best answer.
This shift to conversational search means that businesses need to think about how they can optimize their content for voice search. This means using natural language instead of keyword stuffing, and focusing on creating helpful and informative content that anticipates the questions people are likely to ask.
It also means rethinking your SEO strategy. Traditional SEO tactics like optimizing for specific keywords are less important when it comes to voice search. Instead, you need to focus on making sure your website is easily accessible and navigable so that when someone asks a question, your site comes up as a top result.
How to optimize your website for voice search
If you're not already doing so, it's time to start optimizing your website for voice search. Here are a few tips on how to do just that:
1) Use long-tail keywords: When people use voice search, they tend to use natural, conversational language. This means that long-tail keywords are more important than ever. Make sure to include them in your content in a way that sounds natural.
2) Structure your content well: Voice assistants often give users a choice of several results from which to choose. To make sure your website is one of the options presented, structure your content in an easily digestible way using headings and subheadings. This will also help improve your SEO overall.
3) Optimize for local search: If you have a brick-and-mortar business, make sure you optimize for local search. This means including your city and state in your titles and meta data.
4) Use schema markup: Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand the meaning of your content. It can be used to give additional information about products, events, locations, and more. Including relevant schema markup on your website can help improve your voice search results.
The future of voice search
In the near future, it’s likely that most searches will be conducted through voice. With the rapid adoption of smart speakers and virtual assistants, more and more people are using voice search to find information online.
As a business owner, it’s important to make sure your website is optimized for voice search. This means having content that is easy to understand and relevant to what people are searching for.
To prepare for the future of voice search, start by auditing your website content. Make sure it is clear and concise, and focus on creating long-tail keywords that people are likely to use when searching by voice.
In addition, you can also optimize your website for featured snippets. These are short answer boxes that appear at the top of the search results page in response to certain queries. If your website ranks high for a featured snippet, it’s more likely to be selected when someone uses voice search.
Finally, keep an eye on the trends in voice search and adapt your content accordingly. As more people use voice assistants, the way they search will evolve. By staying up-to-date with the latest trends, you can ensure that your website always ranks high invoice search results.