Over a decade ago, searching for information on the Internet consisted only of entering queries into the search engine window. However, the development of voice search technology, especially voice assistants such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, has completely changed how users interact with the web. More and more people choose voice communication, and they’re not only asking their questions using words but even sometimes singing them. If your goal as a publisher is never to sing out of tune when optimizing your content for search – read along!
History of voice search
Voice recognition technology dates back to the 1950s, but it was Apple’s introduction of Siri in 2011 that transformed it into a mainstream innovation. One year later, Google introduced its voice product – Google Voice Search. As years progressed, voice search started to become more and more popular. By 2016, Google revealed that 20% of searches on its mobile app were voice-based, marking a shift in user behavior. Today, voice assistants such as Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant are prevalent, powering 4.2 billion devices worldwide. It’s projected that 48.2% of US adults will use voice assistants by 2025. It seems that voice search is now a standard in the tech industry, and more companies are joining “the voice search race”. For instance, in 2023, OpenAI announced voice integration in ChatGPT for Plus and Enterprise users, but users without subscriptions can test it out. Additionally, due to a significant boom in AI and natural language processing (NLP) advancements, machines will certainly get better at understanding and responding to human speech each day.
What is voice search and Voice Search Optimization
Voice search is a kind of search where a user, instead of typing a query into the search engine, uses voice. He initiates the search by saying a triggering phrase that makes the voice search engine start “listening”, like “Alexa”, “Hey Siri”, or “Hey Google”, and after hearing a notification (or simply a beep) confirming that he managed to activate it, he can speak out the query. After a brief moment, he can listen to the desired voice answer. Voice-based searches are often more conversational, and users frequently ask questions like “Find a BBQ restaurant near me”.
On the other hand, in simple terms, Voice Search Optimization (VSO) is all the actions taken to fine-tune your website and its content to make it more discoverable and accessible to users who use voice search. Each publisher can use many techniques to obtain this scope, but we will delve into that in the following paragraphs. Critical elements of VSO include:
- understanding user intentions so your content will match them,
- working on your keyword optimization, especially incorporating those long-tail ones,
- using natural language mimicking the one used by your users.
How voice search is changing SEO
Voice search is reshaping how users seek information, significantly influencing SEO. Among others, large percentages of answers to voice queries come from featured snippets, also known as “position zero” on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Most studies made in recent years suggest that between 40 and 50% of answers from voice searches are read from that special place, meaning that the importance of featured snippets is really high. Additionally, currently, a larger percentage of publishers apply voice-search-friendly SEO techniques, among others, adapting content to reflect the conversational tone of voice queries.
Best practices in voice search
Ranking for voice search is challenging since only the top few results are read to the user. However, focusing on Voice Search Optimization also enhances your overall SEO. Here are examples of good practices that are voice-search-friendly:
- Anticipating how your users might phrase the query that your website can answer is key to your success. Of course, you should always create your content with the user’s search intent in mind, but in this case, you should focus on more natural, conversational language. This way, you can create content that feels like real dialogue;
- Voice search queries commonly start with the “Five Ws” – “who”, “what”, “when”, “where”, and “why” – along with “how”. It’s a good idea to formulate your content in a way to answer such questions;
- Long-tail keywords are your ally. These are phrases that usually consist of three to five words. Typically, such keywords have less competition, so it’s easier to rank for them. Additionally, searching for long-tail keywords in your analytics tool can help you identify the percentage of visits to your website that come from voice searches;
- Many users are interested in local information. People simply want to know where to find a great vegan restaurant or lawyer office near them. You can use that information for your benefit, for instance, by creating content like “Best restaurants in East Bronx”;
- Implement schema markup, which is a form of structured data that helps search engines understand web page content. Basically, you need to add special code to the HTML of your website, for instance, with the help of Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or WordPress plugins;
- Your site should be loading fast – users want fast answers to their questions. Additionally, page load speed is an important ranking factor. If you want to know more, read our article about Google Core Web Vitals.
Optimize for the future
The number of people using voice search is growing yearly, showing why optimizing your strategy is essential. With more users relying on digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant for quick answers, optimizing your content ensures it stays competitive and reaches more users. If you want to learn more about SEO, you can visit the section of our blog entirely dedicated to Search Engine Optimization, where we frequently post about the most essential concepts every publisher should know!
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