When search engines first appeared on the world wide web, searchers used short phrases to find the information they wanted. Until as recently as 2007, the average number of words entered into search boxes was 3. Since then, the average number of words has steadily increased as searchers started asking questions of the search engines.
With the advent of Apple’s Siri, Google Now (sometimes called “OK Google”) and Microsoft’s Cortana, asking questions to search engines is becoming a natural part of interacting with them. Instead of typing, we can ask for any information and it is returned almost instantly. When you add the fact that most searches are now done on mobile devices, the importance of voice search and optimizing content for it is clear.
Google Voice Search
Google Voice Search is the search giant’s strategy for integrating voice commands across all Google products. With mobile devices overtaking all other platforms to access the Internet, Google search is evolving quickly. Search results are changing based on the way we speak, not the way we type.
Google is changing in response to the new ways humans interact with it. When we talk to Google to let it know what we’re looking for, we may ask about an item we want to purchase along with modifers like pricing, coupons orspecial. Google has learned these modifiers that often accompany product questions. It has started showing comparative pricing information and the closest location where the item can be purchased—even when that information is not specifically asked for. All the while, Google is listening for complete sentences and actual questions so it can provide specific information in response to more specific, longer-length queries.
Why is Google Voice a Big Deal?
Read More on Rockfish Blog
