Voice Search Goes Mainstream: What it Means for SEO

“Alexa, what’s the weather today?”
“Hey Google, set a timer for 20 minutes.”
“Siri, call mom.”

These are the everyday catchphrases in millions of households worldwide. Phone voice searches, smart speakers and voice-activated assistants like Amazon Echo, Google Home, Samsung’s Bixby, and Apple’s Siri have paved themselves into daily life for a vast portion of the population. The convenience of saying requests out loud rather than typing search terms into browsers has led to a growth in voice searches over the last few years alone.

And as more consumers get accustomed to voice search, brands now face a major shift in the competitive search landscape. Traditional Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies built around keyword research and optimization need to evolve to cater to the unique demands of voice search.
So, what does this mean for you and your business? Here’s a glimpse into the upcoming trends in voice search technology and how SEO needs to adapt:

Industry experts observe that the popularity of voice searches continues to grow at an astonishing rate each year. Across all demographics, consumers are becoming increasingly comfortable asking their devices questions aloud rather than typing search terms into browsers. The sheer convenience of barking requests and getting quick, voice-delivered answers is driving this change in behavior.

For brands focused on search engine optimization, this growth in voice search poses both challenges and opportunities. With less visitors actually clicking through to websites, claiming real estate for featured snippets and knowledge panels is more critical than ever. The competition for prime positions to answer voice queries is intense. Brands that fail to shift strategy risk plummeting placements.

Optimizing for voice search requires brands to take new approaches:

• Target longer, more conversational queries
• Build authority signals to rank for voice results
• Optimize across devices to reach today’s multi-device users
• Implement rich structured data for smart answers
• Create extensive FAQ and explainer content
• Focus on comprehensiveness and conversational tone
• Develop aggregated data hubs
• Populate knowledge panels

The key is to provide voice assistants detailed answers to common questions, so users don’t need to click through to websites.

With smart speakers and voice-based operating systems expanding capabilities every year, voice is only becoming more integrated into consumers’ daily habits. Today’s children may one day struggle to comprehend the need to sit down and type keyword searches into web browsers.

For brands, success requires embracing voice search now and optimizing content across voice assistants and proprietary voice apps. Companies that provide the most satisfactory and convenient answers will earn spots as the top-of-mind authorities.

At VIT, we ensure our client campaigns evolve to match Google’s annual algorithm shifts and leverage innovations like voice search. Contact us on 020 4131 5176 or write at [email protected] for a consultation on building an SEO strategy focused on voice optimization and long-term search visibility. The future of search is already here.