By 2020 50% of all consumer searches will be voice searches, Comscore estimates, so now may be the time to integrate changes into your international marketing that will enable you to compete in this realm.
With Search Engine Optimization we plant words into online text that we expect potential customers to enter into their search engine. People might type “electric cars”, while a query to Siri is likely to be conversational, including more information: “What dealerships nearby sell electric cars?” How can we adapt online marketing for voice searches?
Advancements in AI will help with this transition. For example, Google’s “hummingbird update” in 2013 sharpened Google’s ability to understand user intent. Both Siri and Google Assistant – the most commonly used voice search engines – draw their data from Google.
But what can you do right now to start thinking in terms of “transcreating” your texts for voice search? Here are some thoughts from Forbes.com and other sources.
- “Micro-data” is often what voice searchers are after, not multiple full-length articles and videos. Analyze your web content to ensure that compact descriptions of your product and its attributes are available, including featured blocks of content no longer than 29 words (the usual maximum pulled up in voice search results).
- Include content with lists, bullet points, and hash tagged content, all of which are attractive to Siri, Alexa, and their like.
- Make sure that your website loads quickly so it isn’t left behind in those few seconds when the search results flash up.
- Include content that is written the way people talk, and at no higher than a 9th grade level.
- While you want short phrases in your text, aim for pieces that total between 1,850 and 2,500 words, a length that does well in both written and voice searches.
- Because 22% of voice searches are for local options, make local connections and possibilities a focus when possible.
Uncertain about how to apply these tips to your global websites?
Skrivanek’s localization experts are immersed in these issues on a daily basis and ready to help you prepare your global offices for the future.
J. V. McShulskis
