With today’s generation, it is better to speak on the phone rather than type something in as average typist can generally encode 50 to 80 WPM, and even the advanced typist can sometimes type only above 120 WPM. These numbers, of course, represent a scenario where the typist is sitting behind a desk or a work space. What about for the people on-the-go? This is where voice search comes in. How does it affect SEO strategies today? How would companies, especially in Orange County, stay ranked?
With Google Now, Siri and Cortana offering voice search on smartphones, newer generations are offered better options of communicating more efficiently. Even Northstar Research’s study indicated that among teenagers, 55 percent use voice search everyday and 56 percent of adults use voice search everyday too. Why the rise?
Last year was considered the year of mobile as 87 percent of the world’s population own smartphones. Because of this, there is also an increasing demand for mobile searches rather than traditional searches which are done on laptop and desktop computers.
Imagine looking for the best restaurant to dine here in Orange County while you’re already driving or you’re trying to meet a project deadline which you don’t have a clue of. Voice searches can greatly help you on these instances to multi-task and speed things up, plus the convenience of not having to waste energy in typing while doing so.
How Voice Search Affects SEO Strategies
Forget about the stiff, traditional way of searching on Google. Whereas we use the shortest keywords before, voice searches paves the way for a more natural, free-form searches often associated with natural conversations as it answers the “who, what, where, why” type of queries.
And since voice searches are conversational in nature, it follows that keyword stuffing on websites won’t work anymore. Instead, content that answers the four questions mentioned above are the ones which will most likely rank than their competitors.
Borrowing Matt Cutts’ words: “It is definitely the case that if you have something coming in via voice, people are more likely to use natural language. They are less likely to use search operators and keywords and that sort of thing and that is a general trend that we see.”
How Do You Get your Website Voice Search-Ready?
- Start Implementing Long-Tail Keywords. The benefits were discussed here.
- Answer the “who, what, where, why” questions which you expect your customers to ask.
- Write naturally as this is how voice searches work best.
Although voice search is quite different, it does not deviate from SEO. It comes in line with search engines’ purpose to render queries more user-friendly in a fast and easier way. Indeed, it is time to be more innovative with your SEO strategies to stay on the top rankings.
Need any help with SEO strategies and innovations that will bring more traffic to your Orange County website? Call us at (949) 800-6990 and talk to us today.
Sources:
How Voice Search is Changing SEO, Michael Peggs, Huffington Post
How Voice Search is Changing SEO, John Lincoln, Search Engine Journal