New year, new client goals…and the voice search revolution is picking up its stride. Smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home assistant are seeing an increase in usage, while almost every smartphone is equipped with at least one voice assistant. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are improving, with algorithms evolving to recognize more specific questions and phrases each year.
Studies show that by 2020 (this year!) 50% of all internet searches will be done by voice. So what does this mean for the digital marketing world? Are my accounts going to be completely turned upside down? More and more, voice search queries are popping up in my client accounts during my search query reports.
Voice Search vs. Search Query
It is very important to note the difference between a voice search and a search query – you don’t treat the two the same when writing ad copy and selecting keywords. The main difference between a search query and voice search is the context of the search itself.
Search queries are typically shorter, using fewer words since a person has to manually type their query into a web browser. Voice searches are conversational – since the user doesn’t have to exert the effort to type out their query, the searches are typically longer and posed in a question. It is more natural because when speaking, you wouldn’t just ask a person “pizza near me” – you would ask them a full question. For example:
Search Query: pizza near me
Voice Search: “Siri, where is the nearest pizza place?”
Localized Searches
If there is one type of business that has been benefiting the most from voice search, it’s local businesses. Searches for “Near Me” have increased dramatically over the past few years. This is an amazing opportunity to capitalize on the voice search boom – but only if you’re prepared. Reputation online and in-person is make or break with local businesses. There’s nothing worse than looking up a business and not seeing their hours, that their website is slow and out-of-date information, or there are no reviews listed. Make sure that your website, ads, and extensions all are up-to-date dates and current, relevant information, remove duplicate pages from your website, ensure that your website security is in order, and that old information, operating hours, and contact information is either removed or updated. Check these data sources to make sure that your business is optimized and correctly updated: Google My Business, Apple Maps, Yelp, and Bing. – Read more
