have a website for your business, there is no doubt that you are always striving to make this website contain all the elements and components in a better way that enhances the user experience . But have you ever thought about one of these innovative features, voice search? With the aim of enhancing the visitor’s access to the required content faster instead of spending time searching in written form.
We had previously talked about how to create a search box with advanced features , but in this article we will shed light on adding the ability to voice search on your site using one of the plugins dedicated to that.
If we look at the future of this unique feature, we will find that its use is constantly increasing, as statistics indicate that more than 50% of users use voice search to search for products, according to the (Social Media Today) website .
What is voice search?
Voice search is simply a process in which the user’s voice is used to reach the desired search results, in devices that contain an audio receiver (microphone), and this feature is widely used in devices and mobile phones.
The voice search mechanism works by receiving speech through the Application Programming Interface (API), then through software code and machine learning techniques, your voice is translated and converted into text, and finally what is required is displayed. If we were to list the above in the form of simplified steps, they would be as follows:
- Receiving sound, processing it, and converting it to text
- Analyze this text to discover the desired command
- Connect to databases to obtain the required information
- Translating this information back to display it in an understandable form and format
Providing a desirable feature for users
The number of users who prefer voice search is increasing day by day, and this number is expected to double in the future. Therefore, when you provide this feature on your site, your site will become a favorite among many users because it provides them with a better experience. Voice search is also one of the most prominent SEO trends
Add a voice search feature to your site
When you have a WordPress site , you can add voice search to your WordPress site with ease through plugins, and in just a few steps, and there are many of them available for free, and the following are the most efficient of these plugins:
- Voice Search : It is one of the simplest additions that can be used on websites. Because it does not require complications or difficulty in adjusting the settings
- WP Fastest Site Search : This add-on gives you many features, the most important of which is that in addition to the voice search feature, it supports the ability to search through PDF files, search on several sites at the same time, search for synonyms, and compatibility with various devices.
- Universal Voice Search : It is an add-on that supports search in many languages, especially Arabic
- Vonic Voice assistant for WooCommerce : One of the most suitable add-ons for online stores. Because of the capabilities it provides that are compatible with the store’s details and customers’ desires.
If you want other paid add-ons in which you may find more professional features, you may find them as the Listener – Voice Input add-on or the Speak2Me – Voice Assistan add-on . It is worth noting that there are some add-ons that work as a voice assistant by giving certain commands and then performing the event associated with the voice command, such as these two add-ons.
In the following steps, we will explain installing the “ Voice Search ” add-on and activating it directly on the site, through the site’s control panel. Go to : Add-ons << Add New, and in the search box, write the name of the add-on (Voice Search), then install the add-on shown above through the “Install” button. now”.
Then press the “Activate” button.
After you have activated the add-on, now go to the Control Panel, then to “ Appearance ,” and after clicking on it, choose “ Widgets . ”
Then, choose the “ Search ” widget and drag it to the designated place where you want to place it, give this search box a title, then press “ Save .” A voice search box will be created on the site, and the default search box will be replaced with an advanced voice search box that is more efficient and flexible to use.
Finally, you have a voice search box ready to use on your site with high efficiency, making many things easier for visitors and saving them time and effort.
When you click on the microphone icon, you are asked to start speaking and results matching what you entered will be searched for. This addition may be considered the easiest addition to deal with; Therefore, you will not need the complexities of adjusting the settings or any other details.
Note: If you want to limit your search to specific sections of the site, you can install another add-on that enables you to have full control over WordPress widgets in general and voice search in particular, such as the WP Extended Search add-on , which allows you to customize and expand search results.
Tips for preparing your site for voice search
In the previous paragraphs, we talked about the technical steps to customize the voice search capability, but there are some tips related to improving and performing the voice search process that must be taken into consideration, including the following:
- Make the voice search box prominent for the user : Often the user is not aware of all the features and features that the site provides to him; Therefore, the voice search box must be placed in a prominent place for users.
- Use the auto-complete feature : There are some additions that provide greater customization capabilities for voice search, such as auto-completion during search, which may make it easier for the user and improve the experience of accessing content within the site.
- Pay attention to compatibility with mobile devices : The importance of this point certainly cannot be ignored, and perhaps one of the most important reasons for this is the large number of visitors who use their mobile devices to browse.
- Improving loading speed : This is because the user who relies on voice search is a rushing person who wants to access the required content as quickly as possible. If he faces a problem navigating between the pages of your site, it will give him a negative impression of you, in addition to the inflexibility of the tool itself.
Increase the efficiency of voice search on your site
There are some things that would improve the user experience and increase the efficiency of voice search on the site, and perhaps the most important of these things are the following:
- Pay attention to the content of the site, as the most important things that make a big difference in the site are the content, its organization, its arrangement, its enrichment in an appropriate manner, and the restructuring of the content of the pages on it. So that voice search and its results meet the desired purpose of users.
- Target keywords throughout the content of your WordPress site when you target specific keywords, whether short or long; This will increase the efficiency and suitability of voice search results for the primary purpose.
- Searching for synonyms and matching phrases. Do not forget this important step that improves the appearance of the results. Searching for the same desired result with more than one word through synonyms and also matching the search to the results to obtain more accurate results.
Now that you know the steps for creating a voice search feature, do not forget to take into consideration the previous tips and instructions, which are no less important than the steps for creating the voice search box itself, and if you are now thinking about adding a text search box also to the site in order to enhance the visitor’s experience
