What About Voice Users? – As the most significant development to affect the SEO world since Google, voice search is growing by leaps and bounds every single day. By 2020, about 30 percent of all online sessions will be conducted without a screen, specifically via voice search, according to Forbes. Voice-only search allows users to browse the web and get consumer information without having to scroll through actual sites on desktops and mobile devices. Other estimates say voice search will account for more than half of all search queries by 2020.
Searching using your voice rather than a keyboard has a big impact on your organization’s SEO strategy. It won’t be easy. For instance, typically just one result will be brought up, which means you must know precisely what you need to do to earn that top spot. In addition, the technical SEO best practices that ensure you can rank high in voice search are a bit different than the standard approach.
How Do You Use Voice Search?
SEO’s first major rule is to put the search user’s need for information before your need to rank. You know that Google, Bing and Alexa are constantly changing how their algorithms work and will knock you down a few pegs every time. But when you take into consideration the user’s needs first and foremost, you have a much better chance at gaining the top position and staying there, despite big search engine changes.
Firstly, the home is where most consumers make their voice search queries. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 43 percent of people say they use voice search at home, 36 percent use it in their car and 19 percent use it “on the go.”
As you can see, the 90 million smart speakers sold each year are certainly changing the way we interact with devices, opening up new possibilities, channels and opportunities that didn’t exist before. Voice search isn’t just handy for drivers who want a hands-free option for safety. It has a whole host of other benefits that convince people to use it for reasons other than driving sans distraction.
Why People Use Voice Search
While more than 60 percent of people say that searching using their voice commands is helpful when their hands are occupied, 30 percent say they use it for faster results all around, 24 percent say they have trouble typing on small devices, 12 percent say they want “to avoid confusing menus,” and 22 percent say they use voice search because it’s just fun.
Basically, people want quick answers to their questions and don’t want to have to actually touch a device to get those answers.
So, bottom line when crafting your SEO strategy for 2019: give consumers easy access to the information they seek, and you will increase your chances of ranking.
Tips
So, how do you go about that? Here are a few takeaways:
- Use semantically-related keywords over exact query matches. Be specific without using awkward words or phrasings.
- Get straight to the information, emphasizing the six big question words: when, what, who, why, where and how.
- Write in-depth content with quotable phrases.
Overall, simply focusing on creating stellar content that answers people’s questions quickly will ensure you see improved voice search results.
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