How voice search will impact digital marketing and SEO
How Voice Search will Impact Digital Marketing and SEO.
For those that have watched the movie “HER”, this scenario might be easier to imagine. For those that haven’t, just push your imagination a little and try to picture what I am saying. Imagine a scenario where your phone is your companion in more than one ways. Right now, it stays with you almost the entire day. You spend a majority of the time looking into the screen for one reason or another. Now try to imagine that the companionship remains, but the use of screens is very minimal. You will not be looking into looking into the screen but rather having a conversation with your devices.
For e.g. You won’t have to type “Which is the best non-veg restaurant in Viman Nagar?” the search query will be more conversational. You will speak into your phone and ask it something along the lines of “Hey Siri, what restaurant would you recommend in this area?” to which the artificial intelligence will search the web for the best-reviewed restaurants and not just give you restaurant recommendations but also what are the popular dishes they serve.
The movie “HER” might have been science fiction, but, reality is stranger than fiction and fiction is fast moving to the state of reality. Even though the voice search volumes are currently very low, they are expected to shoot up tremendously.
“Right now, the number of voice searches are low for India but given the increasing penetration of smartphones, there would be a manifold increase in volume in the next few years”
Google India head of marketing Sandeep Menon
Search options in the country are already multi lingual. Google currently supports the voice based search in 9 languages and more are likely to be added.
How will voice based search affect your business?
As per research conducted by Google, voice based searches are currently carried out by people mostly in the age group of 18-35. As the country progresses and the younglings of the country get their hands on smart phones they will be more likely to perform voice searches rather than typing things out. The youth are quicker at adopting newer technologies than their predecessors, this has been clear for ages. So with more and more searches being carried out via voice, how will that impact your Digital Marketing strategies.
For starters
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- Mobile: Since all voice searches will be coming from the phone, so mobile indexing will be given priority. How well does your website feature on Mobile? Is it properly optimized for all devices? Is your device “mobile friendly”?
- Keywords: People don’t type the same way they talk. With the search algorithms getting more and more intuitive and better at providing results voice will be preferred over typing. So some major overhaul will need to be made on the type of keywords that are focused on your SEO strategy
- Content: Even now, forward thinkers have already started applying the conversational tone to their content. It makes things easier to read and it’ll come in handy once the voice based searches get into full swing. “Hey, Siri, where is the closest dentist?” will your site or business listing show up?
- Location: Like in the above example, unless you have your local SEO taken care of, you will be at a disadvantage vis a vis your competition. Where the search occurs will play a primary role in the results being displayed. Unless you want to get lost in the crowd you will have to start work on your SEO right away.
- Adapt or Die: Be ready to adapt or die. It’s common parlance, but one to be heeded for sure. Get ready for change because it is coming and it is a tide that will wait for no one. I don’t like to use too many clichés but change is the only constant. So prepare now, for later.
We at Digital Skills in Viman Nagar, Pune are already preparing for the future and we can help you and your company/business get ahead of its competition. With our Advanced Course on Search Engine Optimization, we will help you navigate through the confusing maze of SEO with ease and help you not only improve your business but learn new Digital Skills that will come in handy at any point in the future. We help not only future proof your business but also help you progress on a more personal level.