Alexa, What is Voice Search?

Listen up! As technology continues to advance, marketers have to keep a keen eye on emerging trends that may affect how they do their jobs. One of those trends that has been working its way into the average person’s life is voice search.

Voice search is the use of voice recognition technology to allow users to perform searches by speaking into a device. Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri may jump to mind. While those are both recognizable names, they are no longer as unique as they once were.

Let’s dive into the expanding world of voice search and how it affects you.

Why Voice Search?

The first question you may have is: “Why is this a trend?” There are two big reasons why.

The first is convenience. Voice-to-text is unmatched in speed and convenience when compared to typing on a keyboard or smartphone. Being able to just say what you want typed is much easier than typing out a sentence, message, or paragraph.

The other reason is technological advancements. More people have more voice-enabled tech. As mentioned before, Alexa and Siri are no longer unique technology. Smart home assistants are becoming more common in households, and voice recognition tech is being adapted into other things like smartphones, wearables (like Apple Watch), smart TVs, and even cars and appliances. All of these lead to more searches. There is a lot of technology giving people access to voice search, and the ease of use makes it way more convenient.

What Does Voice Search Affect?

Another big question: “How will voice search affect my job?” The biggest impact may be SEO.

Thirty-one percent of mobile users make voice searches more than one time per week, and about 50% of Google searches are voice searches. People are using voice search, and they are using it differently than your typical text search.

The main difference in how people are using voice search is that these searches are mainly inquiries. When people use it, they are typically asking questions. This leads to different web content to accommodate this. Adding more Q&A formatted content can give you an edge when someone asks their Alexa or phone a question.

Another difference is the length of searches. Because it’s easier to talk than to type, there’s a natural shift to conversational speech, which leads to longer queries. Utilizing long-tailed keywords and more conversational language can be incredibly helpful to capture those vocal inquiries.

What are the Downsides?

As with any emerging tech, voice search still isn’t perfect. While it’s great to make adjustments to accommodate this new trend, don’t abandon your favorite or best performing methods.

Some considerations include:

• Voice search uses voice-to-text. It’s not a wholly unique form of search.
• Voice may not always be the best option. It may be better to use a keyboard in places like the office, public transportation, or places with loud background noise.
• It’s conversational. Sentence structure, slang, or extra words like “uh” and “um” may get in the way of searches.
• It is geared toward local businesses and may not perform as well for national or international businesses.
• Some people have speech impediments.
• It is not yet factored into the Google algorithm.

Are you Listening?

Voice search is still pretty new, but it’s growing. The more mainstream the voice technology gets, the more people are going to use it. Dedicate some time to your content and SEO, and be sure to keep up as voice search advances.

Now is the time to get on top of this new trend and improve your marketing strategy to get ahead of the pack!