We know that the SEO in 2018 will drastically change the way we optimize for mobile searches for sure. We are positive about this, and we are looking forward to trying out new strategies. Will it be worth it though? This is the second article of 411 Locals about voice searching and we have never been more certain that it is much important for all those who want to stay in the SEO game in 2018.
If you follow up with Google, you probably know that many webmasters have asked for separate voice search queries in Search Console. The 411 Locals team encourages everyone that believes in the idea to leave their feedback on Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller’s recent twitter post. If you are still not convinced, keep reading this article to see our arguments.
Understand the difference between desktop, voice & mobile searches
Just like in the begging of mobile SEO, many webmasters and marketeres believed that the mobile search behaviour would be entirely different from the desktop search, only to find out that they are actually similar. Still, they are some cases where mobile optimization is different and good enough of a reason for separate optimization. The same goes for voice searches. Here’s an example:
Let’s say you got a flat tire or really want to make it to a certain shop and search for “store hours.” This is what you probably had to do in 2015 or 2016 from your desktop computer. At least, the statistics show that. What is different in 2017 is that queries such as “near me” are searched mostly on mobile devices. And that makes sense. It is clear that the mode of search changes search behaviour, as users understand what doesn’t work on desktop but works on mobile.
Now let’s talk about voice searches. Adding a simple “near me” at the end of your search was easy enough, and speaking to your device is much more convenient. Marketers will be challenged to find the perfect keyword as a search may say something like “Walmart store hours” or “Ok Google, give me Walmart’s store hours, or even “How late is Walmart open?”.
We really think that we need a separate voice search data in Search Console so we, as marketers, can easily gather information and data in order to choose better keywords. Of course, you would say that Google should consider all the examples above as synonyms, but we cannot really be certain about voice search behaviour and should always have this in mind.
Truth is, we cannot know how many people are actually using voice search in Google Assistant and Google Home yet, so we can’t know for sure how big of an opportunity this is. We can only ask for more data resources about that and take our time to figure out how voice search will work, but definitely be prepared for some change.