What is Google Voice Search?
Google Voice Search is an application which allows mobile, tablet, and desktop users to search the web using their voice.
The world’s leading search engine has a Google Voice Search feature that helps the user to search queries on a mobile phone or computer by speaking.
This feature was named as ‘Voice Action’ which allowed the user to give voice commands to Android phone. The Google voice search is designed to reply in more than 60 languages.
Google voice search has the ability to recognize the user’s speech patterns and convert them into words or search queries.
Speech recognition technology has revolutionized the way in computers and mobile devices for humans use.
Voice search is a technique of searching the Internet through the voice command. Voice search explains searches when you perform using your voice.
Now mobile search devices have integrated voice search applications so that the user on a mobile device upon the user’s convenience.
These searches are conducted with a voice assistant such as Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, Alexa, etc. instead of typing into the browser on phone or computer.
Google and Amazon are investing heavily in improving the accuracy of their respective voice recognition technologies.
The Google Assistant that uses voice search is available on almost every smartphone.
Google Assistant has transformed into one of the advanced voice search assistants when compared with other assistants. Google Assistant is available in all the high-end Android phones, tablets, computer, or another device.
How Google Voice Search Works –
Google Voice Search listens when a person speaks and then attempts to understand the users’ intent before searching the Internet.
Google voice search works by linking speech recognition software to Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing systems.
Google voice search is very much similar to the functioning of the brain. It’s inspired by neural networks of the human brain.
Google can analyze a ton of patterns using cloud processing power. Google can use models and predict new trends like the neurons in the brain.
Google voice search is able to figure out terms like ‘near me’ and use the searcher’s physical location to deliver relevant results.
People generally use longer voice search phrases and it’s important for businesses to target long-tail keywords and think about the potential customers’ phrases likely to use.
Google voice search allows users to get access to the required information quickly without the objection of typing queries.
In the first step, Google tries to understand the consonants and the vowels.
In the next step, Google voice search make intelligent network about the words and goes to a high level.
Today, Google has a neural algorithm started taking place in voice search.
Google also keeps track of your online behavior, personal information, and overall Internet surfing habits to get a deeper understanding.
Voice search users more complete sentences and question than keyword searches. Businesses should begin by thinking about what questions people generally ask about their business or services.
Google Voice Search vs Siri –
Google Voice Search and Siri are battling in the virtual world. Google and Siri dominate the voice search market.
Google voice search is more flexible. It drives its expertise from Knowledge Graph which is Google’s database of millions of billions of things.
Google’s database is dynamic and its facts are constantly being searched by Google’s web crawlers.
Siri is a popular voice search assistant that can say jokes to the users due to its metrics. Siri is only available for Apple iPhone and iPad users.
Siri is functionality present on iOS devices with device location being the user’s location.
Here are top voice assistants with the device’s compatibility as:-
- Google Assistant – Google Home, Pixel phone, Android devices
- Apple Siri – Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod, iOS
- Microsoft Cortana – Windows Phone, Windows 10, Android apps, iOS
- Amazon Alexa – Echo
Google Assistant offers control over voice commands, voice searching, and voice-activated devices. It’s designed to give you conversational interactions.
Google Assistant helps to give you:-
- Control your smart home devices
- Get information from your calendars and other personal information
- Find information online, local business, directions, weather, and news, etc
- Control your music
- Play content on your other compatible devices
- Read your notifications
- Real-time spoken translations
Google Assistant reacts in a smart way and understands the context. It gives voice control more power and moves it from only reacting to specific phrases or commands.
How to Install Google Voice Search –
Google voice search app is available to almost every smartphone user. This application comes with a built-in feature with Android smartphones.
You can download and Install Google Voice Search application from Google’s Play store.
- Android is the common OS that runs on most of the smartphone devices.
- Go to the play store and search Google App.
- Click on the application with the Google icon and download it.
- The Installation process of Google voice search will happen automatically after the download completes.
How to Optimize Website for Google Voice Search –
Google voice search is all about delivering accurate and on-the-go results. It’s better to know the basics of SEO before going ahead with voice search optimization.
The main difference between voice search and other types is the natural language that humans use.
You can optimize your website for voice search with a strategy which comprises the following tactics:-
# Semantic Search – Google relies on a variety of factors besides keywords like user’s previously specific searches to deliver search results.
It’s known as semantic search and Google is getting better at understanding what users are asking for. When people turn on Ok Google, then they use specific and detailed search terms. These search terms are more natural.
You need to assess the keywords which are attracting visitors. You need to create questions and answers or content that focuses on these keywords.
Long-tail keywords are the most effective strategy to adopt when optimizing for voice search. Long-tail keywords search terms and phrases are longer than typical search query.
Spoken voice searches are usually conversational and reflect how people speak in normal life.
You can stand a better chance of ranking for these queries and appearing prominently in search results by targeting long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are often significantly cheaper and boost higher click-through-rates (CTR) than shorter queries.
# Content – In the era of voice search, the content is optimized for customers and not for the search engines.
Voice searches on mobile are much likelier to be local and you need to optimize the content on your website for local search.
The best way to rank your content on Google is to use conversational language. The biggest difference between voice and written search is long-tail keywords. Voice search queries are often long-tail.
Visitors who arrive on your website through written searches will respond better to conversational text rather than content written by a robot.
The best ways to build your website’s link profile is to create quality and long-form content.
# Mobile-First – Voice search is common to mobile devices. Voice search mobility trends are growing at a high pace with the advancements in speech recognition technology.
It’s important to optimize content and website with a responsive design. Google is moving to a mobile-first world and every business need to go along with it to survive organically.
If your website doesn’t load quickly on mobile, then people will bounce. A mobile-friendly website is more important when it comes to voice search.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open-source initiative that allows you to create mobile-friendly webpages. AMPs are light and have fast speed. It takes care of readability of mobile-optimized pages.
# Schema Markup – Schema markup or structured data is one of the most critical SEO factors which will affect your webpage ranking in a voice search.
Schema markup helps search engines better understand your content. It allows search engines to read your website and understand what the content exactly means.
It’ll determine how the content will appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). Search engines look for factors beyond the content and ranking in SERPs.
The schema markup has a direct impact on the search rankings and it’s meant to provide a huge competition to competitors.
It helps search engines to organize and differentiate content and it’s categorized as microdata. Structured data is invisible to users.
The microdata help search engines to classify the information when users search for local business and find your contact info, address, directions, etc.
The structured data should include work hours, contact information, address and directions to which people are looking with a voice search.
Structured data is important for websites as it helps Google to contextualize On-page content and serve that data to users.
The use of structured data with suitable objects helps search engines with more useful information about website content.
# Machine Learning and AI – The increasing dominance of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning push to changes in search algorithms.
Advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning are making a broad impact to interact with smart devices and the Internet.
Google’s RankBrain (Search Algorithm) come across a phrase, prepares an assumption to the search word and after that gives a suitable answer.
It’s the ability to think like the human brain which makes AI devices more effective like RankBrain.
# Local Search – People often use voice search to find local information. Now local searches among the voice search are on the high rise.
Now local is new global. There is an increase of customers that have been found the local business through voice search.
Google searches for ‘near me’ have tremendously increased due to the rise in smartphone usage and smartphones searches too.
The main advantage of local searches is the nearby local areas which are highlighted in the SERPs.
Local voice search is an interruptive customer behavior based on questions and answers that are changing the way traditional optimization is approached.
Businesses should ensure that their business locations have been claimed on Google My Business.
Google My Business is perfect for all local businesses because it provides Google with a business’ information (categories, industry, NAP, service hours, etc).
The search engine refers to Google My Business listing for that information.
You should make sure that you’ve claimed and verified your business location on Google My Business to optimize for local voice search.
Your business needs a physical location or shareable address to turn on local voice search. Google voice search uses the mobile device’s physical location when retrieving the results data.
You can use Google AdWords’ Location Ads extension to show up in ‘near me’ voice searches. Location extension is a powerful way to ensure that your ads are being displayed to motivated shoppers.
It’s very important if you want to show-up in strongly commercial ‘near me’ searches.
# HTTPS – HTTPS is a protocol which improves your website’s security. HTTPS is a ranking factor which influences the website’s voice search ranking.
All HTTPS website needs to acquire a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. SSL is a seal of safety and trust as an HTTPS website’s visitor data is always encrypted and secured.
HTTPS websites tend to rank higher and also improve the chance of ranking better in voice search.
Benefits of Optimizing for Google Voice Search –
There are a lot of voice search technology predictions that will take the marketing industry and business to the next level. These voice search technology implementations give the best to improve the visibility of your website.
You’ll have several advantages by optimizing your website for voice search.
# Improve Authority – The primary thing is the authority that you’ll get through optimizing a website for a voice search. You’ll become the higher power where searchers find solutions for their queries.
# Increase Traffic – If your website is optimized for voice search then your users get the relevant answers to their questions. Your users will return to your website automatically and it increases traffic to your website.
# Help Customers in Decision-Making – Decision-making is an important phase that customers encounter. Your optimized web content could help users to come across any circumstances.
Conclusion – Search engines want to provide the best answers for users with no matter the desired method of search. Google voice search has become increasingly popular and businesses should take steps to ensure that On-page content is more mobile-focused and conversational in pitch. Voice search is an emerging trend in the world of search and you need to change the SEO strategies accordingly.