There is no doubt that voice search is growing, with smartphone and tablet users forming new search habits as the technology evolves. In a recent presentation report by Mary Meeker on 2016 Internet trends, the global figures indicate that during 2015 alone, the use of voice search went from statistically nothing, to a 10% market share of all engine searches by the end of Q4. That speed and scale of growth is incredible!
Her report also includes a study done in the US which found that 61% of respondents used voice search when their hands or vision were otherwise occupied, but, perhaps surprisingly, only 36% said that they primarily used voice search whilst driving; the biggest segment, 43%, stated that they mainly used voice search at home.
People use voice search differently to when conventionally searching via their phone, tablet or computer. Voice searches tend to be more conversational, as if you are actually speaking to a person, rather than the keyword-based search queries that we tend to make when typing. People would naturally use voice search when they need an answer right there and then and will ask fairly detailed questions, so by aligning your website structure and content to this type of relevant query, you have a much better chance of having an impact on the rapidly expanding voice search audience.
For law firms with a physical office in one or more locations, voice search could exponentially boost brand awareness with potential new clients searching for your kinds of services in their local area. For example, if someone was to ask their smartphone to find “family law solicitors near me”, having your local office appear in the first few results could bring in significant new leads.
With voice searches being generally longer and more detailed than typed searches, ensuring your website is optimised for relevant long-tail terms could be the key to giving you increased visibility in voice search results. Creating question-answering content, which concisely and accurately provides the information that you know your audience are looking for, will stand you in good stead if someone asks detailed questions via voice search.
Ensuring that your website content is optimised to show in search results for more ‘human’ queries could result in a huge rise in your voice search results visibility. This means that you need to put yourself in the shoes of your audience; trying out voice search for yourself can be a great place to start. Imagine that you had never used legal services before but found yourself in a situation where you needed some legal advice and wanted to use voice search to find answers; what would you search for?
You would ask the exact question that you wanted an answer to e.g. “Who is the best divorce lawyer in Leeds?” or “How do I take my boss to court”. Seeing how voice search currently responds to these types of queries can start to show you how to best optimise your own content to appear in these results ahead of the competition.
If you would like more information on voice search, local SEO or creating online content that meets the needs of your target audience, contact us today!
