Table of Contents
What is voice search?
Voice search is an automatic voice recognition system that converts a query into text and searches for an answer through search engines. It operates on artificial intelligence. The most well-known voice assistants are Siri from Apple, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana. Mordor Intelligence predicts that the market for voice assistant applications will continue to grow and will nearly triple by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 22.98%.
What is voice search most often used for?
- Local data queries. This means the user needs to find places nearby: "Where can I get coffee in downtown Abu Dhabi?"
- Instant answers to questions the user wants: "What year was Google founded?"
- Commands for phones and smart devices: "Please turn the music down."
Features of voice queries:
- Higher quality results. Since users tend to make more detailed queries, this allows search engines to provide precise answers.
- Specific queries. These are more conversational in form, rather than written.
- Focus on geo. The voice assistant primarily offers the most convenient options based on the user’s location.
Optimization methods below are relevant for both mobile search and voice search through smart devices.
Implement structured data markup
Since structured data gives an advantage in search, it’s worth implementing structured data markup. This will allow for rich snippets and other information to appear in the search engine results in the form of special blocks.
Expand your semantic core
In voice search, people often use long phrases, so it’s important to expand your semantic core to include detailed questions and conversational words. These queries might be low-frequency in regular search but will help you rank higher in voice search.
For example:
Query for regular search: "Restaurants in New York"
Query for voice search: "What are some cozy restaurants in downtown New York?"
Create an FAQ section
People want specific answers to questions, so it’s a good idea to create a section with the most popular questions and short answers. This will help not only improve your position in the search results but also get you into Google’s featured snippet — a small text under the search bar with a brief answer and a link to the website.
Improve the mobile version
Optimize your content for mobile devices, as people often use voice search on smartphones.
Add company addresses and data on various platforms
Place and regularly update your business listing on Google Maps and other services. This way, when users perform a voice search, they can immediately see where the business is located, visit the website, or call.
Advantages and limitations of voice search for business
Voice search is a convenient alternative to traditional search. It allows users to access information without even picking up their device. This tool works especially well for local brands and services that are needed right here and now. The most prominent examples of such businesses include stores, cafes and restaurants, clinics, delivery services, taxis, emergency services, and companies offering quick repairs. However, voice search still doesn’t replace traditional search. The majority of queries are still typed manually. Optimizing for voice search is an opportunity to increase website traffic through more detailed queries and become even more useful to users. To understand how SEO optimization will increase the number of clients through voice search specifically, you need to audit your website and study its target audience. For this, you can contact our agency by writing to [email protected] or filling out the application form below. The Zum Punkt team quickly implements all the latest search marketing innovations into their work.
