Voice search has revolutionised the world of marketing, from being an inclusive form of technology to offering a convenient alternative way to search.
The hand-free functionality of voice search gives users the ability to multitask or simply avoid typing, especially when they have a lengthy search query. The convenience of this tool has led to widespread adoption across various devices, which is changing how people interact with search engines, inevitably impacting how businesses approach their marketing strategies.
Here, we will take you through voice search and help you understand how it can affect your business.
How Does Voice Search Work?
Voice search is the process whereby a user speaks into their mic to enter a query to a search engine, then the underlying technology, also known as automatic speech recognition (ASR), will interpret the verbal query into a text query.
Today, search engines and modern devices have built-in speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP), allowing devices to break down speech into individual sounds, analyse them, and then match them to words in their vocabulary.
The efficiency of voice search has contributed towards the evolution of marketing. As voice search continues to grow, it is crucial for businesses to adapt and use marketing strategies that actually work (and align with voice search) in order to meet users’ needs.
How Voice Search Is Changing Business Marketing
The rise of voice search is changing the way businesses approach SEO and customer engagement. Here are four ways it is changing business marketing and what businesses should do about it:
1. Enhance Your Search Visibility with Conversational Queries
Keyword optimisation plays an integral part in your SEO strategy. Well, unlike text searches, which are short and concise, voice search queries tend to be longer and conversational.
For example, a user looking for a locksmith service close by might use phrases like, “Where can I get a locksmith near me?” instead of a shorter search query like “locksmith near me.”
To ensure you don’t neglect your voice search audience, you need to accommodate for longer, conversational keywords. This doesn’t mean you should ditch the short keywords, as those are still effective.
2. Optimise Local SEO
Many voice searches are locally based, which means that businesses need to take local SEO more seriously. When a user enters a search using this feature, chances are, they’ll add a “near-me” at the end of their search.
To optimise for local voice search, ensure your Google Business Profile is consistently updated with accurate information like your business name, address, phone number, and hours of operation. Additionally, incorporate location-specific keywords into your website content and meta descriptions. This makes it easier for your website to show up in search results. This can be in image descriptions, such as saying “Gauteng plumbers”, “Plumbing in Johannesburg”, or variations like Joburg or Jozi.
Optimising your local SEO is one of the cost-effective ways to market your business. You can go a step further by creating location-specific landing pages and encouraging customer reviews on your Google Business Profile.
3. Improve Website Accessibility and User Experience
Following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) has several benefits, including an improved user experience, increased audience reach, as well as enhanced SEO.
Voice search makes it easier for people with disabilities or those who struggle with typing to interact with digital content. Ensuring your website is optimised for voice search by using clear headings, long-form keywords, and a mobile-friendly design that enhances accessibility.
Being conscious about how you structure your content plays towards the larger scope of voice search and ensuring you can reach your voice search users.
4. Provide Direct Answers and Featured Snippets
Voice search users often seek quick, direct answers to their questions. Optimising your content to appear in featured snippets is crucial. Featured snippets are the short excerpts that Google displays at the top of search results.
To achieve this, you can create content that answers specific questions, like FAQs. Ensure you add schema markup to your website, and use question-based keywords and structure your content with clear headings, bullet points, and short paragraphs. This helps search engines understand and extract the most relevant information for queries.
Voice search isn’t just for users who are too busy or too lazy to type; it’s also about user-friendliness and ensuring that users of all abilities can access your content and support your business. Since most voice search happens through mobile devices, it is vital to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly.
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