Type no more ’cause voice search is here.
Digital marketing is dynamic, and honestly, nothing moves as fast as the digital marketing world as this genre of marketing witnesses newer trends and innovations at a breakneck speed. And if we are to select that one popular digital marketing trend with the potential to rule the present and future, it would be VOICE SEARCH.
Started as a small concept, voice search is a phenomenon that is making all the noise, and experts estimate that about 50% of searches on the internet in 2020 would be voice-based.
Now that’s interesting! Isn’t it?
Opportunities associated with the future of voice search are endless. Popularity and extensive use of virtual assistants such as Alexa, Google Home, Amazon Echo, and more explain it all. So, even though voice search as a technology is still in the infancy stage, one thing is clear, ease to do internet research with the power of voice is an experience second to none.
Impact of voice search on SEO
Considering the pace at which voice search is gaining popularity, it is important for businesses to learn that it simultaneously is driving the need for businesses to incorporate voice search into their digital marketing plans.
As voice search dramatically improves user experience, search engine giants such as Google are emphasizing voice search optimization. Because in the end, the overall point of SEO is to rank websites to make it convenient for users to find the best possible information at the earliest. Since user experience has always been of paramount importance, voice search is here to stay to make a powerful impact.
Voice search statistics
I am sure, a lot of us must have come across one or more of the following postulations like voice search is the new organic search. Or voice search will be the death of SEO and so on. But have you ever had a look at the data it is backed with? Well, not just because of the buzz and fancy one-liners out in the market, but also because of its rising popularity. It is time to check out the statistics to believe in the potential of voice search.
1. By 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice (as per comScore)
2. 55% of households are expected to own smart speaker devices by 2022
3. Approximately 30% of searches are estimated to be done without a screen by 2020 (as per Gartner)
4. The number of smart speakers in the US is estimated to be about 21.4 million by 2020 (as per Activate)
5. 72% of people who own voice-activated devices state that these devices are used as a part of their daily routine (as per Google)
6. The number of voice searches on mobile devices is estimated to be 3 times more likely to be local-based (as per Search Engine Watch)
7. Global voice commerce is expected to be worth USD 40 billion by 2022
8. Google voice assistant is now available in over 400 million devices
9. Studies state that 35.8% millennials use voice assistants at least once a month (as per eMarketer)
10. As per Location World, 2 out of 5 people use voice search at least once daily
Source: Wordstream.com-Voice Search Statistics
Now that we have the impact of voice-enabled search backed with some powerful data, it is time to explore more about the technology for the advantage of your business.
How to optimize voice search?
Major innovations and developments in areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and natural language processing are helping search engine giants like Google to easily comprehend user queries and produce search results in the most natural way (honestly, the more you read about Voice Search it only makes it more intriguing).
So, without deviating from what we started, let’s check out the methods to optimize voice search.
1. Page speed optimization
Google is user-centric; all it cares about is an exceptional user experience. Therefore, the search engine favors websites with a good speed. In fact, it is essential to know that out of two similar websites, Google might rank the one that loads faster. Therefore, for success in voice searches, good page speed is a must.
2. Secure your website with SSL
Apart from user experience, Google wants its users to land on websites that are safe and secure. The search engine, while crawling its bots, looks for websites that are trustworthy. To live up to this parameter, it is essential to secure websites with SSL (secure sockets layer). The HTTPS protocol ensures and informs Google bots that the website is trustworthy, and it complies with good online practices.
3. Add an FAQ Page to the website
I agree there is a vast difference between voice search and text search. However, if you want your website to do well with voice search, it is essential to have answers ready to the most common questions related to the industry you serve (especially questions that users might ask verbally).
4. Create quality content
Be it text search or voice search, content remains to be the king. As SEO (search engine optimization) does not just depend on technicalities behind the website, it is essential to create content that makes sense, is intriguing, and offers solutions. So, make sure to keep the target audience in mind, as the content you produce will help your website rank better even with voice search.
Conclusion
As voice search shows signs of an emergent technology, with the potential to get bigger and better, it undoubtedly can change the way SEO (search engine optimization) is done. And if you want to beat the competition and stay steady in the race, it is recommended to incorporate voice search as part of your digital marketing strategy. Remember, it can have a huge impact on the business as it can help enhance customer experience and drive larger traffic to your website. For more such exciting and intriguing content on digital marketing, you may access our latest whitepapers on Digital Marketing.
