What’s this about?
This is an extract from TWIS SEO News & Updates 11 August 2017.
Read about the little data slips that Google makes which end up showing “okay Google” in Keyword Planner data and the reasons why these keywords show up. The volumes are not huge, but they are insightful.
Contact me to discuss ways to optimise content to surface in “okay Google” voice search.
#SEO #KeywordResearch #VoiceSearch #KeywordPlanner
Google Adwords Keyword Planner Lets “Okay Google” Results Slip
Summary:
- Every now and again, Google is adding “okay Google {search query}” to the data returned by Google Adwords Keyword Planner, such as “okay Google mortgage calculator” in the example.
- John Lincoln showed this on Twitter.
- This may be an error, in Google not stripping “okay Google” from the query.
- It may also be users saying “okay Google” twice.
- It may even be people typing “okay Google” into search, either because they think they should, or the want to compare voice results to typing.
- It could also be people using the mic button on Google search and using “okay Google”.
- There isn’t currently a way to strip out voice search data from other search volumes.
Actions to take:
- Keep an eye on Google Adwords Keyword Planner, Google may eventually show voice search data.
- Remember that voice search keywords usually vary between conversational “show me…” and a bare instruction, like a head term search.
- The query length stats show that the length for voice and typed queries are very similar, but this does not take into account the very different structures to the queries.
- Contact me to discuss ways to optimise content to surface in “okay Google” voice search.
Discussion:
Voice search, according to Google, is the coming thing. We’ve had Millennials Making Voice Device Purchases and Google Instant No More, as a result of mobile and voice search. I do have a feeling it will take as long as the mobile internet to arrive properly (I was looking as WAP websites on a friend’s mobile in 1998-99), and by properly I mean to be as ubiquitous as mobile search is currently.
This is perhaps the reason why Google doesn’t release much voice search data beyond generalised numbers which when you dig into them are PR-driven aggregations or conveniently indistinct classifications. This is a shame. I think a lot of people would really like to know how much voice search is actually out there, and whether or not they should prepare campaigns to take advantage, or even optimise their sites for voice search.
More info:
Mobile First is NOT Mobile Friendly
TL;DR
- Google is occasionally showing “okay Google” keyword data in Keyword Planner.
- There are a number of probable cause for this.
- There is still no proper breakout data for voice search. Booo.
- Read The State of SEO in mid-2017.
- Read about how Google’s Mobile First Index is not Mobile Friendly.
Thanks for reading. If you would like to discuss what these changes mean for your web property, or would like to know how to implement them, please feel free to contact me.
