01 Jun Adding Voice Search Capabilities to a WordPress Website

By now, you’ve probably heard about voice search capabilities that were made available to WordPress websites. Just like in many mobile phones, this feature is sure to be a perfect addition to a lot of sites. Not only will it make searching more convenient, but it will also likely increase traffic.

In fact, Google’s mobile searches alone has recorded a whopping 20 percent of voice search in 2016. According to WP Astra, the trend is pretty much going to be the same for many WordPress websites, especially with the rise of smart speakers in the U.S.

Just like live chat, voice search is instant when it comes to responding to queries. It makes it perfectly suitable for the Web Speech API that is now available to Google Chrome and Firefox.

So how exactly can you add voice search capabilities to your WordPress website? What are its benefits? Is it time to optimize your site with this innovative feature? Check out the answers below:

HOW TO ADD VOICE SEARCH TO YOUR WEBSITE THE EASY WAY

There are different ways of adding voice search feature to your WordPress site. In this article, we are going to tackle the simplest and easiest way to do it.

The first thing you need to do is install a plugin called Voice Search. Once you activate it, you don’t have to tweak any particular settings. It just instantly works.

Next, go to the Appearance, then Widgets section in your WordPress admin area. Make sure to add a default search widget to a sidebar if you haven’t already.

Visit your website, and you should be able to see a microphone icon in the search box. To check if it’s working, click on the icon and wait for the text “Start Talking” to display. You can now say the words you want to search for.

There are other ways of installing voice search feature to your WordPress websites like HTML and JS implementation, but we’ll talk more about that some other time.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF VOICE SEARCH IN A WEBSITE?

Leveling up a WordPress website with voice search feature will bring in a lot of benefits not only to the owner but the users as well.

For instance, those with physical disabilities who have difficulties typing in a keyboard can now input their queries through speech.

If you own an e-commerce website, adding voice search will help a lot in terms of conversion as potential customers will be able to find what they are looking for instantly.

Voice search is also expected to have a significant impact on search engine optimization (SEO). For years, many site owners are used to the idea of keywords to help their websites rank higher.

However, with Google’s Hummingbird update, it is expected to experience a drastic change. Now search engines will evaluate a website based on contextual searches and not just mere keywords. So if you are looking into improving your site’s ranking, now is the best time to consider adding voice search feature.

TIPS ON ADDING VOICE SEARCH TO YOUR WORDPRESS WEBSITE

Before upgrading your site with voice search feature, there are several tips you might want to consider to get the best results.

First, the speed of your site’s loading time. According to Brian Dean, a quick-loading page plays a huge role in voice search SEO. In fact, it has been revealed that the average voice search result loads 52 percent faster than the average page. If you want to reap the full benefits of voice search, make sure that your page is optimized to load faster.

Another thing you might want to consider is the readability of your content. Apparently, contents that are easy to read tend to rank faster and higher through voice search.

According to Backlinko, the average voice search result is just 29 words. It means that Google is strictly looking for short yet concise answers rather than longer ones. You might also want to check if your contents are easy to understand. Try using tools, such as Hemingway Editor to check your contents’ length, elocution, and formation – all of which are essential in search engine optimization.

USE GOOGLE SINIPPETS TO FEATURE IN VOICE SEARCH

Featured snippets are also important factors of voice search. A previous study found a strong connection between voice search results and featured snippets for the same query.

According to Backlinko, 40.7 percent of voice search results came from featured snippets that focus on the question keywords and have short answers. So how do you get into featured snippets. Here are some tips you can start implementing today!

• Optimize your pages for long tail keywords
• Optimize for local searches
• Use popular Q&A portals like quora and create pages that answer those questions
• Use tables and bullets as part of your content
• Make sure that your content meets the searcher’s intent

Final Thought

These are just a few things to consider before adding voice search capabilities to your WordPress website. Follow these tips, and you’re sure to keep up with the latest trend and enjoy its benefits at the same time. So go ahead and optimize your site with voice search feature. You’ll be surprised with how useful and efficient it is for both owners and users.

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About The Author
Elena is a content manager at Keen LTD, a digital marketing agency based in Malta. She has a strong conviction that search engines will become more reliant on website content to determine rankings rather than backlinks.