Insights
Make some noise: 2020 is becoming the year of the VOICE!
Voice searches have begun their ultimate rise. For years, the technology was not ready and the search results were too limited. Today a voice search is relevant. Put it to the test. Ask your smart speaker if “the bakery is still open” and chances are your sandwich will be baked quickly. The internet is ready for your voice. Are you ready for the year of the voice?
First and foremost: Voice searches are not a passing trend. They will only gain in importance. For those who still think that voting technology will not make such a difference, perhaps some figures:
- In the US, 25% of all searches are “voice searches”.
- 13% of American households have a smart speaker. By 2022 that would already be 55 percent.
- At the beginning of 2019, there were already around 1 billion voice searches per month worldwide.
- The expectations for Belgium: 20% of all searches will be done via voice technology in 2022.
Okay, voice searches are here to stay. But what does this mean for the search results of your website? What should you, as an online marketer, take into account? And what are the best practices?
VOICE SEARCHES AND SEO
Nowadays, online marketers are working hard to provide websites with scoring SEO texts. Hold your horses, we can slowly start to say. With the rise of voice searches, the playing field for ranking high is being thoroughly redrawn.
Yes, SEO texts must still ensure that your website ranks at the very top in Google and Bing. But specific SEO tips & tricks. Time for a brief overview:
FEATURED SNIPPETS:
Featured snippets are the short texts that appear at the top of the search results. Google places these in a layout like the one below: