How to Add Voice Search to Your WordPress Website
As an internet marketer, you’re always looking for ways to make your work easier. Since SEO is a constantly changing and evolving field, you want to be sure you’re using the right tools for the job. One of those tools is voice search.
If you’re not familiar, voice search is a type of search that users can perform by speaking commands into their devices. Instead of typing in keywords and trying to guess which keywords to use, users can simply speak into their devices and the keywords will pop up as results.
In the same way we’ve seen the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and machine learning in other areas of life, we’re now seeing this evolve in SEO. Thanks to the power of speech recognition and natural language processing (NLP), SEOs can train their algorithms to understand human speech as well as text.
For instance, if you have an online store and you want to know what people are saying about your products, you can create a survey with 25 questions. When a user gets to the end of the survey and submits a response, you can bet they’ll be using your product or service. With this type of setup, you’ll get rich survey data without all the work of calling people and pestersing them to take your survey.
Since the dawn of time, marketers have been trying to figure out the most effective ways to reach people with their messages. Instead of just relying on keywords, SEOs are taking a more holistic approach by looking at how humans interact and how machines can understand and act on that input.
Why Are People Using Voice Search On Mobile?
The short answer is because it’s on their phones. According to the Google company, over half of the searches they perform are done on their phones. Since web browsers are built into most modern mobile devices, mobile search is essentially synonymous with voice search.
Even on desktops, browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge allow users to perform searches using their voice. On these browsers, users can simply click Search and then speak their keywords into the microphone.
Speaking of keyboards, even on mobile devices, users are starting to prefer to type their queries rather than search using voice. This is partially because text can more easily be edited and partially because there’s an element of competition in text-based searches. When a user submits a query that gets a few hundred matches, they’ll probably try a new keyword or combination of keywords rather than rephrasing their query. Since text-based searches can be more workmanlike, SEOs are turning to voice search as a more efficient alternative.
Speaking of efficiency, on mobile, voice search is even more popular among older users who might be a little more set in their ways and prefer to use their phones the way they’ve always used them. For instance, if your product is for pets, you might see a lot of searches for dog food or cat food since these are the most common types of pets. As voice search becomes more popular and more user-friendly, SEOs will have to adapt their methods and ensure their efforts produce results.
How to Add Voice Search to Your WordPress Website
You have two options for adding voice search to your WordPress website. The first is to use a third-party app or plug-in and the second is to add some simple HTML.
If you go with an app or plug-in, you’ll have more features and functionalities at your disposal. These additional features might make your life as an SEO much easier. For instance, you can integrate Google Analytics so you can follow your users’ clicks and see which keywords they use to find your content.
WordPress has a built-in feature called Query A XML that makes it very easy for users to perform searches using their voice. Simply copy and paste these two lines of code into your theme’s functions.php file:
- function voc($atts, $content = null){
if( $content == ‘Search’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Ask’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Video’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Article’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Books’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
The above code will add a voice search bar in the header of your WordPress site. If you want to add this to a page instead, use the code below:
- function voc($atts, $content = null){
if( $content == ‘Search’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Ask’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Video’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Article’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
elseif( $content == ‘Books’ )
echo ‘- ‘.$atts[‘query’].’
‘;
This code will add a search bar to the footer of your WordPress site. Just copy and paste this code into your theme’s functions.php file and you’re good to go.
If you decide to use an extension or app for voice search, you might want to consider the Vivino app. It’s one of the more popular search extensions for WordPress users and gives you all the basic features you need to get started. Simply go to your WordPress dashboard, click on Tools in the left-hand column, and then select Extensions. From here, you can search for Vivino and click on Install to get started.
You can also use the Google Keyword Planner to find and research the most effective keywords for your content. Simply click on Tools in the left-hand column of the dashboard and then select Keywords. From here, you can enter your keywords and click on search.
Another option is to use the Hit Wise free keyword tool. With this tool, you can get started for free and begin researching keywords and building your SEO plan immediately. For mobile search, you might want to try the Brave browser or use its free Appliance. With these tools, users can install an extension on their phones that gives them access to all the keywords they type into the app or browser.
One of the main draws of Brave is its Self-Destruct feature. This feature allows users to get rid of ads by simply pressing a button when an ad is invisible or offscreen. This feature alone might make Brave worth your time and effort as an SEO. Since most browsers and mobile devices already have the text box built into them, all you have to do is find a way to get the user’s attention and engage them enough to where they’ll consider giving you their consent to their personal information.
Are You Ready To Succeed In 2019?
If you’re ready to become a successful entrepreneur, it’s time to stop dreaming and start taking action. The first step is to analyze your strengths and where you lack in self-awareness. Once you’ve identified these areas, it’s time to improve. To start taking action, create a list of all the things you’re thankful for. Next, take this list and create a vision board. Put everything you have on it. From there, you can start creating action plans and working toward your goals.