Voice Search : A Paradigm Shift in the Digital Ecosystem
Topic which has witnessed a meteoric rise and gained traction over last couple of years in the digital landscape is ‘Voice Search’ . It is s one of the fastest-growing types of search. 55% of users perform voice search to ask questions on a smartphone as per one of the research .
Evolution towards smarter search
Pattern of typing and speaking are much different . We may type “Mumbai weather” as a keyword but through voice the search term may become “What’s the weather like in Mumbai ?” If search engines cannot immediately answer a query, one can help it narrow down the scope of answer through appropriate theme.
Context & conversational search has become very important factors as voice search continues to evolve . Marketers need to focus on writing excellent and relevant content in a conversational tone . Context by location i.e local based search would play a key role for firms depending on digital channels to generate leads, conversions or to achieve revenue targets .
Strategies For Optimization
- Create pages that answers FAQs — Normally questions in voice search begin with “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” and “How.” Users look for answers that fulfill an immediate need. To address them, make relevant consolidated FAQ pages and answer them in an appealing manner to drive a conversation with an aim to connect with the end user
- Schema Markup with relevant context : It helps search engines to understand the context of content, which means ranking is better in typical searches and more pertinent for specific queries made through voice search
- Data & Research to power insights : Reliable data sources on consumer insights can help understand how people use voice search via devices and the adoption pattern across the concerned sector
- Content is the king : Create content with a headline that asks a common question or addresses the user’s pain point . Focus on providing a concise answer or define the question with clarity. Use the rest of the page to further elaborate on the topic by providing the necessary details
- Conversational keywords : Conversational keyword searches are queries that sound more like a real person. You will often find them in question form since that is how people talk. Semantics powered by natural language processing (NLP) and entity recognition plays a key role while processing the search results as algorithms like BERT help in understanding the association and relationship between words in the search term
The key takeaway is optimize content for voice search and try to get the early adopter advantage as the long race has already begun .
Better to be a trendsetter or be in early majority rather than being a laggard .
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