The Most Impressive Guide to Voice Search Optimisation
- Mar 9, 2023
- 15 min read
Updated: Apr 4
Tags: Voice Search, SEO strategies, Voice assistants, Statistics, Tips
Digital marketing is a process of marketing that uses the internet and digital devices to promote products and services. It has become an essential part of marketing for medical professionals. Many healthcare professionals depend on digital marketing to reach patients and build their brands.
One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is search engine optimisation (SEO). SEO is the process of optimizing a website for Google search with the goal of earning higher web traffic levels and improving the visibility of the site.
With the rise of voice search, it is more important than ever to optimise your website for SEO. In this article, we will explain what voice search is and how you can optimise your website for this growing trend.
Search Is Transforming: Here Is What You Need To Know For Optimising Your SEO
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a constantly evolving field, and keeping up with the latest trends and changes can be a challenge. However, it is essential for businesses to stay on top of these changes to ensure their websites rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs). Here are some key things you need to know for optimising your SEO in today's transforming search landscape:
Focus on user experience: Search engines are prioritizing user experience more than ever. This means that factors like page speed, mobile optimisation, and user engagement are becoming increasingly important for SEO. Make sure your website is fast, easy to navigate, and provides high-quality content that meets the needs of your audience.
Voice search is on the rise: With the popularity of smart speakers and virtual assistants, voice search is becoming more prevalent. This means that businesses need to optimise their content for natural language queries and long-tail keywords. Consider creating content that answers common questions or provides helpful tips and advice.
Featured snippets and rich snippets: Google is increasingly displaying featured snippets and rich snippets in search results, which can provide valuable exposure for businesses. To optimise for these features, focus on creating high-quality, informative content and use structured data markup to help search engines understand your content.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning: Search engines are using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to better understand user intent and provide more personalized search results. To optimise for these algorithms, focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that meets the needs of your audience.
Local search optimization: Local search is becoming increasingly important for businesses that serve a specific geographic area. To optimise for local search, make sure your website includes your location and contact information, and create listings on Google My Business and other local directories.
Overall, SEO is becoming more focused on providing value to users and creating high-quality content. By keeping up with the latest trends and best practices, businesses can ensure their websites rank well in search engine results pages and attract more traffic and leads.
What Is Voice Search?
Search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. navigate internet users to different website through online searches. Several AI- powered search tools have thus become an essential part of our daily lives enabling us to search for information on these platforms.
Studies suggest that approximately 1 billion internet users increasingly enjoy using voice assistants to find information on smart devices every week.
Voice search is a technology that enables users to speak their queries into a device, such as a cell phone or laptop, and have the device search the internet using artificial intelligence and natural language processing. Instead of having to type out each query, voice search eliminates this step, allowing users to quickly find what they need without having to type it.
How Voice Search Works
Voice search works by using natural language processing, which is a form of artificial intelligence technology. Natural language processing enables the device to interpret the user’s query and form an appropriate answer. Voice search also uses speech recognition, which is a process that enables the device to determine the user’s voice. This technology helps the device to understand the user’s query and provide the most relevant results.
Don't Be Left Behind – Voice Search Is On The Rise
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular because it is more convenient and faster than typing queries into a search engine. According to a research conducted by Global Web Index, more than 27% of smartphone owners use voice search. Furthermore, it is observed that in 2022, digital search ads spend increased to 39% globally according to Statista report. And for source of ‘Brand Discovery’, search engines continue to lead amongst internet users between 25-54 years old.
An interesting point to note here is that internet users in South Asian countries, where India is dominating in internet usage behaviours and trends, account for 18.5% of the total global internet users. This region having the second highest share of the global internet users specify that “Voice search” is highly prevalent in these nations.
India ranks the topmost in global rankings followed by China and USA respectively in the use of voice assistants to find information through voice search. Nearly 30% of Indian Internet Users aged 16 to 64 increasingly rely on Voice Search as a tool for exploring information from the internet.
As voice search grows in popularity, it is important for healthcare providers and medical professionals to understand the technology, so they can optimize their websites for voice search. Optimizing for voice search is essential for any brand to stay ahead of the competition and having the best chance of appearing in results. It’s imperative to rethink your conventional online search strategy and approach these shifting expectations for brand discovery through voice search by optimising your website and social media pages now.
Let us understand deeply what various statistics say about this disrupting internet trend.
SEO and voice search statistics
If you want to stand the best chance of ranking organically for voice search queries, check out the voice search statistics below. These search statistics tell us more about how voice search relates to SEO. They reveal important ranking factors.And give a cue at SEO strategies that can help brands and businesses to remain highly visible in search engine results.
22.8% of SEO professionals think voice search is the most important emerging SEO factor to watch
A survey by Search Engine Journal asked SEOs what they think the most important emergent factors were in SEO, and nearly a quarter of respondents said voice search. Voice search was the fifth most popular response to that particular question. Core Web Vitals was the top response with 36.6% of survey respondents rating it the most important emergent SEO factor.
80% of voice search answers on Google Assistant come from the top 3 results
Data from SEMrush found that the vast majority of answers to voice search queries were pulled from the top 3 organic results. The conclusion: If you want to get featured in voice search answers on Google Assistant, you’ll need to rank at the very top of the SERPs first.
70% of voice search answers come from SERP features
SERP features like Featured Snippets (the answer boxes at the top of the results pages) and People Also Ask sections have become more and more important to SEO over the last few years – and they’re especially important to voice search. A study by SEMrush found that more than two-thirds of all voice search answers on Google Assistant came from these kinds of SERP features.
Pages that rank for voice searches load 52% faster
The average voice search result page loads in approximately 4.6 seconds. This is 52% faster than regular search results pages and suggests that ‘Page Speed’ may be a particularly important ranking factor for voice search SEO. It makes sense that Google would prioritize page speed when it comes to voice search. When you speak into your smart device, you expect an almost instantaneous response – you don’t have time to wait around for the results to load.
Voice search results have 1199 likes & shares on Facebook
Users share voice search results actively on Facebook and Twitter. This suggests that social engagement may also be a big ranking factor for voice search. The upshot: if you want to rank for voice search, it may help to have a solid social strategy in place and promote your blog posts on social media.
The average voice search result has a DR of 76.8
DR (domain rating) is a measurement of the perceived authority of a website on a 100-point scale. Authority has always been an important ranking factor, but it seems to be particularly important for voice search as high-authority domains dominate the results. In an effort to make sure it’s only giving accurate responses to voice search queries, Google may be carefully selecting responses from only the most trustworthy domains.
Pages that rank for voice searches have an average word count of 2,312
Google Assistant also seems to prefer to source voice search answers from long-form content. The consequence: if you want to stand the best chance of ranking for voice search queries, publish long-form content.
Over 70% of websites that rank on Google’s voice search results are HTTPS secured
This stat suggests that HTTPS encryption may be another important ranking factor. If your website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, you may struggle to rank for voice search.
Only 1.71% of voice search results come from pages with an exact-match title tag
Keywords only appear in the title tag of a tiny fraction of voice search results pages, so don’t bother creating individual pages optimized around individual keywords. Instead, it’s better to write one pillar piece of content that answers multiple questions on the same page.
58% of voice search users search for local business queries
Over half of people who use voice search do so to search for local business queries, using “Near Me” voice command. That might mean asking for directions to a local business, or checking opening hours or the best pizzeria.
The average result for local-intent voice search queries is 23 words long
This is the average length of answers to voice search queries across all digital assistants. So, if you’re trying to rank for voice search queries, keep your answers to common search queries short and sweet.
Google Assistant sources local-intent search query answers based on Google My Business
A voice search query likely will have local intent, and the first place they may find you is your local business listing and Local Pack SERP features. In contrast, Siri looks at Yelp reviews and Apple Maps to source answers for local-intent search queries. Having a 4.5/5 Yelp rating and a large number of Yelp reviews helps you to rank on Siri.
How To Optimise Your SEO For Voice Search
Optimising your website for voice search is essential for maximizing your visibility in search engine results. To optimize your website for voice search, you should focus on creating natural-sounding content that features long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are phrases that are longer and more specific than short keywords.
The Benefits Of Optimising For Voice Search
Optimising your website for voice search has several benefits.
First, it ensures your website is found when users perform voice searches.
Second, it helps you target customers who prefer to use voice search instead of entering their queries into a traditional search engine.
Finally, it increases the quality of your website as users will be able to find the content they need more quickly.
Get Ahead Of The Curve – Optimise For Voice Search
The advantages of optimizing for voice search are clear. If you haven’t begun the process of optimizing your website for voice search, then now is the time to start. Doing so will help you stay competitive, attract more customers, and remain visible in search engine results. It is worth considering especially foreseeing a rise in device technologies that rely less on touchscreens and pointers. With an intensely competitive search arena in 2023, your brand needs to promote your own ads through voice search.
Voice Search Usage Statistics
Let’s start by taking a look at some general voice search statistics mostly compiled by blogging wizard that show us how popular voice search is and the ways people use it.
27% of the global online population uses voice search on their mobile devices
According to data from Think with Google, more than a quarter of the online population of the world is now using voice search on mobile. That’s not quite the ‘complete voice search takeover’ many analytics predicted when the technology was still in its infancy a few years back – on the contrary, most users still seem to prefer to search the old-fashioned way – but it’s impressive nonetheless.
Voice search is the second most popular channel for mobile searches
Voice search might only be the sixth most popular voice activity, but it’s the second most popular search method for mobile users. Only browser search is more popular than voice search. People seem to prefer searching through voice than through other search entry points like the phone’s search box, search app, etc.
Voice search is only the sixth most popular voice activity
According to one survey, only 23% of respondents reported searching via voice. This makes voice search only the sixth most popular voice-related activity. It ranked behind making a call, texting, getting directions, playing music, and setting reminders.
58.6% of US consumers have used voice search
This more up-to-date statistic from Voicebot confirms that voice search has definitely taken off in the US. According to the study, over half of all US citizens have used voice search at least once in their lives, even if they don’t do so regularly.
Smartphones are the most popular devices for voice search
According to a survey by PWC, 57% of respondents claimed to have spoken to their smartphones, compared to just 29% on tablets, laptops, and desktops. Voice search is more popular on mobile than on other devices probably because we’re more used to talking on our mobiles than other devices, given that we use them for calls all the time. Plus, voice search requires an audio input and not all desktops and laptops have in-built microphones.
25 to 49-year-olds use voice search more often than any other age group
65% of people in this age range use it at least once a day, compared to 59% of 18 to 24-year-olds and 57% of 50+. Younger consumers may be driving the adoption of voice search but as this statistic shows, it’s actually slightly older people that are the most prolific users.
Around 70% of people like voice search because it’s fast
A recent survey from 2019 asked people why they like voice commands. The most common reason people cited was that it’s fast – after all, speaking into your phone is usually a lot quicker than opening up your browser and typing a query in. ‘Accuracy’ and ‘no typing requirement’ were other popular reasons people gave for liking voice search.
90% of people think voice search is easier than searching online
The vast majority of people think searching via voice is easier than searching for something online. Not only that, but 89% also think it’s more convenient, and 87% think it’s faster.
71% of people would rather use voice search than physically type a search query
Following on from the above, consumers show a clear preference for voice assistants when it comes to search. 71% of consumers also said they’d rather use voice search than physically type a search query. Given that people seem to overwhelmingly feel that voice search is better, it’s surprising that it isn’t more commonly used.
Most people use voice search when they’re home alone
Over 60% use voice search when they’re home alone, making this the most popular environment for voice search. Other popular environments for voice search included ‘at home with friends’ (over 50%), ‘alone at the office’ (around 49%), and ‘at the restaurant with friends’ (over 40%).
Voice assistant statistics
Voice assistants are digital assistants that use voice recognition and language processing technology. This enables them to ‘hear’ voice commands and perform functions accordingly.
Many people who conduct voice searches do so through voice assistants, so let’s take a look at some stats that tell us moreabout this technology.
1. 8 bn digital voice assistants will be used by 2024.
Many consumer electronic devices can respond to commands and deliver information to tech savvy consumers. Forecasts suggest that by 2024, the number of ‘smart’ voice assistants will surpass the population of the human beings on this earth! This also indicates that a user may have multiple voice assistants in use.
2. 28% consumers report using voice search multiple times a day.
As per a Statista 2022 report, 28% of respondents in USA & UK stated using voice assistants multiple times a day in 18-64 years old.
3. 36.6% of the US population use voice assistants
That’s over 120 million people. Most modern electronic devices now come with voice assistants (think Siri, Cortana, etc.) as a key component, so they’re fairly ubiquitous.
4. 72% of people report using voice search through their personal digital assistant
Nearly three-quarters of those who engage with voice search do so via their personal digital assistant. including Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and Google Assistant.
5. 27% of consumers use voice assistants to make calls. In a study done amongst voice assistant users in USA, around 27 percent stated that they use it to call or text someone, making it the most common voice command used on smartphones. The respondents who use the voice assistant on their smartphones to search the internet are 19% making this the second most commonly used task through voice commands.
6. Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant are the most popular digital assistants
Siri and Google Assistant are the clear market leaders in the voice assistant technology industry. Each holds around 36% of the market share. In 2022, 34% US consumers indicated using Apple’s voice assistant Siri.
Alexa trails behind at 25%, and Cortana comes in at a distant third place at 19%. Together, these four voice assistants almost completely control the market. Other assistants are only used by 1% of users.
7. 68% of people use digital assistants to search for quick facts
This is the #1 most popular use case for digital assistants, according to respondents in a recent survey. Other popular uses included searching for products/services (52%), searching for a business (47%), and researching products/services (44%)
8. 66% users Check the weather using voice assistants.
Voice technology is increasingly becoming popular. Weather-related searches were the most frequently performed with voice assistants in 2022. Almost two-thirds of consumers surveyed engage with voice search through digital assistants to get the weather forecast, While 52% use a voice-activated search for food delivery.
9. Over 50% of consumers expect to be able to make purchases through digital assistants in the next 5 years
Consumers seem to be optimistic about the future of voice assistant technology. Over the next 5 years, over half of users expect to be able to make purchases through their digital assistants. And considering how far digital assistants have come in the last 5 years, I’d wager they won’t be disappointed.
10. Voice assistants can answer 93.7% of all search queries on average.
SEMrush looked at how often different voice assistants failed to answer search queries and found that they were only unable to answer 6.3% of questions, on average, across devices. This shows how far voice search technology has come in recent years as a little over a year ago, that figure would have been as high as 35%.
11. Google Assistant returns the longest voice search answers of all voice assistants
The average answer to a voice search query on Google Assistant was 41 words. This is significantly higher than other assistants. For comparison, Alexa returned an average answer length of just 11 words, and the average answer length across all assistants was 23 words.
12. The average answer match across Google Assistants is 22%
There are many different Google-run devices capable of running voice searches, such as Google Home Hub, Google Home Mini, and Android devices.
A study by SEMrush found that despite all using similar technology, users will usually get different answers to their queries depending on which Google-run smart device they use to conduct their voice search. In only 22% of cases will different devices give exactly the same answer to the same query.
Smart speaker statistics
Voice searches don’t just happen on mobile – many people use their smart devices to search online too. With that in mind,let’s take a look at some smart speaker statistics.
1. 600mn units of Smart speakers will be used by 2024.
As per reports by Statista, more than 600million smart speakers in homes, cars, etc. shall be installed by 2024 bringing more voice assistants into households.
2. 33% households in USA & UK own a smart speaker.
With the popularity of smart speakers in western countries, voice assistants have become widely used in British and American households. As of 2020, over a third of these households at least had one smart speaker.
3. 35% report using voice search through a smart home speaker
Over a third of consumers say they’ve used their smart home speaker to search for something, and a further 36% of people report using voice commands through other IoT devices like TVs.
4. 45% of people owned a smart speaker in 2019.
That figure is up from 23% the year before, according to a report by Microsoft and Bing. The report also predicted that 75% of people would own a smart speaker by 2020, but this estimation might have since proved to be overly optimistic.
5. Of those that own smart speakers, 41% own two or more
Nearly half of all people who use smart speakers own multiple devices. 59% own just one, but 30% own two, 9% own three, 2% own four, and 1% own 5+. Owning multiple smart speakers allows you to conduct voice commands in different rooms across your home. They can often also sync up together and with other devices in your home for a more connected experience.
6. Playing music is the most common voice activity on smart speakers
70% of smart speaker users use their voice to ask their device to play music. Interestingly, voice search was only the fourth most popular smart speaker activity according to the study, with only 47% of respondents saying they used their devices for this purpose.
7. 52% of people keep their smart speakers in a common room
By common room, we’re talking about any common/shared living areas, like living rooms, lounges, etc. Around 25% of homeowners keep their smart speakers in their bedroom, and 22% keep them in the kitchen. Very few people use them in the bathroom or other rooms in their homes.
8. The global voice recognition technology market size reached over $10.7 billion in 2020
It’s also expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.8% over the next 5 years, reaching a whopping 27.16 billion by 2026
Conclusion
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