By Luis Capobianco – Jan 27th, 2021
Our first experiences with voice search were less than satisfactory. A lot of misunderstanding, rephrasing the question, wrong answers (or the answer to a question other than the one we intended) were often the case. We had to restrict ourselves to simple questions or commands.
However, the intensive use of AI and ML and several years of training with our voices resulted in a growing trend in voice-activated searches, and now nearly reaches half of the searches on the Internet.
Yet, we still find it awkward to interface with an electronic device via speech for something other than a simple search or command (i.e., driving directions, phone calls, texts, checking the weather, and playing music). When things get a little bit tricky, we usually resort to typing, as found out by Adobe in their Voice Technology Study. Only one in four people use voice technology beyond simple searches, such as finding, ordering, and sending a highly-rated gift to a friend.
To continue expanding the use of voice as the main method of interfacing with our devices, we need two things to happen. The computers need to understand the user intent or the implied meaning of its questions (semantic search), and businesses need to be voice search aware and provide answers to our new way of searching.
Context-aware searches
Most of our interactions nowadays with voice search assistants start with the prefixes: who, what, how, why, where, or when, but if we want people to use those assistants more often, we need to allow consumers to talk more naturally. The advances and increased use of AI and ML to decode natural language and its context will enable computers to understand our common language rather than making us change the way we speak. But improving natural language recognition is more challenging than we think; machines need to understand the user intent or the implied meaning of its search (semantic search), something very natural for humans.
Source: Read/WriteWeb (https://readwrite.com/2008/05/29/semantic_search_the_myth_and_reality/)
Improving voice-recognition technology is necessary but not enough to speed-up its adoption. The interaction between the user and the voice-activated machine (cell phone, voice assistant, or computer) also depends on businesses providing the right experience (answer or service) that serves the consumer request.
How does a voice request differ from a regular one?
Once we understand that users resort to voice-activated searches or commands mostly in situations where their hands and eyes are occupied in something else and that choosing our business is a matter of split-second decisions, we will understand the importance of mobile voice SEO optimization.
Source: FinancesOnline (https://financesonline.com/voice-search-statistics/)
Preparing our business to interact with voice assistants to provide the information required or the action requested based on the user context will enable us to thrive in the next digital era.
It is no longer enough to show our website as a response to a search; many times, the devices will not have a screen to show it. Nor should we expect to interact with a real person on the other side of the line asking for a reservation, as Google presented back in 2018.
Building your business for voice
As you build the strategy for interacting with voice searches and commands, bear in mind how people use voice differently than typing.
- Understand your audience: This is true no matter what you are doing, even outside the voice search. Start to understand what people are asking Google, and as a rule, remember that the younger generation is adopting voice faster than their older counterparts.
- Understand the user experience: When people speak, they don’t randomly say a couple of words but rather express their searches in the form of questions. So it’s not enough to rank high in the short term; you have to answer the question people ask.
- Focus on the featured snippet: Voice searches will not glance over search results on the second page, neither will they do it with your site. You must present the answer in the featured snippet google presents as a result of the search together with the link to your site.
- Keep it concise: Featured snippets are less than 30 words, so keep your answers precise.
- Stay local with your SEO: Optimizing for a global search might not be the right solution for answering a voice search. Depending on your business, focusing on your geography might be a better option.
- Target long-tail keywords: You don’t use terms for a voice search, but instead phrase the search in the form of a question, so don’t optimize for keywords, optimize for questions.
How do you know what questions you must provide answers to?
Consider the scenario of flight cancellations due to a snow storm. Thousand of voice-activated requests for information, re-routing, changes in reservations, or cancellations will arise from one moment to the
other. A specific answer or redirection on how to deal with cancellations due to weather conditions rather than the generic cancellation policy page will differentiate your business in terms of customer satisfaction.
Here is where AI and ML will play a role in the mainstream adoption of voice-activated searches and commands. Your business needs to continuously learn from users’ questions on searches, how they use the product or service, trends in social media, and other relevant information sources to stay on top of this new trend.
Sources:
8 Voice Search Trends To Be Aware Of For 2021: https://www.davidtaylordesign.com/voice-search-trends/
Study: 48% of consumers use voice assistants for general web search: https://searchengineland.com/study-48-of-consumers-use-voice-assistants-for-general-web-search-319729
Why Is Voice Search So Important In 2021 And How Can You Succeed With It: https://www.clickintelligence.co.uk/why-is-voice-search-so-important-in-2021-and-how-can-you-succeed-with-it/
62 Key Voice Search Statistics: 2020/2021 Market Share & Data Analysis: https://financesonline.com/voice-search-statistics/
Voice Trends & Statistics: What Designers Need to Know About the New Tech Boom: https://blog.adobe.com/en/2019/07/22/voice-assistant-statistics-trends-2019.html#gs.rat0a6
Voice Technology’s Role in Our Rapidly Changing World: https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/principles/emerging-technology/voice-technologys-role-in-rapidly-changing-world/
Adobe: COVID-19 makes consumers receptive to voice technology: https://chainstoreage.com/adobe-covid-19-makes-consumers-receptive-voice-technology
OK, Google: How Do I Optimize My Site for Voice Search?: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/03/14/google-voice-search
HOW POPULAR IS VOICE SEARCH?: https://www.highervisibility.com/blog/how-popular-is-voice-search/
Semantic Search: The Myth and Reality: https://readwrite.com/2008/05/29/semantic_search_the_myth_and_reality/
