As more and more people use voice search to find information online, businesses must adapt their SEO strategies to ensure they appear in search results. By understanding how voice search is used and which trends are emerging, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and ensure they’re visible to potential customers.
Here are the three trends to know:
1. Voice AI and Machine Learning
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning greatly impact how we use our smart devices and search the internet. Google’s RankBrain is one example of this. RankBrain is designed to learn and predict outcomes by recognizing words and phrases. When RankBrain encounters a phrase it has never heard before, it tries to guess the searcher’s meaning and intent and then delivers matching answers. This ability to think makes AI such as RankBrain better at handling unexpected search queries.
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular, with more people using devices like Siri and Alexa to find information. This means that the traditional search engine ranking factors must be adapted to accommodate how people search using these devices. Roughly 75 percent of voice search results will rank in the top three positions for a question on a desktop search, so businesses must ensure their website is optimized for voice search.
2. Voice Search Adoption through Smart Speakers
Smart speakers are becoming more popular in homes all over the world. The first products, like Alexa and Siri, were only new and fun. People would ask Alexa silly questions just to see how it would respond. But voice technologies have improved, and new hardware like Google Home and Apple HomePod is available. Other companies are also releasing their smart speaker technology to keep up with people’s wants.
A study has shown that in 2018, over 34 million smart speaker devices were sold in the U.S. As people become more accustomed to interacting with voice-activated/responsive devices, smart speaker sales will continue to rise, and the use of voice search will increase accordingly. As a result, voice search technology will only get better and better.
3. Local and Hyperlocal Voice Search
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular, especially for local businesses. More and more people are using voice search every day, and they find it a quick and easy way to get the information they need.
Google reports that searches for businesses near me have increased dramatically in recent years. This rise in local voice search is great news for local businesses. Mobile searches have surpassed desktop searches since 2015, which has forced retailers and marketers to adjust their efforts to take advantage of the growth of hyperlocal searches. Ads can target local search users, even to a specific geographic area.
Conclusion
Voice search is an exciting new technology rapidly emerging and changing the landscape of search engine optimization. There are many more trends that businesses should be aware of to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that their website is optimized for voice search. These trends are sure to have a big impact on local businesses in the coming years. By keeping these trends in mind, businesses can ensure that their website is prepared for the future of voice search.
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