Voice-activated Search

Aug 12, 2023

Technologies, such as screenless search, have emerged as key players in changing how we discover, interact, and share information.

But what exactly is a screenless search?

Screenless search, often called voice search or voice-activated search, is a technology that allows users to use voice commands to perform an online search rather than typing keywords or queries into a search engine.

This transformation has been fueled by advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing, which are now capable of understanding and processing complex verbal commands.

It has also opened new channels for businesses, like yours, to reach their audience, especially through devices such as smart speakers, wearables, and even in-car systems!

However, the shift from screen-based to screenless search is not merely about technology but also requires a substantial change in the approach to content creation and strategy.

This special report will serve as your blueprint for understanding and adapting to this ever-evolving technology and helping your business to stay ahead of the curve.

What You Need to Know

Screenless search users, like any other user group, have unique behaviours, needs, and characteristics that influence how they interact with this technology.

As we transition into an increasingly voice-activated world, these user behaviours will drive the future of content creation and strategy.

To fully tap into the power of screenless search, we first need to decode the user's behaviour, preferences, and needs. Understanding these aspects will equip you with the necessary insights to craft a content strategy that resonates with screenless search users.

The 'Micro-Moment' Phenomenon

First, it is crucial to appreciate that screenless search, especially through mobile devices, is often about 'micro-moments.' These are moments when users need immediate, relevant, and ready-to-use information.

For example, users might ask their voice assistant for a weather update while dressing in the morning or for restaurant recommendations when they're out and about.

Your content strategy should consider these micro-moments and provide concise, straightforward, and useful information that can be quickly delivered to the user.

Expectations for Immediate and Accurate Responses

When using screenless search, users expect an immediate and correct response. This is because the interaction is more conversational and direct, and there's no screen to scroll through multiple search results.

As a business, you must ensure your content provides clear, direct answers to common queries in your industry or niche to meet this expectation.

Preference for Localized Content

Many screenless search users rely heavily on voice assistants for local searches. This can include inquiries about local businesses, attractions, or even traffic updates. Hence, local SEO plays a more prominent role in screenless search compared to traditional search.

The Dominance of Question Keywords

Lastly, voice searches are often phrased as questions because this format mimics natural, conversational speech. This means that content optimized for screenless searches must focus on answering these questions succinctly and accurately.

Understanding these behaviours provides the first layer of strategy adaptation required for screenless search. By aligning your strategy with these behavioural insights, you can ensure your business stays relevant and effective in a screenless search era.

Remember, the goal is not just to optimize for screenless search but to create a user experience that is seamless, intuitive, and gratifying for users. As we move forward, let's keep this goal at the centre of our strategy.

Optimizing for Natural Language

Having understood the unique behaviours of screenless search users, we now turn our attention to the specifics of crafting content that aligns with these behaviours. A vital aspect to consider is the nature of the language used in screenless searches.

These searches are voice-activated and tend to mimic natural, conversational language. As a result, content that is optimized for screenless search must adapt to this conversational style.

Let's explore some of the critical strategies for creating such content.

Use of Long-Tail Keywords:

Unlike traditional search, where users tend to use short, succinct keywords, screenless search often involves more extended, more conversational phrases. This is because when we speak, we tend to use complete sentences and specific questions.

Thus, using long-tail keywords - which are longer and more specific keyword phrases - can be an effective way to attract high-quality traffic through screenless searches.

Answering Questions Directly:

As we've discussed earlier, screenless searches are often phrased as questions. Hence, your content must be structured to answer these questions directly. This might involve creating FAQ sections, how-to guides, or informative blog posts that directly answer common queries in your industry or niche.

Crafting Conversational Content:

The tone of your content plays a significant role in optimizing for screenless searches. Because users are interacting with voice assistants conversationally, the content should also feel natural and easy to understand when read aloud.

Therefore, strive to create content that maintains a conversational tone while also providing valuable information.

Semantic SEO:

With the advent of voice search, search engines have become increasingly sophisticated in understanding the intent behind a search query.

This phenomenon is known as semantic SEO. It involves optimizing your content not just for specific keywords, but also for its relevance and depth of information.

This means that your content should cover a topic extensively and provide valuable insights that go beyond surface-level information.

Structured Data:

Structured data, or schema markup, helps search engines understand the content on your website better. It provides explicit clues about the meaning of a page by including structured data in the page's HTML.

This can make it easier for voice search devices to understand and retrieve information from your site. In the era of screenless search, a shift towards more natural, conversational language is not only desirable but necessary.

The Importance of Local SEO

It’s time to delve into another crucial aspect of this domain: local SEO. Local SEO is a critical part of any business's online strategy, but its importance is heightened in the context of screenless search.

When people use voice-activated devices, they often seek immediate, localized information. They might be looking for the "best Italian restaurant near me" or "the nearest gas station."

This means businesses need a robust local SEO strategy to ensure they appear in these local search results.

Here are some strategies you can implement to improve your local SEO for screenless searches:

Claim Your Google My Business Listing:

One of the most straightforward steps you can take to improve your local SEO is to claim your Google My Business listing. This will ensure your business appears in local search results and on Google Maps.

Keep your information updated, including your business's address, hours, and phone number.

Prioritize Reviews and Ratings:

Reviews and ratings can significantly influence your local SEO rankings. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on various platforms, including Google My Business.

These reviews help improve your local SEO and provide social proof to potential customers.

Use Local Keywords:

Include local keywords in your content. This could involve mentioning your city, neighbourhood, or other local identifiers. These keywords should appear in your website’s metadata, headers, and content.

Structured Data for Local SEO:

Structured data can also help improve your local SEO. This can include information like your business's address, hours, and prices.

Including this information in structured data, format can help voice search devices understand and present your information more effectively.

Build Local Backlinks:

Backlinks from other local businesses or organizations can improve your local SEO. This could include links from local news sites, community blogs, or industry directories.

Local SEO is not just a subset of your SEO strategy; in a world where screenless search is becoming more prevalent, it can be the main driver of organic traffic to your business.

By improving your local SEO, you can ensure that your business is visible and accessible to customers right when they need it.

In the next section, we'll explore the role of featured snippets in screenless searches and how you can optimize your content to earn these coveted spots.

Featured Snippets

As we further our journey into optimizing for screenless search, let's turn our attention to a crucial element: Featured Snippets.

These 'bite-sized' pieces of information often serve as the go-to source for voice assistants when answering queries.

A Featured Snippet is a summary of an answer to a user's query, which is displayed on top of Google search results. It's extracted from a webpage and includes the page's title and URL.

Since voice assistants often read out these snippets verbatim, earning this spot can significantly increase your visibility and traffic.

But how can you optimize your content to land this coveted position?

Here are some key strategies:

Answer Questions Concisely:

As discussed in a previous chapter, voice searches are often phrased as questions. Thus, a critical strategy for earning a Featured Snippet is to provide concise, clear answers to these questions in your content.

Aim to answer common queries in your industry or niche within the first few lines of your content.

Use Structured Data:

Using structured data can help search engines understand the context and relevance of your content, increasing the likelihood of it being selected as a Featured Snippet. This includes using appropriate headers, lists, and tables in your content.

Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords:

Long-tail keywords often have less competition, making it easier for your content to rank highly and potentially earn a Featured Snippet.

These are often more conversational and specific, so they align well with the natural language typically used in voice searches.

Create High-Quality, In-depth Content:

Finally, the quality of your content plays a significant role in whether it's selected as a Featured Snippet.

Strive to create comprehensive, in-depth content that provides real value to your audience. The better your content, the more likely it is to earn that coveted spot.

Landing a Featured Snippet can significantly boost your visibility in screenless search. While there's no guaranteed method to garner this position, applying the strategies outlined in this section can increase your chances.

Remember, the goal is to provide the best possible answer to the user's query. Keep this in mind as you craft and optimize your content.

The next section will delve into adapting your content for different devices and platforms. Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses, and understanding these can help you further refine your content strategy.

The Role of AI in Screenless Search

Let's delve into how AI (Artificial Intelligence) and ML (machine learning) are impacting screenless searches and the strategies you can adopt to keep up with these advancements.

Improved Natural Language Processing (NLP):

AI-powered NLP has made voice recognition and understanding conversational queries possible.

This allows voice assistants to better understand and accurately respond to users' queries. To leverage this, ensure your content uses natural, conversational language and answers user queries effectively.

Predictive Search:

Based on past searches, AI and ML can analyze large volumes of data to predict what a user may search for next.

Businesses can leverage this by tailoring their content to anticipate these queries and provide preemptive answers.

User Personalization:

AI allows for a high level of personalization, tailoring responses based on the user's past behaviour, preferences, and location.

Ensure your content is dynamic and versatile enough to cater to different user needs and preferences.

Improved Voice Biometrics:

Voice biometric technology can identify and authenticate users using unique voice patterns. This can lead to personalized user experiences and enhanced security for transactions conducted via voice assistants.

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR):

ASR technology converts spoken language into written text. This is critical for voice search devices to understand, and process spoken queries.

By understanding and leveraging AI and ML, you can stay at the forefront of screenless search and continue to deliver content that meets your users' evolving needs!

Adapting Your Content

It’s time to focus on the diversity of devices and platforms. Each voice-activated device, whether it's a smart speaker, a smartphone, or an in-car system, has its strengths and weaknesses.

Understanding these nuances can help you further refine your content strategy.

Smart Speakers:

Smart speakers like Amazon's Alexa and Google Home are primarily used for informational queries, setting reminders, or listening to music and news.

Ensure your content strategy includes concise, useful information that can be easily digested in an audio format.

Additionally, exploring opportunities like creating a custom Alexa Skill can significantly boost your visibility on these devices.

Smartphones:

While smartphones also facilitate voice searches, their use cases can be broader due to the screen's availability.

Users can ask for detailed instructions, read long-form content, and navigate complex websites. Therefore, a blend of concise voice-friendly content and more in-depth written content can be effective.

Wearables:

Devices like smartwatches are often used for quick, immediate information like health stats, weather updates, or notifications.

If your business provides services relevant to these areas, consider creating bite-sized, actionable content that can be useful for wearable users.

In-Car Systems:

In-car systems often facilitate searches related to navigation, traffic updates, or local businesses. Thus, local SEO, as discussed in a previous section, plays a significant role in optimizing these systems.

Voice Assistants:

Different voice assistants have their strengths and weaknesses. For example, Siri is tightly integrated with other Apple services and Cortana with Microsoft. Knowing the ecosystem in which these assistants operate can help tailor your strategy.

Understanding the capabilities and limitations of each device will help you create a comprehensive and effective content strategy for screenless searches.

While it might seem daunting to cater to these various devices, remember that the principles remain the same: provide valuable, high-quality content that answers users' queries most effectively and efficiently.

And once again, always stay adaptable, continue learning, and keep your user at the centre of your content strategy.

The journey may seem challenging, but the rewards of successfully navigating the world of screenless search are worth every effort.