Voice searching has been on a steady rise for a while, and it’s not hard to see why. It offers convenience, it’s quick, and it’s hands-free. It can be done both on the go and from the comfort of the home. Yet it has also provided an interesting problem for those who design seo keywords. When typing out the query, most people use words and phrases that are natural and human. But when speaking the input out loud, people use conversational phrases. Instead of key phrases and words, programmers need to interpret whole sentences and deliver the intended results. Even long-tail keywords aren’t enough anymore. Most of the requests are done in the form of questions, meaning that FAQs are more important than ever. Programmers also need to account for multilingual and mobile use, which adds even more challenges.
This up coming sub-field of seo offers brands and businesses alike a new vector to spread the word of their usp to the world, and though some are skeptical about its relevance, it is clear that voice search is only going to become more important to users.
7 Responses
This is very interesting and something that I have not thought of! I like how you mentioned to utilize conversation tactics that also involve key words. That is very helpful when creating a SEO plan.
This is a new and interesting phenomenon in search. I would be curious to see which demographics are more likely to use voice to search and if it is resulting in younger people conducting searches. For example, I’ve seen 2-3 year old’s who wouldn’t be able to type in a search query but can ask Alexa to play Frozen.
Voice searching has become increasingly popular due to its convenience, speed, and hands-free capabilities. It can be done on the go or from the comfort of one’s home. However, it has presented a challenge for SEO keyword designers. When typing out a query, people use natural and concise words and phrases. But when using voice search, people tend to use conversational phrases and complete sentences. This requires programmers to interpret entire sentences and deliver relevant results. Even long-tail keywords are no longer sufficient. Most voice searches take the form of questions, making FAQs more important than ever. Furthermore, programmers must consider multilingual and mobile use, adding more complexity to the task.
This is so true and something that has really challenged me in thinking through how to find quality keywords. Thank you for this take.
Good insight! I wonder sometimes if age is a factor at all in this. I feel like older people tend to search with full sentences but I don’t know if it’s the same way when you’re voice texting.
This is such and interesting point that I have never thought about! I have never thought about the challenges that voice search has created for SEO, programmers, and businesses. Thanks for you insight and thoughts on this!
I love your point about the conversational tone. Often, our keywords are simple and short, but we have to take the conversational tone of search queries into account.