![\"The](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/The-Voice-Search-Effect-on-SEO.jpg\")
<\/p>\nOK, Google! Please write an article for the cognitiveSEO blog that will bring millions of readers and shares. As I got no luck with Google Assistant, I\u2019ve tried the same thing with Siri, Cortana, just that this time I\u2019ve been more polite. I said \u201cplease\u201d. Still no luck. This being said, after a few more attempts I reconciled with the idea that I have to document and write on the \u201cvoice search revolution\u201d myself.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And as I dug deeper into the “voice search SEO” area I started to ask myself whether \u201crevolution\u201d is the suitable word for this discussion. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I am totally impressed by the voice search engineering and the level of innovation it brings. However, is it the case that we should all just forget everything we know about digital marketing and SEO and start re-inventing ourselves from a \u201cvoice search\u201d point of view? For the moment, is it really a \u201cvoice search optimization\u201d needed, as most of the industry articles suggest? Is\u00a0personal assistant search optimization (PASO<\/a>) the future of SEO or will the future of search change? As a content marketer and not only, you should know the answers to these questions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We knew that there is was no other way of figuring this out than through research and observation. This being said nonetheless, we rolled up our sleeves and, started looking deep into the voice search industry; and these are the matters we\u2019ve strived to find an answer for:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First thing first, when looking at the voice search SEO area, although you may already have this info, it\u2019s important to know how does the search engine market share looks like. As expected and as you can see in the screenshot below, Google holds the supremacy<\/a> with more than 70%, followed by Bing and Baidu, which together sum up around 20% . So, only 10% of the total market share is disputed by other dozens of search engines.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As much as we\u2019d like to disagree with the famous, \u201cthe winner takes it all\u201d, this time we\u2019ll take it into consideration and we\u2019re going to see how voice search is looking like for Google, Bing and Baidu.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Andrew Nag, Chief Scientist at Baidu, was quoted in a the KPCB study<\/a>\u00a0on internet trends; the reason we are mentioning this is due to the prediction made by him, that was pretty bold: \u201c at least 50% of all searches are going to be through 2 types of search: images or speech\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet, before bringing pros or cons on this statement, let\u2019s take a look at some voice search query stats.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looking at the charts above, we cannot deny a substantial growth of voice searchers (people using voice assistants). However, several matters should be taken into consideration when looking at the chart below:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A fast and quick way to see weather voice search has really been \u201cexploding\u201d lately is to look at some highly used voice search terms. Let\u2019s take for instance \u201cnear me\u201d and \u201cshow me\u201d, two terms that are highly used in voice search and local SEO<\/a>. When looking for a gym center for instance, when typing a search, most users will type their field of interest (gym center\/ fitness class\/ restaurants\/market, etc.) followed by the name of the city, neighborhood or the street we are interested in finding, let\u2019s say, a fitness club. <\/p>\n Below you can see some search terms that indeed have had some search \u201cexplosions\u201d. It\u2019s true that they had a decrease of interest just as fast, yet, it\u2019s clear from the chart below that there is a difference between an organical growth and an explosive one. And the reasons we are highlighting that is because there has been a lot of stir around the idea that we need to re-imagine everything we knew about search due to the voice interaction.<\/p>\n The chart below re-iterates an idea discussed in-depth\u00a0below<\/a> regarding what voice search is really used for. From the chart below we can see the same organica, exponential growth, but for search queries that are related with voice commands and not voice search. We\u2019d be tempted to say that no: voice search is not different from the classic keyword typing search box. And this is why: The audio from the user\u2019s voice is recorded and sent to the Voice Recognition APIs in order to be converted into text. Therefore, the voice search is based on text search. So there is\u00a0no difference between saying or typing the query yourself.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see what happens when we search for the same query, first via text and second via voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exactly; nothing happens. Results are identical.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Yet, if we are talking about the user\u2019s interaction with the search, then the answer is slightly different. And that’s because individuals interact different through voice search than with a search box. Within search voice users tend to have a more conversational tone; they tend to reveal more about their need into a more \u201cnuanced\u201d way.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For instance, if interested in a fitness center, using the keyboard one might search for \u201cfitness center Manhattan\u201d. Yet, within conversional\u00a0searches, it\u2019s more likely that the request would sound something like: \u201cI need to work out. Find me a gym center near me.\u201d You can understand the user-intent.<\/p>\n Even so, when searching in a more conversational mode using voice, we will still get the same results as the classical \u201ctype text on the search box\u201d.<\/p>\n \u00a0 Voice search results are no different than the desktop or mobile search results interface.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n If thoughts similar to the one below ever crossed your mind, you might need to reconsider. One might think:<\/p>\n How can I deliver the same text based information from my web pages but with voice search?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Or<\/p>\n If people no longer click on an actual web page how will I manage all the decrease in search traffic?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Firstly, as mentioned above, voice search in itself is not different from the \u201cclassical\u201d typing search in the sense that they both use the same things: text. When performing a voice search, what happens is that the spoken message is transformed into text; therefore, at the end of the day,\u00a0it is still a \u201ctexted keywords\u201d based search we are talking about.<\/p>\n Should you start optimizing for voice search? Depends. Should you optimize for search, in general? Definitely.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n If we are talking about the \u201cconversational\u201d trend that the voice search is requiring, this is a different aspect. Indeed, voice searches tend to have a different style of addressing a query. Yet, search engines are highly prepared for this and not only when it comes to voice search. Google, for instance understands its users and offers them contextual results, based on their intent and not strictly on the typed keywords.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Indeed, you will say, but how come I get different result when searching for the same queries on desktop or on mobile? That\u2019s correct; when searching through voice on your mobile and texting on your desktop you will get different results. And this happens for a bunch of reasons but all of them are highly connected to Google’s algorithm. It\u2019s like being surprised that you are getting different results for \u201cHalloween costumes\u201d when searching with a US IP or a North Korean one. Google offers highly semantical, contextual results. Optimize the best you can and the rest will follow; voice search included. Google itself made a study<\/a>\u00a0revealing what voice search is most used for. And as we take a look at how voice search is used, we realize that people, both teens and adults, are using voice \u201csearch\u201d mostly for taking several actions with their phone but not for searching the way we are used to. They use voice to interact with their phones rather than \u201cgoogling\u201d different queries. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once again, we cannot say that the search world is shaken to its foundations by voice search, as there isn\u2019t much search to talk about.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Yet, in order to have a better idea on how or when the voice search is used, it might be helpful to look at the study from KPCB<\/a>\u00a0below. It seems like voice interaction is highly related with multitasking and not with some preference for voice search in itself.<\/p>\n Google Now (or the latest version, Google Assistant) implies several voice search & actions<\/a>.\u00a0That\u2019s right, voice and ACTIONS. As we can see in the screenshot below, most of the examples you can work with using voice are concentrated around commands and not search. Except for the Facts & Quick Answers category which is concentrated as expected on search queries, the other categories are actions you can take with your phone: turn on Wi-Fi, play a song, set an alarm, call a friend. Not to mention that some of these actions work fine without any Internet connection.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are not saying that this actions are not cool and useful, we\u2019re just saying that, when we\u2019re talking about the future of voice search and how it will impact SEO we need to have a clear image of what we\u2019re talking about. <\/p>\n Furthermore, the terms Voice Search and Voice Command are often confused with Voice over IP technology which only brings more unknowns into this equation. But, what does VoIP stand for<\/a>? Essentially, Voice over IP is a group of technologies designed for the delivery of voice communication and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol (IP). Recent stats show that, in the period between 2010 and 2018, the number of businesses using the VoIP business lines jumped from 6.2 million to 41.6 million. That means the relationship between SEO and VoIP should be closely examined.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Keeping that in mind we have to observe that although this form of communication uses the internet as its channel, VoIP affects SEO only in the most rudimentary NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) consistency sense. Essentially, as long as your VoIP number is consistent across all locations (Yellow Pages, Twitter, Facebook, etc.), your rankings won\u2019t be affected.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In terms of call tracking, things aren\u2019t that different. As long as you are using any modern call tracking solution (e.g. call tracking for numbers that made the call through Google Ads), your SEO results won\u2019t be affected. So, for the time being, we can put this issue aside. In what manner will VoIP affect SEO in the future? We will have to wait and see.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve figured out how search engines\u2019 main users interact with Google, Bing and Baidu, and before concluding weather\u00a0voice search is really becoming a can’t-live-without feature, let\u2019s see who are the main players in\u00a0this field. As they are so used and popular, they all have the merit of pushing technology barriers further by using cutting edge engineering.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n![\"titlescapt\"](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/titlescapt.png\")
<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\nHow Many Searches Are Really Made on Voice Only?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"mobile](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/mobile-search-stats-cognitiveSEO1-1024x479.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\nAre We Facing a Voice Search Explosion?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"voice](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/voice-search-timeline.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
![\"Voice_Assistance\"](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Voice_Assistance.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nOn voice search things are slightly different in the way that is unlikely to \u201ctell\u201d to your voice assistant things he already knows, like your location. Therefore, your query will most likely be something similar to: \u201c show me fitness club near me\u201d.
\n\u00a0
\n\u201cShow me\u201d and \u201cnear me\u201d are therefore two highly used expressions when performing a voice search. When looking at the info Google Trends provides on the two mentioned terms, we notice indeed a nice growth, at least for the \u201cnear me\u201d term. However, this growth looks like an organic, natural one given the tech era we are living in, but certainly not an explosive one.<\/p>\n![\"G](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/G-trends-capture-2-1024x581.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"g](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/g-trends-explosion-1024x579.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nTherefore, looking at the data so far, it seems that we are on the safe side and we can still use our SEO and digital marketing knowledge as the voice revolution might be close but not yet underway.<\/p>\n![\"G](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/G-trends-1-1024x572.png\")
\n<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\nIs Voice Search Different from Keywords in a Search Box?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"spot](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/spot-the-differences-1024x492.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"microsoft](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/microsoft-text-versus-voice-1024x596.png\")
<\/p>\n
\nTherefore, the same search engineering is used for both voice and text research, even if the researched queries look slightly different. John Mueller, trend analyst at Google, emphasized this a couple of months ago.<\/p>\n\n
![\"john](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/john-mueller.png\")
\n<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\nDo I Need to Start Optimizing for Voice Search?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n
![\"how](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/how-can-i-fix-my-bioke-1024x465.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nEven so, you might say, isn\u2019t there anything you could do just to be sure that you are on the safe side even if the highly expected voice search revolution comes? Yes:<\/p>\n\n
\nMake sure you are targeting the right keywords, make sure that you are mobile friendly, get local by registering your business.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n <\/div>\nWhat Voice \u201cSearch\u201d Is Actually Used for<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u00a0
\nFrom the same study we learn that more than half of teens (13-18) and 41% of adults use voice search daily. Probably most of them are relying on voice search for multitasking. However, at a closer look at the screenshot below we find out that voice \u201csearch\u201d is most used to ask for directions. Therefore, navigation is the most used feature activated by voice. Certainly not \u201cgoogling\u201d for different queries, but more of \u201ccommanding\u201d different actions.<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Google-comands-most-used.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
![\"hands-free-graphic\"](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/hands-free-graphic.png\")
\n<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\nVoice Search Is NOT the Same with Voice Commands<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Ways](\"http:\/\/cognitiveseo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Ways-you-can-use-Voice-on-Android.png\")
<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\nWho Are the Main Players in Voice Search?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n\u00a0
\nWe know that there many egos involved when it comes to talking about operating systems and therefore voice search devices or apps. Our intention is neither to make a top of\u00a0the main players from voice search, neither to make unfounded value judgments for any of them.<\/p>\n\n