This extension only works when you start searching from google.com . Say OK Google with this page open and Google will start listening for your search. Google is likely using this extension to test the feature and may roll it out to a wider audience in the future.
Google Desktop Voice Search :
For Android phones and tablets, these new commands add to a list of growing possibilities within the device-level Google Voice Search utility. But beyond that, it's now possible -- and easier than ever -- to tap into advanced voice control from your desktop computer as well.
Google's actually had a microphone icon in the search box of its google.com home page for a while now. That's all well and good, but navigating to google.com and clicking a command isn't exactly a convenient way to get stuff done.
In addition to today's newly announced Voice Search commands, by the way, most of the standard stuff you've come to know and love on Android -- asking about the weather, sports scores, time zone or measurement conversions, or general search info (queries like "how tall is Scarlett Johansson," "how old is John Stamos," or "show me pictures of fancy monkeys") -- will work from your desktop, too.
Users are taken to a typical search engine results page whether they spoke their query or typed it, with a couple of potential exceptions. Users searching for directions to a place using a mobile device may see a different SERP than a desktop user searching for the same information, for example.
However, we can also see that there are many other common uses for voice search, including using voice commands to dictate text messages, utilize mobile device call functions, check the time, and play media.
This trend is also reflected in other data. According to San Francisco-based startup MindMeld (formerly known as Expect Labs), many users have only recently begun to use voice search functionality on a regular basis, with almost 42% of users using voice search for the first time within the past six months:
The average person can type around 40 words per minute, but can speak around 150 words per minute, allowing for greater specificity with less effort. In addition, as we can see in the figure below, almost one in four voice search users conduct spoken searches due to difficulties typing on certain devices:
Something else to consider when targeting long-tail keywords is how people actually use voice search. Unlike a typed search query, spoken voice searches are usually conversational and reflect how people speak in everyday life. By targeting long-tail, conversational keywords and phrases and answering questions your prospective customers are likely to have, you stand a much better chance of ranking for these queries and appearing prominently in search results.
Last year, Backlinko conducted a study to find the most important ranking factors for searches on the Google Home smart speaker. Here are five of the most critical findings from the study to help your brand amplify your voice search optimization efforts.
According to the study, an average voice search result has around 1,200 Facebook shares or 44 tweets. Backlinko was careful to note that Google does not include social signals in its ranking algorithm. Therefore, social media popularity is likely a case of correlation, not causation.
A staggering 75 percent of voice search results from Google Home also rank in the top 3 positions in desktop searches. The most likely reason for this is that Google uses similar ranking factors to determine both voice search and desktop results.
These are just some of the most important voice search optimization factors. As virtual assistants and voice search increase in popularity, there will likely be more updates to the ranking factors in the future. For now, this list is a great starting point for your voice search optimization efforts. If you need additional guidance to reach consumers searching on smart speakers, contact Mindstream Media Group today, and our content and SEO experts will be happy to help.
Since Chrome 35 was introduced in May of last year, you have been able to start a search without clicking or typing. You needed only to say, "OK Google" when you were viewing a new tab or Google's homepage. With Chrome 46 (version 46.0.2490.71, to be exact), you'll need to click the colorful microphone icon located in the right edge of Google's search bar to conduct a voice search.
According to VentureBeat, Google killed the feature because very few users were speaking to their computers. Privacy concerns were also an issue, with people worried Google was listening to conversations through their computer if "OK" and "Google" were said within close proximity to one another. With a full keyboard, I personally find it quicker and easier to search via typing than voice.
4. Schema may not play a key role in voice search rankings. 36.4% of voice search results come from pages that use Schema (which is only slightly higher than the worldwide average of 31.3%).
5. Authoritative domains tend to produce voice search results significantly more than non-authoritative domains. In fact, the mean Ahrefs Domain Rating of a Google Home result is 76.8.
10. Content that ranks highly in desktop search is also very likely to appear as a voice search answer. In fact, approximately 75% of voice search results rank in the top 3 for that query.
Key Takeaway: Google voice results tend to be very concise. In fact, the average voice search result is only 29 words long. So to optimize for voice search SEO, aim to make your answer snippets approximately 29 words long.
Second, people use voice and desktop searches in different ways. Specifically, voice searches are 76.1% longer than text-based searches. Longer searches make it even less likely that the exact phrase is going to appear in the limited space of a title tag. Again, Google voice search may largely ignore the title tag and find the nugget of information that it needs in the main body content.
Key Takeaway: Pages that rank in the top 3 results in desktop tend to dominate voice search results. 74.9% of Google Home results are sourced from a page that also ranks in the top 3 for that keyword in the desktop SERPs.
Hats off to everyone in the Backlinko team for compiling the data for this amazing resource and presenting it in such a visual way. Incredible work as always Brian! Are there any tools currently out there or in development that compile data for voice searches similar to a keyword research tool? And which industries do you think this will have the most impact on this year?
Wow! This is a great post, well researched about Google Voice. It has actually awakened me to focus more on my content creation now and in future. So, it means more emphasis will be more on voice? Embracing this outcome. Thank you, Brian, for a detailed post.
Google has announced Voice Search for desktop machines today. This feature is available right in the browser on any desktop machine and appears right next to the search box. In addition, they also announced the ability to drag and drop an image into the search bar to search for its contents using Search by Image.
The ability to search by voice has also been augmented with translation features and the ability to search with an image. You simply drag an image right into the search box to search for the contents of the image.
You can search by image at images.google.com and the feature will be rolling out over the next few days to Chrome users. There are several ways that you can get an image into the search including Firefox and Chrome extensions as well as dragging an image into the bar when you see a camera icon. Google also mentioned in their Q&A that any images that you use will be treated like any other query and will not be collected and stored.
Nothing can make you feel like you live in the future like ordering your computer around with your voice. Nowadays, you can say a command to your at-home digital assistant, and your lights will turn on. Maybe you can command your curtains to close, your TV to switch to a specific channel or your security system to activate. You can even use commands to know what people also search for on the web.
A while back, Wolf of SEO, posted on Twitter asking are Google voice search results not impacted by the "non-mobile" friendly sites algorithm? He said he is seeing results that give non-mobile friendly sites.
Of course, Google Now, Siri and others tweak that a bit here and there. But voice search results are no different than the desktop or mobile search results interface. Unless you search natively on iOS or Android, then apps and such can show more often.
Before 2015, no one was searching by voice. Over the course of that year, however, over 50 billion voice searches per month were performed globally, but it's not overwhelming yet. A new study by Ignite Visiblity revealed that only 6% of people prefer voice search. But voice search is still a fairly new thing, and keep in mind that number is only growing. You can expect voice search to change the way SEO happens, as well as the functions of devices and internet usage overall. In fact, as we researched this article, we used voice search.
The numbers stated above show, without a doubt, that voice search is quickly taking over huge swaths of the search market landscape. There are several reasons that explain why voice search is rising so quickly. Most of these reasons are situational, but are strong hypotheses nonetheless.
Instead, show her the little microphone button that allows her to translate her speech directly to text. Not only will you save the time, but she will be more successful with the input overall. Adults aged 65 and over are more likely to use mobile devices than other devices such as desktops or broadband service, which, when combined with how high use of mobile leads to high use of voice search, shows why older users are more likely to drive up the numbers of voice queries worldwide. 2ff7e9595c
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