“Hey Google,” What is Voice Search?

“Hey, Google… What are you?” “I am an assistant.” No, as you probably already know, you aren't just hearing voices. You're experiencing the rise of voice search– and it's only getting louder. That's how you voice search with Google-compatible devices or Google.com. Alexa and Siri are alternative contenders and, depending on your personal search preferences, are optimal choices for voice search. You can use your voice to ask Google questions, like “What’s the weather like today?” or “Directions to the nearest coffee shop.” You can also use voice search to find things on your phone, like, “What is Cameron's phone number?” “Ok Google” is the cue for Google Assistant, a digital assistant that helps you with things like setting alarms, navigation, and more. To turn on Google Assistant voice search, say, “Hey Google” or “Ok Google,” then your question. You can use voice search if you have an Android phone, Google Home, or another Google device. If you don't have a Google device, you can still use Google voice search online on your phone by going to Google.com and tapping the microphone icon. Voice searching with Google is faster and easier than typing. Just say what you want and get results fast from across the web. Read this article to know all you need to know about voice search.

Google’s Voice

Google's voice search is an awesome feature that allows you to perform several tasks, and search the web and your device using your voice. To get started with voice search, open the Google app on your Android device and tap the microphone icon in the search bar. Alternatively, as mentioned earlier, you can say, “Ok Google” to start a search. You can use voice search for several things, such as asking questions, performing web searches, setting alarms, and more. For example, you can say, “Plumbing Services near me” or “Where to find a plumber tonight.” You can also use voice search to find things on your phone, like, “Open Gmail.” You can turn “Ok Google” on many other devices, such as Android Wear, Android TVs, and Google Home. Some questions you can ask with Voice Search include:

• What is the capital of Australia?
• Show me pictures of pandas
• What’s the definition of “octopus”?
• Play some music by The Beatles
• Wake me up at 7 a.m. tomorrow
• Set a timer for 5 minutes

You can also use voice search to control your device and apps. For example, you can say, “Ok Google, turn on Bluetooth” or “Ok Google, play The Mandalorian on Disney Plus.” If you're keen to tune up your marketing strategy, look no further than Wizard of Ads®. Our team can help you take your business to the next level. Book a call.

The Origin and Key Events

The history of voice search begins back in 1952 when [Bell Laboratories introduced the first speech recognition program called Audrey](https://sonix.ai/history-of-speech-recognition#:~:text=1950s and 60s,to 16 words in English.). It was followed in the 1960s by a machine called Shoebox which could recognize numbers zero to nine. During this time, IBM also developed a program called STAIR (Speech To ASCII Recognition), which helped transcribe meeting notes. In 1973, Dragon Systems began commercializing speech recognition technology. It eventually led to the development of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking software in 1997. Meanwhile, in 2002, Google launched its voice search service, which allowed users to search the web by speaking into their phones. What followed was the release of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean in 2012. That included Google Now, a voice assistant that used natural language processing to answer questions and perform tasks. In recent years, the accuracy of speech recognition systems has greatly improved, thanks to the adoption of deep learning techniques. It has led to the development of other virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Microsoft Cortana. Despite all these advances, however, speech recognition remains a challenge. One reason is that there are many different ways to say the same thing. For example, you can say the phrase “turn off the light” as “switch off the light,” “flip the switch,” or simply “turn it off.” Another challenge is that speech recognition systems need to be able to handle background noise and other interference. Despite these challenges, speech recognition is a crucial technology that is becoming increasingly important in our lives. As we move toward a more connected world, it has the potential to transform how we interact with devices and make life easier for everyone.

The Plight of the Hummingbird

Google announced the Hummingbird core algorithm update in September 2013. This update was a significant change to the way Google ranked websites, and it had a profound impact on the SEO industry. On Google voice search, in particular, the Hummingbird update meant that Google would now be able to understand the context of a search query, rather than just the individual keywords. This was a paradigm shift. It meant that SEOs needed to start thinking about optimizing their content for meaning in addition to keywords. The problem is that while the Hummingbird update was a exponential step forward for Google, it also created some new challenges for SEOs. In particular, it made it more difficult to rank for long-tail keywords. That's because, with Hummingbird, Google can now understand the search intent behind a query. So, if someone searches for "how to make butter," Google will know that they are looking for a recipe rather than just a list of ingredients. That's nice news for searchers because they are more likely to find what they want. But it's not so great for SEO, because it's harder to rank for long-tail keywords. However, optimizing your content is crucial for voice search from a marketing standpoint. As more and more people use voice search to find information online, optimizing your content for this type of search becomes increasingly important. Here are a few tips for optimizing your content for voice search:

• Speak like a human (I, Not Robot): When you're writing your content, use natural language. That will make it easier for Google to understand what your content is about, and it will help you rank higher in voice search results. Semantic search and using language that Google can understand is becoming increasingly important.
• Think like a searcher: When you're planning your content, think about what someone would say if they were searching for the information you're providing.

For example, if you're writing a recipe, think about how someone would search for that recipe. They might say something like, “How do I make a cake?” or “What's the best recipe for a chocolate cake?” It will help you ensure that your content is relevant to what people are actually searching for.

• Use structured data: Structured data is code that helps search engines understand the information on your website. It can help you specify the ingredients in a recipe, the steps involved in making it, and other essential details. That makes it easier for search engines to find and understand your content, which can help you rank higher in voice search results.
• Optimize your website for mobile: More and more people are using voice search on their mobile devices. So it's vital to make sure you optimize your website for mobile. That means ensuring it loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and has relevant and useful content.
• Make your content scannable: People often scan web pages rather than reading them word-for-word. So it's crucial to make your content easy to scan. You can do this with short paragraphs, clear headings, and bulleted or numbered lists.
• Be specific: The more specific your content is, the easier it will be for people to find it. So if you're writing about a recipe, include as many details as possible: The ingredients, the steps involved, how long it takes, etc.

Integration in other Google Products

Voice search is also integrated into many other Google products, such as Google Maps, the Google Mobile app, and YouTube.

Voice Search in Google Maps

The power of voice search is growing every day. In fact, 20 percent of all mobile searches are by voice. If you're a business with a physical location, it's essential to ensure that your address and phone number are updated on your website and in your Google Business Profile listing. It will help ensure that customers can find you when they do a voice search for your business type in Google Maps.

Voice Search in Google Mobile App

Like with Google Maps, if you have a physical location, you'll want your address and phone number up-to-date on your website and in your Google Business Profile listing. It will help ensure that prospects can find you when they do a voice search for your business type in the Google mobile app.

Voice Search in YouTube

It turns out that YouTube is one of the best voice search apps for Android. That’s because the app is deeply integrated with Google’s speech recognition technology. If you have a video channel on YouTube, you can optimize your videos for voice search by including keywords in the title and description of your videos. You should also include transcripts of your videos to make them more accessible to people searching with their voices.

The Rise of Voice Search Queries

Voice search has been a very significant and popular search method on Google. It has been on the rise in recent years, with more and more people using it to search for information. That's because it's very convenient and easy to use. You can speak into your phone or other device and get results in a breeze. Google voice search trends show that this trend is here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity. That's because people increasingly use their voices to search for information instead of typing it out. It's especially true for mobile devices, where it's much easier to speak than type. Specifically, Google Trends search data from 2008-2016 shows that voice searches are 35 times higher with the incorporation of voice search in iPhone and Android devices. That confirms the number of voice searches will continue to increase as more and more people use these devices. With the advent and development of Android Auto and Carplay, voice search is here to stay. “Hey, Google?” “Yes?” “Take me to the best Marketing Strategist for residential home service companies.” “Ok, taking you to the Wizard of Ads® website.” Wizard of Ads™ are Marketing Strategists who can help your residential home service company exponentially increase revenue. We make your marketing easier than ever, so you can get back to what you do best– running your business. Book a call today!