Voice search is a rising SEO trend.
Many people are starting to search Google using speech. Instead of typing, they speak their queries into their phones, home device or who knows, even their fridge?
This development is a game-changer for all businesses. Especially local business, i’ll explain later. It’s a change in the old methods of SEO and content creation.
Does This Mean Old SEO is Bad?
No, not at all.
The internet’s search results will continue to be text-based. But the method of finding those results will change.
So all that’s needed is to modify content to match the new trend.
If you’re a business, we’ll help you do with that. Below is a list of 8 important voice searching tips.
We’ll describe how these impact marketing. This’ll give you an idea on how to modify your campaigns!
#1 – Voice Search: A 7 Year-Old Trend.
Specifically, Google Voice has been around since May 2012 (source).
So it isn’t a recent invention. It’s an old system, with regularly updated algorithms.
So Why Wasn’t it Popular?
Early on, searching by voice wasn’t well optimised.
Using voice wasn’t like using text. You didn’t type in keywords – with Google’s autocomplete at your assistance.
Instead, you spoke entire sentences. Those were often specific questions, with limited “accurate results” per query.
Additional Problem – Language.
SEO is mainly an “English-based” marketing strategy.
This is because users (even in non-English countries) opt for English when searching for many services.
Now, the reverse applies to “Voice Search.”
Most voice searchers will do so in their native languages. So Google would need to optimise for multiple language styles.
They should be optimised for most world languages.
This is a draconian task. But Google is up to the job.
Throughout the past few years, Google has been incorporating many languages into its voice algorithms.
Specifically…
#2 – Google Voice Supports 119 Languages.
Google wants to make voice search “the global norm.”
With 119 languages, Google isn’t just supporting major languages. It’s supporting minor ones, even in third world countries.
Yearly Updates.
In 2019, Google has added support to “21 new languages.”
Yearly updates for languages are common. Updates focus on “accurate pronunciations,” and collecting “language samples,” further improving voice search results.
And this is all in 2019. Expect to see even more updates in 2020!
Speaking of that date…
#3 – By 2020, Voice Will Account for 50% of Google’s Searches.
It’s a prediction. But, it foreshadows the dominance of voice searching.
One source (Bright Local) claims that 58% of searches are already done by voice. Another puts a prediction at 50% (Campaign Live).
For a business, this prediction is important. It means that ½ your market should use voice search. And your SEO must adapt to that…
How So?
For starters, understand how voice search works.
Voice search is long-tail. It uses long phrases and sentences. And the previous source (Campaign Trail) emphasises that fact…
Keyword Lengths.
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- Text searches are 1-3 keywords.
- Voice searches are 3-5 keywords.
So voice searches are equivalent to entire sentences. And mostly, they’re questions that your content can answer.
Speaking of those, the previous source also discusses types of voice search questions.
It shows that the majority of questions are “who” and “how” based. And this means that discussing “people” and “industry tips” works best for voice optimisation.
How This Affects Content Creation.
Obviously, “how-to guides” should dominate first page results.
Such content is easy to write. It naturally leads to long-form articles, which is a major contributor to first-page rankings.
Also, “influencer marketing” should become popular.
Influencer Marketing.
“Who” queries ask about famous individuals, characters, and major industry figures. This specifically includes influencers.
Thus, collaborating with highly-followed individuals can become a major marketing goal. And this means that businesses will market less on news sites, and more on influencer blogs/channels!
#4 – SEO Emphasis Will Shift to Coding.
Voices searches are long-tail. And this means that accuracy matters.
And how does Google accurately fulfil voice queries? It does so by looking at URLs and page snippets.
Those are HTML-based. And we believe that HTML will highly affect SEO.
This means it’ll become more specialised. And SEO services should be a property of web designing services.
Less “DIY” SEO.
If you thought you could do SEO alone, think again.
Coding for SEO is a speciality. And it doesn’t just apply to a single page. It applies to every piece of content you post.
It includes all your blog posts, main pages, and sales/landing pages.
Exact Matches & Schema Markups.
Schema markups are pieces of coding added to snippets. Their purpose is to give Google more information about your page.
Exact match keywords will matter in this form of coding. With schema markups, expect snippets to become the primary way for Google to rank page usefulness.
Seems Like a Complex Development.
And the specialisation doesn’t stop here. It includes much more, such as locality.
#5 – Most Voice Searches are Local.
The source for that is Search Engine Watch.
Locality is good news for offline businesses, and also small businesses. After all, locality is a key SEO strategy for them…
Offline businesses provide services in specific locations. Many supply services that are within “city limits.”
With voice search, they can carry text SEO strategies into voice SEO. Especially if ad campaigns are key to their marketing.
PPC & Local Businesses.
PPC is used as “short click-bait” to landing pages.
With voice searches, local businesses will dominate PPC. This means that “local keywords” will become more competitive, commanding higher prices.
Also, expect competition to increase for words that mark locations.
They include phrases like “near me.” Those will slowly command a higher price per click.
#6 – Millennial Generation – 39.3% of 2019’s Voice Searches.
Another prediction. And this comes from (e-marketer).
The millennial generation is the extreme majority of voice searches. They use it more than “Baby Boomers” and “Generation X” combined.
And it says much about the future of searches.
Since millennials use voice more often, expect future generations to use it even more.
Also, this consumption habit points to development. That is, some industries are influenced by voice searches than others.
Any Examples?
Tech, entertainment, gaming, and modern media. Those are more followed by millennials than older generations.
Don’t expect the education industry to use voice search as much. Nor should you expect the same from healthcare…
However, this should change in the far future. Especially when millennials becomes the senior generation.
Also, note that generation isn’t the only predictor of voice search. There’s another, being…
#7 – Voice Activated Speakers: Used at Home.
According to Google…
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- 52% keep their speakers in a living room.
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- 25% keep their speakers in a bedroom.
- 22% keep them in a kitchen.
The point is, consumers use voice search at home. They don’t use them in professional environments.
And this means…
Use is More Likely for Leisure.
We mentioned before that tech, gaming, and media industries will dominate voice use. And that’s emphasised further by this “home consumption pattern.”
People use voice search since it is quick. It suits well the lazy pace of the average home dweller.
So industries that deal with work matters benefit less from voice search.
They include industries like life coaching, productivity, education, or information needed by specialists.
How Home-Use Affects Marketing Strategies.
Voice SEO now targets people at home.
Whatever you market to them must be strong and brief. It shouldn’t aim to fulfil social or professional needs…
You should strive for private consumption.
So you’re not marketing to executives. And you do not market to businesses.
Instead, voice search will be done by businesses seeking a large base of average clients. And again, those will include local small businesses.
And speaking of locality and average consumers…
#8 – Voice Searches: Mostly Used to Seek Food Stops.
Those include restaurants, groceries, and food delivery. And, the source for this is (Bright Local), which we referenced earlier.
This is a vital piece of information. Because it indicates that voice searches are done for navigation.
They’re used to move through an area. Or, they’re used to find nearby services. But they’re not used as much to collection information…
So if you’re a business that sells physical products – voice SEO is vital. And especially if you work in the food industry.
Summarising It All.
We’ve mentioned 8 major points on voice search.
We understand it’s a lot of information to digest. So we’ll summarise everything in a short list!
(A) Voice SEO: For Small & Local Businesses.
Your clients use voice to find you. So you must optimise for the address.
Your chances of success increase if you’re in the food industry. Whether it be a restaurant or a grocery, make sure to local market.
(B) Voice SEO: Spreading Like Wildfire.
In the foreseen future, local businesses will feel the greatest impact.
But in the long-run, all businesses should adapt to voice. It’ll become common, whether at work or at home!
(C) Google Wants Voice to Succeed.
And as we all know, Google rules the internet marketing world.
What Google wants is what a marketer should want. So we recommend all businesses make a long-term voice strategy!
If you are looking for an SEO solution for your business you can contact us at Digital Bond Marketing as we are a premier Online Marketing Company in Melbourne that specializes in search engine marketing, CPC and SMM.
