Voice and seo and how to market to voice searching.

Voice search—in other words, speaking directly to a smart device rather than typing something into a search bar—is becoming a bigger and bigger percentage of all Google searches, and it’s happening quickly. Google data from 2016 showed that 20 percent of all mobile searches were voice-activated, and by 2020 (just a few months away, now) it’s predicted that more than 50 percent of all searches will be voice-activated.

So how do you bring your content into the era of voice search? Here are just a few pointers to get you started:

Remember that voice search relies on natural language, so focus on long-tail keywords, phrases, and full sentences. In other words, something like “Where can I get pizza after seeing a movie?” will replace “pizza movie theater close” as a common search phrase.
Optimize SEO for local searches. This is because voice search is three times more likely to be local in nature, according to Convince and Convert.
Focus on answering conversational questions that customers would likely ask by creating FAQ pages or highly targeted content.

1. Nearly 40 million Americans now own a smart speaker

This figure from January 2018 equates to about a sixth of the U.S. population. More Americans probably own a smart speaker (Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, Google Home, etc.) in January 2019.

Marketers have historically benefited from the consumer’s ability to get side-tracked. But when a smart speaker plays your music for you, orders the exact product you tell it to order and reads search results from Google that answer your question, it’s that much harder to insinuate your brand into a user’s journey.

The bottom line: If you want to join the smart-speaker conversation, you’ll need to create content that solves problems and/or answers questions (which you should already be doing).

2. By 2020, 30 percent of web browsing will be screenless

Score another point for smart speakers, but also earbuds and writers everywhere. A few years ago, Gartner predicted that nearly a third of all web browsing would be voice activated by 2020 (and we’re almost there).

This is a huge deal when you consider most user interfaces on the web rely primarily on visual cues. Hands-free or eyes-free search is a tipping point for natural language processing (NLP). Programs can solve math problems, connect you to loved ones, change the playlist and supply quick answers to questions using nothing but sound.

3. 50 percent of all searches will be voice searches by 2020

In fact, 50 percent of all searches could be voice activated by 2020, according to ComScore. This amplifies what we already know to be true: Voice search optimization isn’t the afterthought that it once was.

Realistically, we don’t expect business decision-makers to abandon their keyboards and start vocalizing questions about, say, the inner-workings of an industrial automation system.

It’s still worth thinking about how voice technology may serve your business, with the understanding that some industries (particularly consumer-facing brands) will be more impacted by voice search than others.

4. Everyday household items are the most common voice search-based purchases

And on that note, 25 percent of consumers surveyed said they’re most likely to use voice assistance when purchasing everyday household items. Buying apparel is a close second followed by entertainment and games. Purchases of prepared meals and local services (such as dry cleaning) are at the bottom of the pack.

Voice search is gaining ground in a lot of areas, but its utility in longer sales cycles is not as demonstrable (yet). Managers in B2B markets looking into data center solutions, for example, have longer consideration phases than someone restocking makeup because this happened:

However, voice search does play a well-defined role in content marketing.

Imagine a novice baker vocalizing this question: “Siri, how do I know when my dough is under proved?” A voice search optimization strategy for a kitchenware retailer or culinary academy might entail targeting those long-tail, how-to key phrases. This creates an opportunity to interact with potential customers.

Note that we specifically say “long-tail keywords” because people speak differently than they type. In text, I might key “dough under proved” into a search engine. Spoken aloud, I would likely ask “how do I know when my dough is under proved?”

5. 20 percent of mobile queries are voice search, says Google

If mobile devices put information at your fingertips, voice search puts it at the tip of your tongue. This is especially useful when you’re on the go and need to perform a quick, hands- or eyes-free query. Maybe you’re driving to work. Or maybe you’re walking to the nearest transit station and would rather not stop to type in a long tail question.

Voice search is, at the end of the day, not a replacement for text-based search, but an alternative medium for search that’s well-suited to specific user scenarios. It wouldn’t be ideal in an office where you spend the better part of your day Googling things. I, for one, would be hoarse by the end of the day. But it’s useful in any situation where you would rather not pause your life so you can get in front a screen to figure something out.

6. Most smart-speaker owners conduct local voice searches

Research from BrightLocal found that about 75 percent of smart-speaker owners search for local businesses at least once a week. More telling is the types of searches conducted:

54 percent make food and drink reservations.
46 percent inquire about price of a certain product from a local business.
40 percent want to find out if a certain product is available at that business.
35 percent book a beauty appointment.

7. Trust in voice search results declined in 2018

And now for a quick dose of reality.

Voice search is important, and it’s not going away. However, it also hasn’t developed to the extent that it can meet all user expectations. Case in point: research from HigherVisibility suggests that voice search was less used and less trusted in 2018 than it was in 2017.

Part of this is just a natural phase of any hype cycle and a calibration of expectations. Voice search won’t usurp text search any more than the motion picture usurped the novel. It’s just a new medium of digital interfacing, and one that’s still finding its place in the world – that use cases for voice search increased despite trust in the outcomes decreasing is testament to this.

8. Voice-search ranking criteria stats

In 2018, Backlinko conducted some of the most compelling voice search research to date, and they revealed some of the key factors that influence Google Home rankings specifically.

Here are some of the highlights:

Page speed: The average voice SERP loads in 4.6 seconds, which is 52 percent faster than the average page. This is likely for UX purposes – there’s nothing conversational about waiting a long time for a verbal response.

Security: More than 70 percent of Google Home pages are secured with HTTPS compared to only about 50 percent of desktop results.

Conciseness: The typical voice search result is only 29 words. People want quick answers, not books on tape.

Simplicity: The average voice search result is written at a ninth-grade reading level because verbal answers need be digestible enough to understand at a first pass.

Featured snippets: More than 40 percent of all voice-search answers were pulled from featured snippets.

Domain authority: Curiously, domain authority appears to be more important for voice search ranking than page authority (aka, link authority). The average domain authority of a voice search was 76.8, but only 21.1 for page authority. This means Google cares much more about pulling its answers from a trusted subdomain than from a page with oodles of backlinks.

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