Should You be Considering Voice Search in Your Search Strategy?

Along with the general rise in smartphone availability and sales, faster mobile internet speeds and the all-round growth of mobile web browsing, using devices like smartphones for voice search is becoming more and more common. With over 90% of web journeys beginning with a search, it was only a matter of time before voice initiated searches became an item all search marketers should have on their radar.

Smartphone users across platforms have been highly encouraged to use voice search via the promotion of in-device voice control software the likes of Apples iOS assistant Siri. To further push the trend of voice searching, voice controlled home devices now commonly referred to as ‘smart speakers’ including popular the Amazon Echo and Googles rival entry Google Home are starting to gain rapid traction in the consumer market.

It’s estimated that over 30 million voice-controlled devices will be used in the US by the end of 2017 – and the trends for the UK are following the same path. Digital research giant Comscore estimates that 50% of all searches could be voice initiated as soon as 2020, and 40% of adults are now using voice search at least once per day. Not stats any search marketer can afford to ignore.

In order to prepare for this potentially huge shift in how users use search. Brands should most certainly be prepared to adapt and get ahead of the market in terms of their keyword selection. Essentially the change comes in the way that users construct search queries for voice searching in comparison to typed searches. Voice search typically comes in the form of a fully spoken question, whereas keyboard entry queries will use a short selection of keywords. More often than not the typed queries do not form a structured question, rather the bare essentials a search engine requires to locate the most relevant content relating to those given few words.

When performing keyword research put these longer structured questions in to play and see if you can identify popular voice queries this way. Voice queries also come in the form of making a demand eg. “Google – find me a pizza parlor nearby”. So think outside the box relevant to your business and how users would use spoken queries to find your products or services.

With the search market being as highly competitive as it is, getting ahead of the market with trending changes like this could make a big difference in the future. If you can adapt before the competition.