Today, when a voice assistant is built into nearly every smartphone, tablet, computer, and even smart home appliance, this technology is thriving. Although tools like Alexa and Siri have been around for a while, users remained somewhat distant from them for a while. In this comprehensive unlocking voice search guide you’ll learn how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future assistents power.
The number of digital assistants in use worldwide is predicted to more than double this year compared to 4-5 years ago. Naturally, the fast-paced adoption of this technology is changing the way we handle SEO.
As voice assistant technology rises, more and more people use voice search instead of text. This affects the types, length, and intention of queries consumers use. Respectively, it requires every business to adapt its SEO strategy and specifically, content to stay competitive.
To get ready for the future, you might want to detect the state of your site’s SEO at the moment. You can do this by using the Website Audit Tool available on Ninjareports.com. The tool will help you analyze your site across 120+ performance factors and detect the gaps and areas for improvement. Once you get clear on where you are currently SEO-wise, use the guide below to adapt your strategy for future success.
In this guide, we are going to cover:
- The current state and potential of this technology;
- The difference between speech and text-based queries;
- Key SEO tactics for voice search success.
Current State and Future Outlook
To understand why you must care about Google voice search, virtual assistants, and related technology in building your SEO strategy, it’s crucial that you understand the state of this trend at the moment.
Let’s start with some figures. In this unlocking voice search guide you’ll learn how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future assistents power.
According to Statista, the total number of virtual assistants used in the world was only 3.25 billion in 2019. Yet, in 2024, it’s projected to reach 8.4 billion. These numbers indicate the lighting speed at which this technology is adopted by consumers.
Now, what about the number of people who already use this technology? In 2022, UpCity partnered with Pollfish to survey hundreds of US consumers and the results were impressive:
- 50% of consumers use it daily;
- 34% weekly;
- 16% monthly.
These numbers showcase the fast-paced development of speech recognition technology and its quick adoption by modern consumers. Moreover, we can observe a clear trend for growth in the upcoming decade. Needless to say, when so many people in Google search by voice, this fact is going to change the SEO field forever. But before we move on to practical advice, let’s take a moment to understand the technology behind this emerging trend.
How Does Voice Search Work?
To keep it simple, every functional virtual assistant consists of three primary tech components:
- Speech-to-Text (STT);
- Text-to-Speech (TTS);
- Decision making.
When users turn to an assistant with a request, the tool first receives an audio query and translates it into text (the STT technology). Then, the tool uses the decision-making process to predict the most accurate and relevant response to the query. Finally, the response is transformed into audio (TSS) and delivered to the user.
The procedure looks fairly the same in the case with the voice search Google feature. After processing a query, Google leverages its deep learning algorithms (neural networks) to analyze the request and match it with the best response on the web. These algorithms are trained on large amounts of data to process speech and recognize patterns.
The most important thing to acknowledge is that text-based queries give you access to many pages of results that match your request. However, when you search with your voice using a virtual assistant, the algorithms select only a few relevant results, which means that ranking high becomes even more important.
Differences Between Voice and Text Search
We bet that previously, your entire SEO strategy was built around text-based queries. So what is going to change now when you have to adapt to Google vocal search?
To answer this question, we must get clear on three primary differences between text and voice search usage: In this unlocking voice search guide you’ll learn how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future power assistents.
- Query length – Today, internet users know for sure that they don’t need to type lengthy queries to find the information they are looking for. Hence, text queries often are around 1-3 words. However, when it comes to speech queries, people are still used to speaking in more complete sentences and such queries are longer-tailed (7+ words).
- More local-based nature – Right now, people tend to use speech-based queries mostly on the go because it’s faster and more convenient than stopping to use text queries. Due to this reason, vocal queries tend to be more bound to a specific location.
- Language use – Lastly, when looking for the needed information through virtual assistants like Siri or another, users typically use natural language. For example, instead of typing “Nike store nearby” in Google, they might ask an assistant “What is my nearest Nike store?”
These three factors make optimizing your site and content for Google talking search much different than conventional SEO.
Two other things worth considering are the difference in the context and results presentation. When looking for information using their speech, consumers typically use natural language patterns and conversational context instead of keywords. And as for the results, they are typically more concise and direct, similar to snippets.
All these things must be kept in mind when adapting your content.
Key Principles of Voice SEO Optimization
Now that you know more about its popularity and work from the inside, let’s move to the most important part.
Below are three core principles of Google voice recognition search engine optimization: In this unlocking voice search guide you’ll learn how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future assistents.
1. Content Optimization for Natural Language
If you want to rank high in voice search for Google, you must adapt to the natural, conversation-like nature of users’ queries.
Start with your keywords. Step back from the short-tail queries you are used to and look for longer phrases related to your brand. With a bit of dedication and the right keyword tool, you should be able to find lots of long-tail keywords that can suit your needs. But your work doesn’t stop there.
Instead of simply using the detected keywords, think of phrases including them that you may use in a conversation. For example, if your long-tail keyword is “Best women running shoes”, a speech query may sound like “What are the best women’s sports shoes for running?”
Use this approach to make a list of new keywords for your content.
Apart from selecting new keywords, you need to change your tone of writing to a conversational one:
- Adjust your word choice – use popular words and expressions.
- Incorporate natural language queries and keywords naturally.
- Avoid long and overly complicated sentences.
- Use contractions.
- Break some rules in terms of grammar to create a sense of having a real conversation with your readers.
- Address your readers as “You” to create a stronger connection.
- Leverage the second-person narration and active language constructions.
2. Local Search Optimization for Businesses With a Physical Presence
If your business has a physical presence, the next thing you must take care of is local optimization.
Alt: A woman working on a laptop with a map and tagged locations on the screen
As we stated earlier, a big share of consumers use Google Assistant, Siri, or any other virtual assistance technology on the go. And it’s believed that over half of speech-based requests are related to local businesses.
That is, your potential customers might be driving or walking in your area and looking for your products and services nearby. Their intent is super strong at this moment. So if you want to capture them, you must master local optimization.
Here’s what you should do: Unlocking voice search tutorial to learn how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future power assistents.
- Create a Google My Business Profile if you don’t have one yet;
- Create listings in popular directories like Yelp and build local citations;
- Create localized content, using well-selected local keywords;
- Encourage your customers to leave positive reviews and testimonials, and interact with them.
Most importantly, be sure to integrate localized speech-like queries (for example, “Where can I buy women shoes in Brooklyn”) into your business description and content. But integrate them as naturally as possible.
3. Creating Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
As you already know, assistants typically deliver very concise and specific answers to users’ queries. Nothing compliments this formula better than a compelling FAQ section.
Answering the most popular and important questions in the FAQ section has multiple purposes. First of all, it elevates users’ experience and helps you mitigate common doubts and concerns of potential customers.
On top of that, FAQ answers address the queries from both people who search with voice and via text. And they consist of questions, which are some of the most common forms of voice search Google queries.
To use this tactic in your Google voice search SEO, first, identify your FAQs. These must be the most relevant and important questions about your business, products, services, and processes, such as:
- How to place an order or request a service;
- Why choose your brand;
- How customers can pay, etc.
Then prepare clear and concise answers, organize them by categories, and post them on your site. It’s also great to allow visitors to look for specific answers inside the FAQ section for convenience. You can even allow voice search on website. Unlocking voice search tips on how businesses can optimize SEO strategies for the voice-activated future assistents and it’s power.
The Future of Voice Search and SEO
The overall voice search recognition market was valued at $8.02 billion in 2021. Now, it’s predicted to reach $19.57 billion in 2030. Such fast growth indicated the massive potential of this technology to stick around and continue changing the SEO and business landscapes.
So how do we see the future of this technology?
Given what we already know, it feels like in the future there will be: Unlocking voice search power.
- Integration of speech recognition with more devices and platforms;
- More conversational interactions and even more natural language;
- Expansion to different markets;
- Greater personalization of virtual assistance;
- Greater focus on localization.
Industry analysts predict that Google talking search will soon overtake the traditional, text-based. And while it’s gaining momentum, we expect the following trends to emerge:
- Greater reliance on schema markup;
- Even faster, more mobile-friendly sites;
- Speech-guided site navigation;
- Lots of question-answering and natural language in content;
- More conversational, longer keywords;
- Detailed and specific metrics and testing/analytics tools focused on speech queries (can’t wait to see voice search Google Analytics solution).
Conclusion
Now you know everything about voice assistance technology that is on the rise today. You also have the top three tips to optimize your website for voice search success:
- Optimize your content for natural language;
- Don’t neglect local optimization;
- Take due care of your FAQ section.
Lastly, you’ve learned about some predictions for the future of this technology and potential trends that we expect.
So what can you do to be prepared for this future? Luckily, it’s simple!
Keep an eye on the development of voice search with Google and emerging trends to be aware of the major changes. Use voice search yourself to get a feel of it and know how it works. And most importantly, start optimizing your site for speech-based queries ASAP to gain a competitive advantage!
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