How Trends in Voice Search Will Affect SEO

It’s no longer a secret that voice search is on the up-and-up. In December 2016, Amazon saw its Echo product becoming its most popular product over the holiday period, and with 2017 came the launch of Home – Google’s voice activated speaker powered by Google Assistant.

According to Google, its Assistant is now installed on more than 400 million devices, including speakers like Google Home, Android phones and tablets, iPhones, headphones, TVs, smart watches, and more. Besides the fact that voice search makes queries and tasks on the smartphone more natural, it also affects SEO. If you look through some reviews of SEO companies, you’d notice that more and more of them are offering voice search optimization as well, so it’s definitely something you should pay attention to. Additionally, more updates are also coming up and you can also check Home Service Direct.

Research shows that as of June 2017, 51% of smartphone users cue their voice-enabled technology when they need information on products and brands. Another 34% use voice searches when they are looking for information on local businesses.

According to Hubspot, 37% of individuals use Siri, 23% use Microsoft’s Cortana, and 19% use Amazon’s Alexa, at least monthly. In May 2016, 1 in 5 searches on an Android app in the US was through speech.

It's important to know how voice search queries vary from regular typed-in queries. This makes all the difference when implementing SEO. People who query via voice, tend to talk to their device as they would to any familiar individual, unlike regular typed-in queries, thus introducing a new set of keywords into play and hence the need to adapt your SEO to this trend.

Also, since voice activated searches are usually longer than 10 words, it's results would be more relevant, thus making certain websites rank higher. This means that websites need to take cognisance of this new trend if they want to continue to rank high in search results.

It is also important to note that many people use voice search because it is more accessible and more accurate than an app or a website. Consumers will keep using this new method well into 2020, and it is projected that by then 50% of all searches will be voice searches, and about 30% of those will occur without a screen.

With all the pros it has, it would make sense to get acquainted with voice search and its effects on SEO by taking a look at this infographic which breaks down the subject in a simple yet appealing way.