Voice Search Keeps Getting More Popular
Voice search features have changed the way that people use their devices. These searches can be carried out on a wide variety of devices, which is one reason why they are popular. For instance, voice searches could occur on a cellphone, on a home assistant – Alexa or Google Home, to name just two – on a computer equipped with a microphone and in many other ways. Part of the popularity is just the convenience, especially when using a phone. People can quickly and easily search for things with the push of just a few buttons, in any location, rather than having to type anything out. Convenience and efficiency are often king, and voice search has proven that. If it’s easier to use, even if it isn’t as accurate, people are still going to use it.
This trend is only continuing, as voice search increased in popularity for yet another year in a row. It recently increased by about 2.7%, reaching a total of 40.2% of the population in the United States. That is roughly 135.6 million individuals. It’s clear that the market for voice search is massive, and this number could soon surpass 50% to become commonplace in American society.
Does It Change How People Search?
For SEO purposes, one of the biggest things to remember is that people are going to conduct their searches a bit differently. Their keyword strings may be longer, for instance, and they are more likely to search using sentences or phrases.
For example, someone who is sitting down on a laptop and looking for a restaurant might simply type the word “restaurant” into the Google search bar. Someone who is using their phone may say: “Find restaurants near me.” They are essentially searching for the exact same product, but the syntax that they use could change dramatically, depending on how they run that search. It’s important for modern websites to be optimized for SEO with this in mind.
Asking Questions
Furthermore, voice searches may lead to a rise in people asking questions, rather than searching for terms themselves. In the past, someone seeking a rental car may have run their search around those two words alone. But now they may ask “Where can I rent a car near the airport?” or “Where is the nearest car rental?”
From this and the example about restaurants above, you can also see that voice search is often used in geographical locations. People assume that their phone or mobile device already knows where they are. So they are going to run searches looking for the closest results, not necessarily the best results. The value lies in proximity, and so that can impact the search terms that they use and the links that they eventually click on.
Moving Forward
SEO is always changing. Here at Content Customs, we can help you keep up with those changes and move forward productively. Call us now to find out more.