During the 2017 holiday shopping period, Amazon reported it sold "tens of millions" of devices powered by Alexa, and millions of Prime members searched for these items using an Alexa-powered device. As Web browsing with a keyboard is dying out, let's look at why businesses need to optimize for voice search, fast.
As far back as 2014, Google's official blog reported that 55 percent of teens and 41 percent of adults in the U.S. were already surfing the Web with voice search. Now, Google predicts that half of all search traffic will use voice search by 2020.
This is great news for the Google, Apple and Amazons of the world, as they sit pretty and enjoy the demand for devices powered by assistants like Alexa and Siri. But, what about the rest of us?
Anyone that runs a business with an online presence needs to assess whether the
search engine optimization (SEO) working to push their site higher on Google will help or hinder them in a world of voice search.
Don't chase your tail The change to the way people are searching for things could mean that some core elements of SEO practice could drop you down the rankings.
For example, if your site is too focused on hero terms, you could lose out. People use more relaxed and natural language using voice search, so SEO practice needs to have a stronger focus on long tail search terms. For example, "
Alexa, what is the most secure casino site in the UK?"
Alexa, Siri and company have been designed to act as personal assistants, so users will expect personalized results, particularly if they are looking for a nearby service. So, you need to make sure your off-page SEO skills are sharp by fully optimizing your local listings. This will make sure that when someone asks, "
Okay Google, find an Italian restaurant near me," you'll be one of the top recommendations.
Speed is also a big that can hold you back. People are voice searching on the go, either while they're doing something else or literally on the move using a mobile device. If your site is slowed down by heavy images, videos or files you're going to miss out.
Siri, am I ready? It wasn't long ago when comparison sites such as for travel and commerce didn't exist. When they started cropping up businesses quickly realized that if they didn't adapt to incorporate listings on the right sites and price match with the rest of the Web, they were going to lose out.
Now, we're on the cusp of the next big change that will take business out of the hands of the unprepared. It might be easy to assume that all people use Siri for is to ask silly questions to get hilarious responses, but to dismiss voice search as a fad that won't affect you would be a mistake.
About the Author
Jake Fox is the CEO of independent online resource,
Casinopedia.org, which gathers online casino news, information, and knowledge to give it back to players all with the intention of improving their gaming ability.
