We all know that voice search technology has rapidly established itself as a key component of consumer behavior. The popularity of smart speakers and voice activated assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, has enabled prospective customers to seek solutions to their problems in novel ways. This means that marketers must adapt their digital efforts and factor voice search into their strategies to stay competitive.

The Rise of Voice Search

Voice search usage has surged in the last decade due to its convenience and efficiency along with its integration into smartphones. In most settings, consumers prefer speaking over typing, and advancements in natural language processing have made voice search more accurate and reliable.  In fact, studies have shown that over 50% of adults use voice search daily and that it handles well over 90% of queries accurately.

Voice Search’s Impact on SEO

Natural language fundamentally differs from keyword-centric search. Historically, consumers were trained to start their queries very basic phrases, refining them as they gained a sense for the content themes displayed in results. Consequently SEOs focused their efforts on optimizing for these keywords.

Natural language, and by in turn voice search, changes the SEO landscape significantly. Traditional keyword-based strategies need adjustments to accommodate natural language queries. Marketers must now develop and structure content that focuses on conversational phrases that users are likely to speak rather than type.

How to Optimize for Voice Search

To begin optimizing for voice search, businesses should:

• Improve Website Speed: Core Web Vitals have set a standard for how great websites should load, especially since they place a primary emphasis on load times and usability on mobile devices. Since, voice searches usually occur on mobile devices, fast-loading sites are ever more critical.
• Use Structured Data: Implementing schema markup helps search engines understand content better, thus supporting content interpretation for natural language search. Content that’s easy to understand from a natural language perspective, increases the chances of its use in voice search results.
• Focus on Local SEO: Many voice searches are location-based. For example, people often ask Siri or Alexa for a list of top-rated restaurants nearby. Ensuring business listings are accurate and up-to-date is important. Soliciting customers for positive reviews in places like Google Maps and Yelp further augments local SEO’s effectiveness.

Content Strategy for Voice Search

I touched on this a bit already, but website owners must offer content focusing on natural language topics. Answering specific questions can be a great way to enhance your voice search performance. FAQs, how-to guides, and “listicles” (e.g. Top 5 or Top 10 lists) are great formats to use when catering to voice search users’ needs.

Future Marketing Trends Involving Voice Search

The future of voice search in digital marketing will likely involve:

• Increased Personalization: I believe that AI will only make the voice search experience better. More personalized and hyper-local search results are rapidly growing thanks to AI. While this enhances the user experience, it makes voice search-centered content imperative. 
• Growing Voice-Based E-Commerce: As consumers will continue to become more comfortable purchasing through voice commands. I believe there will be a growing number of products people will purchase sight unseen, especially as AI improves the likelihood that they will reliably solve consumer needs. 
• Further Integration with IoT: Voice search will increasingly interact with IoT devices like refrigerators and furnaces, to automate purchasing and lead to seamless user experiences across various platforms.

Ultimately, voice search is transforming digital marketing. By understanding and adapting to these changes, businesses can enhance their online presence and stay ahead in a competitive market. Investing in voice search optimization today ensures readiness for the future trends of tomorrow.

If you’re looking for help optimizing your website or digital presence for voice search, let’s talk! Riviea helps businesses modernize their commercial processes so they can effectively compete in the 24/7 digital economy. Get in touch with us today!