If buying a Google Pixel phone was high on your list this year, we advise you to stay patient. Google obviously didn’t anticipate such a high demand for this device, as the Pixel phone exceeded their expectations significantly.
For example, Verizon announced that 128-gigabyte versions are already sold out in their stores. Unfortunately, for now, we have no official information what exactly does that mean in terms of the number of units sold.
Early adopters punctuate that battery life and camera are well ahead of other available options.
One thing is certain, Google Pixel popularity is on the rise as it becomes a direct competitor to the new iPhone. One of the most important new built-in features is new Google Assistant.
Voice Search Habits
Using your voice instead of typing is not science fiction anymore. Google has confirmed that the increase in voice search is significant, especially in the teen category.
We can safely conclude that conversational search is the future of SEO, but the first step is to improve voice recognition before voice understanding, meaning and context behind the words. If you take a better look at your type-searching habits, they vastly differ from what you would ask in a conversational tone.
Besides incorporating voice search SEO strategy for your website or your clients, also take note that your content will require being written in a conversational tone, too. There are many different ways of asking the same question about the product or service you are offering. For example, people who are not fond of researching the internet for a long time will start with one of the usual questions – “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” and “How,”. Make sure that your FAQ page has all these included, as that page will probably appear frequently in SERPs.
When it comes to keywords, it makes sense to assume that longtail keywords will become more important. Using only one to two words for searching won’t be so specific as it is right now, but using a more conversational context of 5+ words will become common. After all, we can speak quicker than we can type.
Another important point is that search queries will have to become very specific. For example, if you decide to Google “smartphones”, there is no way to tell if you are simply searching for news about smartphones, browsing the pictures of smartphones, researching new smartphones or repair one.
Adapting copy or ads to include filler words (the, for, to, I, to the, is the etc.) will become key to contextual, conversational voice search.
Google Assistant, local SEO and future trends
One of the most important improvements is a new communication tool called Google Assistant, a significant improvement over its last iteration, Google Now. According to well-known reviewers, it is proven to have superior voice recognition over the competitor, iPhone Siri.
It works incredibly fast and gives answers practically instantly. Google Assistant also provides additional potential follow-up questions and has simple interactions that go beyond simple voice search functions, as the idea is to achieve basic conversation.
For all those born in the 20th century, talking to technology and getting back at least a reasonable answer is still a bit weird to testify. However, younger generations have no problems with that and they use it to ask any kind of questions, map directions, commands for activating the phone functions, even running diagnostics apps.
But, how can new Google Assistant make an impact on local SEO?
If you have a physical presence on the local market, one of the first ideas is to adapt your content according to landmarks near your location, whether it is a stadium, park, monuments, museums or any other place that people gather around.
Let’s take an example. You are walking around Atlanta, looking for a good diner, but you don’t have too much time on your hands. Turn on Google Assistant and ask. An algorithm will take note of your current location, speed, weather, cross-reference previous queries, favorite drinks and meals and offer you to book a table.
The same will happen when you decide to book a flight or room, order a pizza to your location, upload pics to social media and even do online shopping.
Nobody can say for sure what the future holds, but voice search will be the reason for the next big SEO leap, as technology improves with each new smartphone on the market.