Voice search is rapidly changing the digital marketing landscape. Back in 2013, when voice search begun, the word accuracy recognition was just 76%. By the end of 2017 this had risen to an accuracy rate of 95%, with further improvements continually being made. It is no wonder that by 2020, it is estimated that voice search will account for 50% of all searches. This technology is here to stay and is one that will continue to grow in importance in online search.
If you want your business to stay ahead of the competition voice search needs to take high priority in your digital marketing strategy.
Voice search uses voice recognition technology that allows people to perform searches by speaking into a device. These devices range from smartphones, smart watches, smart speakers, computers to home assistant devices using technology such as Microsoft's Cortana, Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa.
Voice search improves search engine user experience. It is often a faster and more convenient way of searching the web. It’s much easier to speak than to type. On average we can type 40 words a minute but can speak 150 words in the same amount of time. And now that the technology is in place to support searches made by voice it is important to adapt your businesses marketing strategy.
We believe that voice search is changing digital marketing for the better. However, the way content is written needs to be clearly developed to resonate with both text and voice searches.
Voice search uses conversational language, places great emphasis of featured snippets and has increased the importance of informative and authoritative content.
These key differences mean that marketers now face these voice search challenges :
Only the first result is read out in voice search. Second is first looser, therefore competing for voice search dominance is even more competitive. Typically the result that is read out in response to a voice search is the featured snippet, not simply the first listed result.
Search queries from voice are longer, so optimising for longer search queries rather than purely keywords is important. Consideration needs to be paid to the questions your customers are asking your business and then create an informative page on your website that answers those specific search queries.
Our Audit analyses the SEO position of your site and identifies issues areas that could be limiting its performance.
You’ll receive a practical, implementable Report on our audit findings, with advice and tips on how to address each area and optimise your site for improved performance and increased results.
To successfully rank a website page, search engines must understand the page data. This data is delivered primarily by structured data as defined by the schema.org standard. This is the system used to mark-up content on a web page, which then enables search engines to understand the context of the text on the page. By implementing schema.org you will help search engines to identify information on your website pages, increasing your chances of ranking for voice search results.
Voice search is used in many geographically specific searches, for queries like ‘find a coffee shop near me.’ If your business relies on local customers, then it is important to be found when people are asking for the product or service you sell. Localised search results come from Google My Business and Bing Places for Business, so it is important to ensure that your business listings are optimised.
Whilst voice search word accuracy rate is 95%, it is still not 100%. If your brand name is difficult to say then changing it just to work better for voice search probably isn’t an option, but it is worth bearing in mind when you develop new products. Is the new product easy to pronounce? If it is then it will be easier to be found via voice search.
Innovation visual has in-depth knowledge of voice search having been working on strategies around voice search for a number of years already. Our knowledge has been also shared with organisations such as The University of Liverpool, economic development organisations through talks and presentations. We can help you understand how voice search may disrupt your current digital strategies and how we can work together to develop a strategy for your business to use this change to gain competitive advantage in your market.
Get in touch with our team to discuss your specific market position and how to benefit from digital change.
Working with the Cannon Hygiene team over a number of years we have put content at the forefront of their digital strategy and helped deliver it from videos to infographics and blogs.
Read this case studyInnovation Visual Ltd
Elm House, Tanshire Park, Shackleford Road, Elstead, Surrey, GU8 6LB.
