Using Voice Search & AI for Content Marketing: An Interview With Purna Virji

Voice search and AI are powerful tools that are changing the way we search. At Pubcon 2016 in Las Vegas, SEJ Executive Editor Kelsey Jones sat down with Purna Virji, Senior Training Manager at Microsoft, to talk about how voice search and AI can be utilized for content marketing.

Here Are Some Key Takeaways from the Interview:

• Voice search is becoming more common, with its adoption rates soaring. Companies are now looking for signs of voice in their search query reports and finding ways to prioritize the types of queries they want to optimize for voice.
• With voice, the intent is so much clearer. You can take actions such as creating an FAQ page or targeting your content marketing around high-intent questions in searches. By doing that, you’re essentially optimizing for voice searches.
• Use data gathered by AI in clever and effective ways, like preparing advertising and marketing materials for upcoming trends. Poise yourself for success based on the predictive big data that AI can crunch for you.
• AI exists to understand us better. There are a lot of opportunities for e-commerce and publishers to get their content found by AI. Be relevant, be helpful, and tie yourself into what customers may want. Chances are you’ll show up on searches.
• Optimizing for more specific long-tail phrases and keywords can increase the likelihood of AI showing your content. Look at natural language queries that people tend to ask and show content that focuses on value and those long-tail phrases and keywords.
• There’s also a big visual and vocal connection. Putting in voice search for product listing ads and shopping campaigns, especially for retailers, can be helpful because we talk faster than we type.

Please visit SEJ’s YouTube page for more video interviews.

For more information about voice search, explore the following resources:

• Voice Technology and the Evolution of Search
• 5 Tips for Voice Search and E-Commerce Success
• Don’t Ignore Voice Search in Your SEO
• Optimizing for Voice Search with Siri, Google Now, and Cortana
• New #MarketingNerds: The Future of Conversational Search w/Heidi Young

Image Credits

Featured Image: Screenshot by Rina Caballar. Taken November 2016.