Voice Search And The Changing Landscape Of SEO

29-Jun-2018 05:45 PM Digital Marketing

It was not long ago when voice search was considered to be something straight out of science fiction books. We can all recall scenes from Star Trek where Captain Kirk could be seen talking to a screen. Well, things have moved at a rapid pace and today we have Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Bixby, who help their users with various inquiries. Things are only going to get bigger and better.

With voice search accounting for a large chunk of internet searches, it is imperative to organize your website for voice search. In today’s result-oriented world, voice search will continue to play its part in SEO’s future, and it’s only a matter of time before it surpasses typed-in queries.

Here are some of the ways in which online marketers can prepare themselves for this era of voice search:

Semantic Search  

Google relies heavily on user’s preferences, patterns, intent, and search history. Based on that, it gives you the results. This is semantic search where the concentration is more on understanding the customer’s intent and contextual meaning. People are more conversational when they opt for voice search and this makes it all the more important for businesses to use long-tail keywords to optimize results.

Customer Focus

In this era of voice search, content is optimized for customers and not search engines. The good old days of long, keyword-centric content are over. It’s now better to concentrate on your customers and learn more about them when they interact with you on social media and other platforms. You should be more in tune with the language they use and leverage the same in creating content for your site. The five Ws (Who, What, When, Where and Why) have always been around, but they are back in business in the world of SEO.

Mobile-first Era

If you’re not smart and your website is not mobile-friendly, there’s a fair possibility that you might be left behind in this race. Voice search got its start on mobiles, and over half the global population use voice search while driving.

Location-based Searches

Another startling revelation is the fact that most voice searches now are about location-based topics. This makes it all the more important for businesses to optimize their sites for local searches.

If you want to be ahead of the chasing pack, you need to realize the importance of voice search. With predictions of over 50% searches done by voice by 2020, it’s time you gear up!