Did you know that about a quarter of Americans own a smart speaker? Also, about 40% of the owners now use voice search for factual information and 81% for real-time information.
In case you are unsure of what that is, a smart speaker refers to devices equipped with digital assistance platforms like Alexa, Siri, and Cortana. These devices make use of voice commands to navigate through their functions.
You might be wondering how this will affect you and your business. The answer: a whole lot.
Not sure how? Uncertain about how voice search affects search trends and the way people use the Internet?
Here are some details on how voice searches change the way we conduct business:
1. Voice Search is Changing the Language Used in Content
Voice search stands among the leading trends today. With this, the language used in looking something up becomes of paramount concern.
Because we speak differently than we write, voice searches end up becoming more conversational as it encourages natural language.
This typically runs contrary to the content creation style utilizing keyword phrases used in blogs and other readable content created to improve SEO.
A voice search would use a full sentence instead of a phrase. This, in turn, brings the AI in these smart platforms to respond in a human way. While doing so, the AI would use the text of pages found within the search results.
With this, your content and the long-tail keywords used need a different setup. Where the content runs with clear statements and proper grammar. It should also be answering specific questions such as who, what, where, when, and why.
2. Voice Searches are Easier to Use
Voice-activated search is becoming a rising trend today due to its ease of use. There is no need for typing on the keyboard or the smartphone keypad. Instead, the searcher can use Google, Siri or Alexa by asking a question.
This means you need to reconsider how you structure your content. Everything from the keywords you use to how you write your headlines should now also cater to voice searches. At the same time, they still have to work well with the normal SEO standards for traditional Google searches.
3. Keywords Are More Specific and Local-Based
And with this, not only are voice searches more frequent, they are far more specific. In this case, not only are the keywords longer and set in complete sentences, they may have the inclination of being locally driven.
Compared to text searches, mobile voice searches tend to include queries about directions or calling one of the searcher’s contacts. Despite this, standard SEO strategies still come to play even with the shift towards the use of voice.
4. Faster Way to Search the Web
One notable thing with the rising trend of voice-activated search in search trends is in ease of use. Compared to text searches using a smartphone or a computer, voice searches only need for you to speak.
This method saves time as the transition of thought into speech is faster compared to having to encode using a keyboard or a touch screen. With the way how speed is king in mobile web browsing, voice search begins its rise towards the top as the preferred method.
Keep Up with These Search Trends Today!
With the ever-changing scenery of technology and business today, we need to be just as flexible with the changes. This is also true with search trends. If you wish to see your business grow and flourish, take advantage of the new avenues that voice searches have opened up.
To help you with this, we offer SEO solutions that can aid you in your SEO needs. Feel free to contact us for more to get started.
