While we’re not quite to the point of routinely passing by Blade Runner-esque sentient beings on our way to work, AI is growing up. It’s also bringing a lot of changes to our daily lives.
One of the places where our increased use of AI is most evident is in search engines. AI is changing the way search engines such as Google work – both when crawling the web and when determining what users want to find when they enter a search query.
Voice search is also becoming both more popular and more intelligent, helping users to find what they’re looking for quicker and easier than ever before.
Anyone who runs a website or a blog will need to be prepared. The way that users search for information on the web is changing, and along with it, new approaches will need to be taken when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO).
Below are a few of the main ways you can expect intelligent voice search to continue transforming search engines, and SEO, in 2018 and beyond.
1. Even More Mobile Searches
One of the main things you can expect from the rise of voice search and AI is that even more searches will originate from mobile devices. More than half of the searches globally already come from mobile devices, and the numbers are growing.
On top of that, the stats also show that 20% of mobile searches are voice-based. Voice search and mobile devices go hand-in-hand, and as the intelligence of voice search grows, so will the number of mobile searchers.
As a result of this growth, it’s likely that website owners will continue to see the importance of optimising their websites for mobile users.
2. Stronger Emphasis on Local SEO
Location plays a factor in an increasingly large number of searches, but this is especially true for searches on mobile devices and for voice search. When people use voice search, it’s very likely that they’re searching for location-specific information.
Many users are searching for information while on-the-go, whether they’re looking up the hours of a local business or getting directions to a restaurant where they’re meeting their friends for lunch.
As voice search becomes more intelligent, users will likely search for local businesses and services even more. Because of this, local businesses of all kinds will need to put even more effort towards optimizing their sites for local voice searches.
3. An Increase in Natural-Sounding Keywords
One of the biggest changes we’ll be seeing along with the rising popularity of voice search and improved AI is that keywords will become less stiff and unnatural. Voice search keywords will be much more likely to mimic the way people actually speak. They will likely be questions, rather than statements.
When typing a query into a search engine, users have grown accustomed to searching using unnatural-sounding terms. They may type “Restaurants Seattle Pike Street” into a search bar.
On the other hand, a voice searcher will be more likely to phrase the same query as a question, such as, “Can you tell me what some of the best restaurants are on Pike Street in Seattle?”
Long-tail keywords have risen in popularity in recent years, but with the increasing use of voice search, they will become even more important. These long-tail keywords will also need to be as conversational and natural sounding as possible in order to reach the right users.
4. A Higher Focus on Solving Immediate Needs
Another change that will come about from an increase in voice searches is that more content and blog posts will be geared towards solving specific and immediate problems that people are facing.
A large number of voice searches are made with an urgent need in mind. Google has documented these micro-moments and has divided them into four main types. These include:
- I-Want-to-Know Moments
- I-Want-to-Go Moments
- I-Want-to-Do Moments
- I-Want-to-Buy Moments
AI will become better than ever before at deducing whether content meets a user’s needs. Particularly for voice search, Google favours content that solves these immediate problems.
Businesses and website owners who optimise their content for these four needs, and do it conversationally, will rise in the rankings and take those coveted first spots in voice searches.
Final Thoughts
AI is transforming the world in many ways, and it’s likely that we’ll see many more changes in our daily lives during the coming years. However, for now, voice search is one of the main places the average person is likely to experience the benefits of AI firsthand.
By keeping up with the needs of voice search and the increasingly smart AI that comes along with it, website owners will have the best chance of continuing to reach their ideal audiences without missing a beat.
