Many internet users are straying toward the use of mobile devices when they are trying to access the web. Who doesn’t want to use smartphones and tablets, anyway?
They are cheaper than laptops, they are compact and mobile than desktops. People take it anywhere they go and it doesn’t require to be plugged in like the desktop or bulky like the laptop.
It is no surprise that the demand and usage of mobile surfing grow with each passing day. According to Statista, by 2019, people accessing the internet via mobile devices will account for an estimated 63.4% of the population all over the world.
With almost more than half the world using their mobile devices when surfing the internet, mobile website is only half of your concerns. Mobile internet comes with a whole lot more of factors that can make or break your business.
And that’s the utilization of voice search.
The Voice Search Statistics
You might be familiar with what is voice search and how it works. Other than mobile site optimization, voice search optimization is all over the internet.
Whether you like it or not, voice search will affect your SEO(Search Engine Optimization). Your ranking will depend on a lot of factors which will heavily depend on user satisfaction. Even though voice search is just one factor that comprises your rank, remember that a little can go a long way.
Just like mobile phones, voice search integrated technology such as Google assistant, Siri, and Alexa are becoming on demand. Not only voice search is implemented exclusively to mobile devices but they are also incorporated into people’s homes.
ComScore has predicted that by 2020, 50% of all search queries will be generated from voice search.
Moreover, according to Mediapost 30% of searches are done without a screen, using voice queries from Google Home, Amazon Echo and other voice-search activated device.
Google’s Voice Search Guidelines
The usual one to two keyword input is gone. In its stead, people are searching the internet in a conversational tone. Therefore, the approach and keyword integration will also adjust on how the majority interacts with voice search.
How will you be able to optimize your website for voice search then? Google just provided some foundation for you to start on the right track.
Recently, Google has published on their Research Blog some helpful guidelines how their human raters evaluate voice search results. In the post, there are two types of guidelines and their corresponding purposes.
Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. This is where Google has stated how raters evaluate the quality of a website given from voice search result.
This can be possible when one is searching using voice search while still looking at a screen. The content and the answers will be evaluated after that such as the website’s Page Quality and Needs Met.
Evaluation of Search Speech Guidelines. These are the guidelines that raters should adhere when evaluating voice search results.
This guideline is exclusive to Google Assistant being an eyes-free assistant. This is due to the fact that voice search devices such as Google Home and Amazon Echo users rely on information being said.
Just like in the Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Needs Met should be a priority. However, in Google Assistant’s case, there is Speech Quality instead of Page Quality.
To judge the Speech Quality, the rater should bear in mind the four factors that are involved.
Needs Met. This evaluation will be based whether the user needs to do a follow-up search in order to know more or when the search result provided information that answers the question entirely.
Length. Unlike when voice searching with the use of a screen, users get to scan the whole content to get the answer. Eyes-free voice searching is another matter. The responses that will be evaluated should neither be too little or too long for the users.
Formulation. This is when the Assistant runs in an algorithm that summarizes a long content to form a summary of the answer. Whether it is written or said, grammar is always essential. Raters will check if the answer given makes sense or not.
Elocution. Other than promoting proper grammar, pronunciation is vital in eyes-free voice searching. How accurate the pronunciations were made, the speed of speech and intonations are taken into account by the raters.
Why Do You Need to Know This?
They value websites that also provide the same quality service that will leave users satisfied. Google has shared the guidelines to let webmasters know how to improve and make their site more user-friendly.
Since voice search will have the possibility to dominate the future, you already know what people are looking for when voice search gives your result.
These guidelines can help you evaluate your own content in order to make it more voice search-friendly, especially for eyes-free assistant voice searching.
This also gives you an idea how to optimize your content to make it easier for voice searches to choose it among the millions of other answers on the internet.
Even though voice search SEO is still a work in progress, Google’s guidelines and help are paving a way to a new future.
In Summation
However, there is nothing you can do but go with the flow. In the virtual world, it’s either sink or swim. In order to avoid getting left behind, you have to compete. And, more importantly, you have to adapt.
In a few short years, SEO has already undergone a dramatic change. Those who had the foresight to optimize and prepare themselves for the upcoming change were the victor while the others struggle.
Therefore, it is never too early to be able to prepare for the future.