I remember when I got my first phone with voice search and the frustration that followed when I asked Siri to give me directions. After 3 attempts I gave up, Siri was sorry but she couldn’t answer. That was 4 years ago, since then Amazon has sold over 100million Alexa smart speakers and it’s quite common to hear shouts of “Alexa play…” or “Alexa what is…”
In 2020 it was estimated that by 2021 between 35 and 50% of internet searches will be done handsfree.
So, how will Alexa and voice search affect our carefully crafted SEO?
Length of queries will change
Have a think about when you last typed a search into Google. It would probably have been about 2 or 3 words long, for example, “restaurant West Kent”, but if you asked the same question using voice search you would probably be more likely to ask “what is the nicest restaurant in West Kent?” or “Find me a West Kent restaurant with a car park”.
This means that there is a possibility that natural language keywords may start to become more influential in SEO.
It’s also worth considering looking at keywords in question form.
Can you spot the intent of the question?
Because voice search requires us to ask a question directly, we can therefore begin to judge the intent of the question and tailor our SEO and marketing accordingly. Being able to spot the high-value questions that might be asked, means that you can begin to target a more specific audience.
You’re probably going to have to change your content
There are undoubtedly some copywriters out there holding their heads in their hands because it seems that tone of voice is going to have to change. Content is going to need to be more conversational in order to meet the SEO related to more question-based queries. It’s also going to need to answer a query quickly. This could prove problematic for websites with a more professional tone. How to make a medical or legal website meet this potential new requirement is going to leave some copywriters and SEO experts sobbing.
Greater attention to detail
You’re going to have to cover all of your bases, making sure that grammar and spelling across your site is perfect! One misspelling could end up affecting your rankings.
Additionally, because the location is vital to the way that voice search operates, your business listing needs to be spot on and up-to-date (which they should be anyway).
In the long term, we have to accept that the importance of Alexa and Voice Search is going to continue to grow. The use of handsfree technology and improved accuracy of voice recognition has paved the path, so it seems sensible to remain one step ahead and alter our marketing and SEO strategies accordingly.
If you would like to discuss adding voice search to your marketing strategy then get in touch.
