Voice search has increasingly become popular as most people feel that it is more convenient to explain what they need in a search through voice compared to typing. Analysis from Google shows that 55% of teens and 41% of adults use voice search daily with 20% of all mobile queries being done using voice. It is estimated that by 2020, 50% of all search and queries will be done on voice. The following are the main drivers to voice search gaining popularity:
- Voice search is more convenient compared to typing since it’s easy to make queries by voice compared to typing.
- According to Bing, Doing searches through voice is 3.7 times faster compared to typing.
- Voice is convenient and perfect for mobile searches since it’s less convenient while typing in mobile phones.
Voice search differs a lot compared to a general search that involves typing. Such is caused by voice search involving using speech to make queries online which eventually leads to the user having a conversation with the system compared to the regular search which involves typing short keywords describing the queries of the users. Voice search accommodates more details in the search compared to regular search.
It is therefore essential to use specific search engine optimization for voice search, which is different from the SEO of regular search. Several points may be evaluated to ensure that voice search is optimized for rankings. Firstly, it is necessary to ensure that the website loads quickly since voice search favors sites that load quickly. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that files are compressed, images are optimized, and the website is responsive. Secondly, It is necessary to ensure that content is optimized for web search where long tail keywords which make it sound more natural while talking as opposed to the short tail keywords that are used while typing. It is equally necessary to include the featured blocks of the content above the fold but under 29 words. Finally, it is necessary to concentrate on local searches as location-based content is mostly conducted using voice search.