“Okay, Google. What is voice search?”
“Hi Trish. Voice search means optimizing your website for voice search queries. The goal of voice search optimization is to make your content more likely to appear in search results by voice”.
If you had asked me a year ago about voice search, I would have thought of my Alexa Echo or Google Home device. Now I just think about talking out loud to whatever device is near me.
My phone, watch, voice assistant or browser, even taking notes for this article, I’m now more inclined to speak it.
The evolution of voice search
When we think about how voice search will be used in the future, it’s not necessarily how I use it, but how the next generations use it.
My friends with children tell me that their children use their voice for most things. They’re not just asking Alexa or their Google Assistant (or Gemini) questions. They talk to their smartwatch or any nearby device and ask the question.
With ChatGPT and other apps that implement voice search, people will feel even more comfortable using voice for their queries. As mentioned in ChatGPT, it launches voice and visual prompts, people are likely to engage and use ChatGPT in their daily routines.
So what do I think this means for voice search and is it important in 2024? And how can we know if it works if we don’t actually have access to any data?
I think the data will come. What’s important is that marketers are ready for change.
Adoption of voice search
More than 25% of people in Western countries reported using digital voice assistants several times a day, for statesman.
This is likely to affect voice search capabilities in a number of ways, including:
More voice data will allow voice assistants to analyze natural speech patterns, improving the understanding of search queries. People have complained about inaccuracies, but we’re already seeing improvements with more data and adoption. Voice assistants will learn a person’s tone, words and phrases used in dictation, enabling more personalized and contextual voice search. Search results will be more personal. As people become comfortable speaking longer content, they may be encouraged to use more long conversational queries in voice search instead of just short commands. We can find long queries in GSC or other tools. And that can inform what a site should respond to. People will expect their voice assistants to understand the context and intent behind queries based on previous conversations, which will increase expectations for results. If they have problems, it can undermine their confidence in the results. The results will be more personal, with ease to lose confidence.
Voice assistants are expected to arrive in 2024 8.4 billion units. That’s more than the world’s population.
Over the past few years, the evolution of voice search has transformed the way we interact with devices and the web. Now we can ask questions and perform searches simply by speaking to smartphones, smart speakers, smart watches, and even desktop computers.
Voice search is changing, seeing technological advances and impacting industries.
Younger Users (Gen Alpha)
Younger users use voice more often to find answers. They use it to surf the Internet and interact with technology. This is due to the ease and speed with which voice commands can be used, combined with the increasing number of smart devices in everyday life.
They also often use voice search to quickly access information: help with homework, random facts, or quick answers in everyday conversations.
They expect an immediate response for both instant gratification and efficiency. It can also be an interactive learning aid and help engage and support students outside of the classroom.
Voice assistants also provide interactive games, narration and other entertainment options. Other uses include:
Daily routines Social interactions. Creating personalized experiences such as playlists or games based on previous activities.
Voice search allows any user to multitask: find information or perform tasks without interrupting current activities. Snap even has a bot you can chat with.
Younger users are embracing voice search and voice-assisted technologies as a natural and efficient way to access everything from education to entertainment to managing daily life. It’s the next step to being digitally native (a voice native?). They don’t even need a keyboard or a monitor.
Their adoption and innovative use of new technologies is driving changes in the way content is delivered, leading to a future where voice interaction becomes even more integrated into their digital experiences.
Change user behavior
All of this leads to more natural interactions. Improvements in natural language processing now enable extended conversations between users and voice assistants/voice search.
As voice shifts to more conversational tones and complex queries, search engines must adapt to interpret and deliver results for more nuanced questions.
This natural feel encourages regular use. And we need to be able to create content/optimize for those results.
Voice search offers convenience, especially when people are on the move and need hands-free functionality.
Speaking is faster than typing, appealing when users are looking for quick answers or multitasking. That said, writing will continue to be relevant, whether in public spaces or workplaces.
People may prefer to write to maintain privacy or to avoid disturbing others. Writing will be more discreet and should be used in areas where speaking loudly is not ideal.
Impact of voice search
I think voice search will start to change the SEO landscape.
Keywords are becoming more conversational and I see longer keywords in the report results – full sentences. This means providing answers for local searches, FAQ-style results, or other articles.
Voice search has also improved accessibility for people with visual impairments or other disabilities, making it easier to access information.
looking ahead
The future of voice search looks promising, with ongoing advances in AI and technology expected to make it even more intuitive and integrated into our daily lives.
As voice search becomes more integrated into consumer behavior, industries will continue to evolve, adapting to the changing landscape of digital interaction and connectivity.
AI will continue to drive further innovations in search technology, enabling deeper integration into daily life and tasks and a more personalized experience. It’s redefining the limits of what voice-activated systems can achieve.
With the rise and importance of voice search, as marketers we need to provide content that delivers results for our business or customers. Still, with the difficulty of tracking results, it’s hard to know if what you’re doing is working.
We cannot ignore it and we must try to adapt to it. We may or may not see tools like ChatGPT that provide dating. People will use voice search to get a quick answer and go to a site if they want more detailed information than what was provided in a quick answer or generated summary.
Despite how voice search seems to be changing the Internet, what makes for good quality sites and information, at least in my opinion, hasn’t changed much. How we access it, but what makes for a good user experience doesn’t.
Good voice search optimization is good SEO. The rules of good practice are maintained. Searchers want quick access to accurate and reliable information that answers their questions.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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