Why Should Your Business Adopt Voice-Optimized SEO & Conversational AI?

If there’s one thing that we have learned in the past decade is that technology is changing rapidly and is here to stay for good. Whether it is in our homes or businesses, we are stuck to each other like glue. Did you think your business would ever need to implement voice-optimized SEO? If you didn’t, now is the time to do that.

We are so dependent on the technology around us, we are looking for ways to incorporate it in every walk of our lives to make daily tasks a breeze. And if you own a business, you need to do the same if you want to stay ahead of your game.

How is voice-optimized SEO and Conversational AI going to alter my customer’s experience?

Let’s start answering your concerns, shall we? Of course you have heard of Alexa, Cortana and Siri. They are present in pretty much in every household. When Pete the millionaire from an episode in FRIENDS told Monica that a decade or two later we will be able to talk to machines and ask them to switch off the lights in our room, we may have laughed in that moment, but he wasn’t joking. Voice search is rapidly increasing. Consumers now expect brands to be swift with their replies, and 82% of them want an immediate response according to a survey. With 50% of all searches done via voice, the prospect of voice shopping is expected to jump to $40 billion in 2022 from just $2 billion today.

Moreover, 72% of those who own voice-activated speakers say that the devices are a part of their daily routine. The improvements in these devices and the ability of these devices to be able to detect various accents, indicates that they are here to stay. Not to forget our dependency on them.

Another aspect you don’t want to miss out on is conversational AI, which is the use of chatbots and messaging apps that conduct conversations with customers in a fluid manner. By using a subset of Artificial Intelligence (AI) called the Natural Language Processing (NLP), these computer assistants are able to process and understand human language and respond in the same manner. Like your good friend Siri does.

How will voice-optimized SEO be useful for your business?

Rank Higher

Although voice technology has a long way to go and more will be explored in the coming years, one thing is for sure; voice search engine optimization will drive more traffic to your webpage. If your business is incorporating voice strategies, it is bound to rank higher. If a business is successful with voice-optimized SEO, the voice assistant will allow the user to open the website from where the answer was give; thus increasing chances for appearing in top results or featured snippets.

Keep customers away from Competitors

Nobody wants to lead their prospects to their competitors themselves. And you will be doing that if you are not adopting voice search technology and your competitor is. This means doom for you. Yes, voice-optimized SEO is useful for higher ranking but we cannot forget about our competitors either. Voice-search technology is on the rise but still a lot of brands have not adapted to it. Now is the perfect time for your business to get ahead of its competition.

What’s the major difference between voice search and Conversational AI?

When you speak in to your search engine asking, for example, what the weather will be like tomorrow, it will reply to you by saying it might rain tomorrow. And that is pretty much it. Conversational AI has a more humanizing effect to it. They respond in a semi-human kind of tone. Like Siri and Alexa.

But it is no surprise that people prefer chatbots when interacting with a business online.

They are generally viewed as more responsive and quick, especially when resolving a complaint. Another way these are effective is when they adapt to the respective language of their inquirer. For example, if you have ever had issues regarding your order on Foodpanda, you might have noticed their chatbot responds in Roman Urdu language. Making it easier for everyone within Pakistan to communicate with them.

In today’s world of rapidly changing technology, it is imperative your business stays relevant and on top of its game. The flexibility of voice-optimized SEO allows businesses of all shapes and sizes to embrace this technology. And at one point, all businesses will be using it like it’s a norm. But technology makes sense most when you familiarize yourself to it and the sooner you do this for your business, the better.

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