What Is Voice Search?

See what we have done? We have started answering with a question.

Voice search is simply a means of searching by saying your words into a device with speech recognition,
such as a mobile, rather than typing your words into search engine using a keyboard.

In most cases, the answers or results will be spoken back to you in an instant.

How many people use voice search?

Today, there are over 1 billion voice searches performed every month.

Voice search is revolutionising the way we interact with the internet every day. It has been predicted that in 2020, 50% of all web searches will be conducted by voice.

Voice lends itself to certain types of searches more than others. 46% of daily searches are for local businesses, these users are 27% more likely to visit your website as a result. So if you are a local business, then you must optimise for voice.

What devices allow voice searches?

There are many devices and technologies in use, the ones you are more likely to have heard of are:

Amazon Echo / Alexa
Apple Siri
Microsoft Cortana
Google Assistant
Google Home / Home Mini

What words are used most in voices searches?

We change our behaviour when we start searching by speaking, so our voice searches are different. Our searches become more conversational and more "question" like.

This means they become longer. Normally, if we search by typing text into a search field we use 2-4 keywords. When we use voice searches, this can more than double to 6-10 words.

Our questions start with words such as who, how, when, where, why and what. Understanding the choice of word can give you insight into the user intent and what stage they are at in the buying process.

"What is better, a sony led tv or a samsung led tv?" shows someone in the research phase. Whereas, "Where can I buy a sony bravia 49" led tv?" indicates someone ready to buy.

How to optimise for voice search.

There are several ways to help you get found in voice searches:

We know that most searches are question based, so you have to create your content in a natural conversational style that will answer the questions.
Research. First we need to know what questions users are asking in order to be able to draft our content. There are great tools out there such as Google Trends, Google Search Console (yes, you can find the longer tail key phrases in GSC) and one we often use is answerthepublic.com
Consider user intent and where they are in the customer or purchase journey. When users are in the research stage, you have to respond with content that satisfies their thirst for knowledge around the product or service. As they progress along the journey to the stage of taking action, you need to explain how easy it is to order, how quick delivery is, how much it costs - pushing them into committing with strong calls to action.
Use SEM channels such as pay-per-click (PPC) to trial and test longer tail phrases. This will give you quicker insights into what types of questions they are asking and if your answers are correct.
Use structured data in your website. By using schema mark-up and rich cards helps search engines understand your content more effectively and can help you secure positions in relevant knowledge graphs.
Provide the best and most detailed content for your chosen service or product. This does require considerable effort, but if you are rewarded with a position #0 featured snippet on Google, then you will certainly notice an increase in enquiries and sales

Answerthepublic question terms

Answerthepublic starting with voice search

Answerthepublic comparison terms

Image of apple siri on mobile phone voice search

How Can We Help You?

The very first thing is to know if voice search is for you. Most companies will benefit from optimising their website and content for voice search, but it might not suit everyone.

Depending on your industry sector, the investment might not get you brilliant returns. Local businesses - it is a definite yes. Software houses selling £500k applications, perhaps not.

We will be honest and frank if you can benefit or not. Contact us today and we will research the opportunities.

Google are using "mobile first" as the main driver for their search engine. We all have a mobile phone about our person 24 hours a day and probably a voice device in our home.

Are you maximising these opportunities? If not, we can help your company to be found on voice searches before your competition does.