The advance of Voice Search is unstoppable

Online shopping is one of the established standards in new normal. Before Covid-19 turned the world upside down, Ecommerce was already a dominant factor in the retail landscape. And the corona crisis created momentum. As the second wave seems inevitable, the role of online shopping and business continues to gain weight. Various developments are occurring in this. And one of those developments is the advance of Voice Search.

The corona pandemic, which appears to be entering a new worrying phase, is leaving an indelible mark on consumer behavior. The undisputed winner, as far as you can speak of that, is the Ecommerce sector. From the moment the intelligent lockdown took effect in the Netherlands, online retailers saw an increase in traffic to their web shops. Parcel deliverers are still working overtime, delivery times can get out of hand. Congestion in online shopping traffic During the lockdown, the number of parcels delivered to consumers every day increased by 175%! For that reason, the logistics processes associated with online shopping is currently under scrutiny. Because corona caused capacity shortages, physical collection points were lost and there were problems with return shipments. While the consumer remains unrelenting. Trend watchers predict that flexible shipping the new standard and robotization in distribution centers will lend a hand.

The advance of Voice Search affects ranking

And the same trend watchers make another important prediction: the advance of Voice Search can no longer be slowed down. Because corona provided inimitable dynamics in search patterns and volumes, it is difficult to maintain a high position in search engines with proven SEA / SEO techniques. Voice search helps with this. Online consumers are already making increasing use of Voice Search technology. Because search engines value an optimal user experience, voice searches contribute to a better ranking. So it is recommended to seriously investigate the possibilities for your webshop or platform.

Voice Search is not new. The technology has been around for about ten years. But because consumers bring smart devices into their homes that they often link to a smart assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant is on the rise from Voice Search to online shopping gained momentum. After all, it's all about convenience and speed. And what is easier and faster than using your voice to search? In any case, that takes less effort than 'typing in' an assignment. Voice search is fun and efficient, especially when using a smartphone. That's why mobile shoppers in particular love Voice Search.

Create content for voice commands

In order to respond effectively to this with your webshop, you have to take various aspects into account. Because consumers express themselves naturally in voice search, it pays to adapt your content accordingly. Question and answer style content in particular works well. It is also important to emphasize long-tail keywords. After all, complete sentences correspond better to spoken language than to typed searches.

Another way to optimize your content to respond to the advance of Voice Search is the application of structured data, a type of code that helps search engines understand what you are talking about. Google calls this rich snippets, specific parts of a page that will be emphasized. There are various tools to implement and test structured data in your website. Besides as a technique to respond well to the advance of Voice Search, it also improves organic search results. And that is always a bonus.

Short loading time is crucial due to the advance of Voice Search

Not only optimizing your content, but also the speed of your webshop or platform is vital to provide adequate answers to voice-driven searches. Because consumers demand quick answers to their questions. The shorter the loading time, the better the customer experience and the greater the chance of conversion. Google says: better speed is higher ranking. The speed of your website depends on many factors, including of course the platform you use and the hosting. Important to consider.

In summary: the advance of Voice Search is a fact and it is important to be prepared for this as an Ecommerce entrepreneur. Optimizing your content and the loading speed of your website play an important role in this. It is worthwhile to have the performance of your website tested and to implement improvements on that basis. Because online shopping is the new norm, partly under the influence of corona, and consumers are inexorable if you do not facilitate them optimally and quickly. Are you ready for the second wave in Voice Search technology? We listen.