Voice Search Is Everywhere – Are You Listening Yet?

The first computer able to understand human voice was made way back in 1981 by IBM. Since then, computing power and AI assistants have come so far. Now, with products like Google Home, Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod filling every home, and Siri and Google Assistant on mobiles and laptops, your ability to talk to your computer is exponentially growing.

In 2016, Google suggested that 20% of queries were voice searches, and many pundits believe that over 50% of searches will be done via voice by 2020. With a combination of promotions on the devices, the continuous connectivity and the >95% accuracy rate of understanding the human voice, these products and programs have become useful, reliable and accessible.

User studies have suggested that currently most of these queries are either ‘Skills’ or other app integrations e.g. “Alexa, play relaxing music on Spotify”, or “Know Simple” queries that are effectively reading data without context e.g. “Hey Google, what’s the status of Qantas flight 10?”.

So, how does this affect you and your business?

Voice search has become a primary search strategy for busy people who use it like a diary, for reminders, and as personal assistant, such as:

• Fun & entertainment – “what’s on at …”, “is x business open” and much more.

• Searches for local content and business information e.g. business addresses or qualifying terms like ‘best pizza delivery’.

• Personal voice assistance, fulfilling simple tasks like daily scheduling, commute times or weather forecast.

• Searches for general information, e.g. editorial content or FAQ style content.

Many queries also imply geography.  And, as they are attached to your home router or have their own GPS, implied understanding is improving fast.

Understanding the needs and wants of your customer is essential

We need to think more like a human and to answer questions.  To do this we need to think about how to answer those users.

Questions all follow the the 5 Ws, and they also imply search intent and match to the consumer buying stages.

• What / Who – research / need identification.
• How – general topics or simple information.
• When – shortlisting providers, offers, prices, opening hours.
• Where – showing purchase, intent including the address is common.

So, how can your business get started?

The experts at GDR Media Group can help you take advantage of the growing use of voice search in various ways, including creating content that answers relevant questions that relate and could be asked relating to your brand and its services/products. Some examples include:

• Creating answers to long tail questions asked by voice search users – so you can become an authority.
• Developing comprehensive FAQ content around your brand / products / services.

Content creation for voice search is vital, but so too is ensuring that the great content we help you create is easily identifiable within search engines.

For a start we’ll ensure that the correct microformats and encoding is used. Our in-house team will use the correct schema for your content type, making it easy for search engines to find and deliver it to users.

Top tip! Check out Schema.org for everything you need to know about everything from FAQs, to your address, people, business, phone numbers and many more.

In addition, we’ll review your local SEO to ensure:

• Your NAP (name, address, phone number) is coded and implemented correctly.

• Any brand, product, or service reviews you have are integrated and use the right schema to aggregate your scores.

• Your Google My Business is being optimised to control your location(s), contact details, offers & promos, and even as a tool to publish short form content.

Final thought

Users searching the Internet by 2020 may not even involve a keyboard at all! However, servicing your customers’ needs should still be at the heart of your digital strategy – however they find you online. Concentrating on being the best at what you do and presenting great content and reviews in a format that all the major search engines can deliver to users is essential.

The time is now to start thinking about how your brand sounds as well as looks!

How Can GDR Help?

Are you ready to revolutionise your digital marketing efforts with the help of voice search? Do you want to break through all aspects of the search engine market to ensure optimal visibility for your business?

At GDR, we understand the importance of a digital presence, and we also know that it is a big ask that cannot be accomplished alone.

That’s where we can help! We can handle all aspects of your search engine optimisation efforts to deliver an all-encompassing strategy for your business, which will:

• Increase reach to customers using both voice search and typed search
• Expand your digital reach and presence
• Grow traffic and engagement for your website
• Track return on investment.

We would love to help!

This blog was written with the help of GDR Group’s SEO Consultant Adrian Land. Adrian has been innovating in digital marketing & SEO for nearly 20 years, working with all types of businesses from start-ups to scale-ups and internationally recognisable brands.