Voice Search vs Text Search
On average, 30% of worldwide internet users aged 16-64 use voice search each week.
Voice search is a common way to search online, especially among the younger generations, because it’s convenient, easy to use, and quick!
There are notable differences between text and voice search regarding usage, structure, user behaviour, and saving time.
So, text search or voice search? Which one to choose? And more importantly, which one is more efficient?
What is Voice Search?
Voice search helps people look for information using spoken language instead of text.
Voice search uses natural language processing (NLP) and speech recognition technology to process voice commands and transform them into text.
Key Differences Between Voice Search vs Text Search
Usage and Structure
Text Search usually involves users using short-tail keywords or brief sentences, mainly to spend as little time as possible typing.
A text search would look like this “web design company Cambridge” or “weather Cambridge”. Most text search queries usually start with lowercase letters and sometimes feel forced or even grammatically incorrect.
Voice Search queries look more natural and complete. With voice search, users usually use full sentences or long-tail keywords that resemble everyday speech.
A voice search example would look like this “Which is the best web design company in Cambridge?” or “How is the weather today in Cambridge?”. Because voice searches are closer to everyday speech, they usually are question-based searches, start with uppercase letters and are typically grammatically correct.
User Behaviour
Text Queries are most likely from users using a mobile, computer, or laptop. This means users are more likely to browse multiple pages to find what they need. They might allocate more time to read larger content and several resources to compare data.
Voice Queries are frequently started via virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, etc. Users expect quick answers and are less likely to browse through multiple sources of information. Voice search behaviour tends to be more local and intent-driven as users mostly search for places near them or specific items/information.
Time-saving
Voice search is generally faster and allows users to multitask or not have to stop what they are currently doing to search for information.
Voice searches are useful for people on the go or for activities that require constant attention. For example, someone might search for “For how long should I bake a chocolate cake?” without having to stop preparing the cake.
Optimising for Each Type
For Text Search
While voice search is becoming more popular, text search is still the main form of online searching.
To optimise for text search, focus on clear and keyword-driven SEO strategies. Thoroughly research keywords and select the most relevant ones to understand your target audience.
Improve load speed as users tend to leave a page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load, which will affect your user engagement and overall success.
Always align your content and page structure with user and keyword intent. Ensure that each page is structured according to its keywords intent. For informational intent, ensure that questions are answered and information is presented clearly. For commercial intent, ensure that vital information such as prices, benefits, and features of a product/service are correctly displayed.
For Voice Search
Although text search strategies apply to voice search strategies as well, there are additional steps you can take to boost your visibility in voice search results.
- Because natural language and conversational tone patterns are used in voice searches, focus on natural language, question-based content and long-tail keywords.
- Optimise your content to offer clear and well-structured answers as this type of content is more likely to appear in featured snippets. These snippets are read aloud by virtual assistants in voice search results. Creating simple and easy-to-read content might help rank for voice search results better. For example, the average voice search result on Google is written at a 14-15-year-old’s comprehension.
- Optimise for Local SEO as voice searches tend to have a strong local intent most of the time. Include location-specific keywords, create or ensure that your Google My Business profile is up-to-date, and ask for reviews from your customers/clients.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Voice Search
Knowing the advantages and disadvantages helps create better strategies and understand voice search limitations and users’ intentions and behaviour.
What Are The Advantages of Using Voice Search?
When comparing voice search vs text search, it’s clear that voice search is more commonly used for quick, local queries.
Voice search is more convenient in certain situations or activities. It’s also quicker for people looking for specific information.
The most important advantage of voice search is that it allows people with disabilities or mobility difficulties to access and interact with technology and the internet.
What Are The Disadvantages of Voice Search?
Sometimes speech recognition is not 100% accurate and search queries are not always transcribed properly.
Another disadvantage of voice search is that users don’t have full control over the results presented to them by voice assistants.
Conclusion
Understanding the differences between voice search and text search will help you create an SEO strategy that fits both user behaviour and business goals.
Understanding Voice Search and Assistants
Keep in mind that voice assistants rely on and browse different search engines. For example, Siri uses Google and Alexa uses Bing. We recommend researching each search engine and analysing the results and the quality of the displayed content.
With this in mind, research and analyse user behaviour on multiple search engines for your targeted keywords for maximum success. Examine search trends, click-through rates, and other user engagement metrics that will help your decision-making and content-creation processes.
Voice search is becoming increasingly popular and justifiably so. Voice search is fast, convenient and easy to use. That’s why it is important to optimise and create SEO strategies with this search engine functionality in mind.
However, a good SEO strategy involves multiple steps that need to be equally invested in, such as technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, etc.
Check Out Our Blog!
Check out our blog for more information about the latest SEO trends and developments.
Subscribe for More Updates!
Get the latest news, tips, and valuable insights by subscribing to our newsletter!
