How Technology is Affecting Keywords
If you think back to one decade ago, technology has changed our lives a great deal. Just ten years ago, I was not picking up my smart phone to perform a google search. Today I am though. Siri, Bixby, Google and others have changed the way we do online searches.
Ten years ago I may have waited until I returned to my desktop computer at home or at best when I was able to open my laptop on the road and perform a google search for something on my mind.
Now, I simply pick up my smartphone and dictate it via voice command or voice command on my IPad when I stop for lunch..
Where I am going with this is that I believe we need to change how we think when looking for keywords. For instance, I may have wondered what the best detox cleanse is to jump start a diet after the holidays. So ten years ago I probably would have waited until I returned to my desktop and typed in something like:
Best Detox Cleanse Jump Start Diet
However, today, I would not wait until I returned to my home and would much more likely just pick up my Smartphone and dictate via voice command something more like:
Hey Siri: What is the best detox cleanse to jump start my diet?
See the difference? I think the future of keywords will be much more in the form of full questions. I may be making some assumptions here, but I would not doubt that in the not so distant future the larger share of online searches (if not already) will be in the form of full sentences and questions than in the typical keywords of the past.
For this reason, I am searching for keywords that are complete questions that someone would actually dictate into their smart phone and are phonetically correct. I believe it is our future of online searches. I often times say the questions out loud to see if it makes sense.
For example, going with the detox cleanse idea, if I find a keyword that is
What best detox cleanse for diet?
Even if that has a good low QSR/high traffic combination, it probably isn’t likely that someone would actually ask that as a question via voice command. So I wouldn’t use it. I think the “stop” words will become even more important in keyword searches.
I’m curious if anyone else thinks the same...please leave comments on this if you agree or disagree....
Have a great weekend everyone,
Dave
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even when I am typing, not speaking I still usually search in at least a partial question form.
If I type in something like "Detox cleanses" or "best detox cleanses" the results are usually so generic that I end up adding something more specific anyway, and it naturally starts to become a question. So I would tend to agree with you on this one. Especially as the younger generations are probably not being "taught" how to do a search like we were when I was a teenager. searching is no longer keyword + keyword style. It's more about just putting your thoughts out to Google, Siri or Alexa.
So true Kat. The younger generation thinks that google searches are questions they dictate into their smart phone. I doubt if many of them even know how to use the + or any other symbols within a keyword search.
Dave
I believe that we need to search for keywords in the "human form," as Jay (magistudios) calls it. In other words, our keywords should contain all the words a person would use to ask a question, stop words and all.
If our keywords do match what people are actually using to search for information, then our content is going to remain obscure, even if it is the best content in the world.
Jay is the man ... so I'm going with your input Anita. I think this will work for a little longer.
What if digienglish (texting phonetics) actually becomes the english used in verbal and written form? Sure seems we could be headed there.
Yes David. We have to think like buyers and not affiliate marketers.
How about asking an app to "Find all the best possible long-tail keywords in the following niches." "Now purchase $300.00 in the best possible domain names for these niches."
lol
Having fun... Now that's technology.
David
I agree that searches will be more full questions and that we will write articles that use full questions but if you remove the stop words like Siri google do you still end up with your original search that is not in the form of a question. This is why I will always check both versions to ensure that it is a good keyword. Although I imagine checking the one that removes stop words is really the only relevant keyword. Both searches currently will be looked up under the first keyword (not a full question) by the search program. I also do not thing this will change as the extra words add no value or aid a program in providing search results and removing them saves time, storage, and money. Just my opinion but I still check both just out curiosity.
Wishing you much happiness and success,
Jeff
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For now, I think long tail keywords might still provide the most accurate QSR's, but you've got a good point Dave. I wonder what Kyle might have to say about this?
In a recent training by Jay he eluded to this as well. I really think the future of the internet is that users are going to become even more lazy and dictate searches in full questions.