How has query syntax changed since voice search has become more popular?
Posted on: March 22, 2015
Searching for specific topics, documents, articles, pictures have somehow evolved into different methods. This is the reason why web masters are always on the lookout for different ways to cater to the ever-changing behaviours of web users with regard to submitting their queries; as well as the manner by which site results are being generated by Google. The growing interest in conducting web searches through voice has greatly affected the way users behave.
Video Question
“How has the query syntax changed since voice search has become more popular?”
Highlights of the Video:
Matt Cutts provided the following highlights or points to explain how voice search works and how it affected the manner by which users conduct searches on the Internet:
- It is quite normal for people to use their natural language, especially if a voice search is available instead of using search keywords. This has become a general trend that Google has observed.
- Google is in search of better ways to make use of conversational searches to make search result generation easier and faster.
- They also aim to provide more accurate or direct answers or results instead the more general ones.
- While using conversational searches can be helpful, it also requires web users to change their mindset in terms of submitting search phrases. For example: when you use voice or conversational search, you have a tendency to have “and” in your search query. By doing so, this will generate fewer and fewer results since there would be a more limited amount of sites that feature or contain the exact or the same words.
- Query syntax has indeed changed in such an extent that aside from the usual text queries and voice search, Google also allows image searches through drag and drop of picture to the search bar.
In order to get higher SEO rankings, you should:
- Create more pages with relevant content in your website. This will increase your chances of having information the users are looking for.
- Create page titles and content that is close to web users natural language especially for a voice search.
- Make sure all your website pages are correctly indexed by Google.
Related article: https://www.impossible.sg/should-i-focus-on-clarity-or-jargon-when-writing-content/
