All search engines tend to update their algorithms continuously, although Google takes the lead with small daily changes. With the rise of Google Voice Searches, these updates are increasingly geared towards understanding natural language queries more effectively. However, they rarely cause significant fluctuations in ranking unless it is a major change, such as Penguin, Panda, RankBrain, etc.
These are the important changes that SEO professionals fear so much. They force them to stay current if they want to be included.
One trend that will undoubtedly change the future face of SEO is voice search via mobile devices.
What are voice searches?
The continued growth in smartphone usage and the arrival of personal assistants have produced a rarely recorded growth in the use of a new feature: voice search.
It is a conversation between the user and the device focused on helping the user complete real-time tasks in their lives, such as booking tickets or making online purchases.
The main difference with manual searches is that users are looking for something other than links but for direct answers. This makes a huge difference in using keywords necessary for correct optimization.
At first, consumers weren’t particularly excited about this new tool. In fact, in 2013, 85% of iOS users said they had never used Siri. This was due to its short history and many inaccuracies when displaying voice search results.
Something that, over time, Google has perfected to a level never seen before, especially with its Google Algorithm Updates. Today, Siri and Google are leading the field of voice searches in SEO, which is clearly on the rise. Google recently launched an informative article that allows users to check out different infographics that are useful for obtaining user navigation data.
It is clear that this tool will be used more frequently in the future, and rarely has there been such a clear improvement to the user experience as voice searches for mobile devices.
Three key features in voice search
As we have already said, voice searches will shake the foundations of every link acquisition strategy. You only have to examine the following graph to see its exponential growth.
Remember that today, it is more important than ever to adapt your content to use more “conversational” human and less technical language.
1. Three words for Cortana
Cortana, the Microsoft personal assistant in Windows 10, analyzed back in late 2015 that 33% of its queries came from voice searches. This data was obtained just three months after its launch:
Even though text queries are generally shorter (an average of two words), voice queries have the best results in impressions and clicks containing three words.
This often surprises professionals since we extend our expressions more when speaking naturally. This is because of their youth and the common user habit of making brief queries. It is difficult to forget something we have been doing daily for over twenty years…
No drastic changes in search behavior based on data have been found that have affected the organic or paid results of different brands.
There is no trend indicating an increase in word counts for queries.
2. Questions in voice search
I’m sure you’ll agree that humans are naturally curious creatures. We’re always looking for new information; the best way to get it is by asking.
The same is true for voice searches. A study released by a leading SEO authority reveals a 61% rise in searches containing questions. These searches include conversational words such as “what,” “who,” “how,” “when,” or “where.”
We use these ways of expressing ourselves much more when speaking than writing.
Let’s look at an example: If you want to know something about a specific person you don’t know, you won’t just say “Greta Thunberg,” but instead ask your assistant a complete question, like “Who is Greta Thunberg?”
However, remember that this is just a correlation. We do not need to track voice search data separately to suggest a clear pattern.
Conversational queries give us a higher probability of predicting the searcher’s intent. This is very useful, as it allows us to adapt our content and our ads according to this search intent.
3. Adapting local businesses.
We don’t have to go far to find a time when neither Google nor any other search engine optimized its results for local searches. Just three or four years ago, Google did not show searches related to your location.
A quick example… if four years ago we made the query “Where am I?” and then performed the search “show me things to do here,” this is the result that would have been shown:
And no, I’m not in Las Vegas…
That has changed now when you search for “Where am I? Google will display a map of your present location. Thanks to improvements to the algorithm, it now saves information from your previous searches, so if you then search for “show me things to do here” it will give you a list of popular activities near you, instead of the place with the highest SEO rating in the world, which in this case is Las Vegas.
What exactly does this mean for local businesses?
Any local business with a modicum of ambition must know that mobile phones have become a fundamental source for consumers to gather information about their products or services.
A recent Google study determined that 89% of users who search for a local business do so via smartphone at least once a week, while 58% search for local businesses at least once a day.
It is, therefore, no surprise that local voice searches via mobile devices are three times more likely than text searches.
This can bring benefits to businesses with a local presence…
Remember to experiment with keywords that include local points of interest and neighborhood-specific locations like suffixes or street numbers.
Once the whole concept is clarified and we have a clearer point of view on how voice queries work, it is time to launch ourselves into their conquest and thus improve our chances of appearing in a voice search result, while obtaining more traffic.
Conclusion
Every digital marketing professional faces a new challenge that tests our knowledge and speed of reaction. Voice searches and personal assistants are undoubtedly the exams to pass in 2020 since it is estimated that by the end of the year, more than half of the queries made in search engines will be through their voice search application.
But beware. Just as it will continue to grow, it must also be taken into account that not all types of queries will be made out loud. A clear example is information of a private nature, such as payrolls, pornography, etc.
This is why it is only compared in fields that use both types of search.
Keep in mind that users generally take longer than businesses to adapt to new technologies fully, so voice SEO data and research still need to be improved despite its immense growth.
A common question in the sector is whether Google will create a department exclusively in charge of optimizing voice searches. Logic tells us yes, given that voice searches are gaining more relevance daily, but it is up to Google to carry this out.
