What Voice
Means for Search
Findings from Microsoft’s
2019 Voice Report
Christi Olson
Head of Evangelism
@ChristiJOlson

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
When it comes to search,
EVERYTHING
is changing.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Voice isn’t coming.
It’s already here.
Get the voice report:
aka.ms/DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Key voice stats from the report
ADOPTION
75% of households will have at least one
smart speaker by 2020.
USAGE
69% of respondents have used a
digital assistant.
vCOMMERCE (Shopping)
Over half of consumers expect their digital assistants
to help make retail purchases within the next 5 years.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Search is moving from
answers
to actions.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
How are people engaging with voice?

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
How are people engaging with voice?
31
36
35

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How are people engaging with voice?
52
72
31
36
35

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
This is Roy.
Roy can’t type –
but he can talk!

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Let’s break down conversational queries
"Tell me a joke."
"Sing me a song."
"What is love?"
"Which is better, Google or Bing?"
"Send photo to my PC."
"Who was the director for (movie name)?"
"What movies are playing near me?"
"Play (artist)." Ex.: "Play Linkin Park."
"Track flight (flight number)." Ex.: "Track flight 2049."
"Is my flight delayed?" or "Is my flight on time?"
"What's the traffic like on the way home?"
"How do I get home."
"How long would it take to drive to (location)?"
"Send text to (contact): (message)."
"How's my schedule looking today?"
"Find food places near me."
"Find restaurants near me."
"Show me top headlines."
"Show me latest news."
"When does the sun set?"
"What's the weather like?"
"What's (percentage) of (money)?" Ex.: "What's 20% or $145.67?"
"What's the capital of (location)?" Ex.: "What's the capital of France?"
"When is Thanksgivings?“
"Find (object) photos" Ex.: "Find dog pictures."
"How tall is (known person/landmark)?"

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Let’s break down conversational queries

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Let’s break down conversational queries
I / me
Can I / Should I
Can you / Will you / Show me
Best / Top / Highest Rated / #1
Now / Today / Tomorrow / Next Week
First Person
Permissive
Assistance
Quality
Time-Bound
[City Name], Nearby, Near, Close, ClosestGeo-Modifiers

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Add Does Nearby Today
Alexa Directions Near me What
Am I Find Need What Is
Any Go Open When
Are Good Play Where
Best Hour Price Which
Buy How Remind Me Who
Can I Look Up Search Who Has
Can You Looking Should Who Sells
Do Much Show Why
What phrases (nGrams) do voice searchers use most often?

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Sources: StoneTempleDigitalPersonalAssistantStudy2018;
Backlinko, VoiceSeachSEOStudy,2018
InternalMicrosoftData2018
40% of spoken responses come from featured snippets

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6
Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Identify questions related to that query
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
2

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for Featured Snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Decide how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
Paragraph
Table
Lists (Bulleted)
3
Lists (Ordered)

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Decide how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema
3
Featured Snippet Study

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + Fast Loading Pages + Schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Optimizing for featured snippets
1 Find queries where you are currently ranking in the top 10
2 Identify questions related to that query
3 Choose how to structure your answer (paragraph, table, list)
4 Provide a straight forward answer that adds value
5 Write the answers so it sounds natural when spoken aloud
6 Think about character count – does it fit on a mobile screen?
7 Make it easy to find – SEO best practices + fast loading pages + schema

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Speakable Schema Markup
—
1
Follow Google News/Bing News Guidelines via Google News Producer or Publisher Center
2
Speakable markup for text content only. (Not Photo captions or source attributions)
3
Don’t use Speakable on the entire article. Use it for key points.
4
Speakable text should be 2–3 sentences and take no more than 30 seconds to read.
5
The story should be broken up into short sentences.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Speakable Schema Markup on page

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Informational
Transactional
Navigational
@ChristiJOlson #MozCon19 Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Informational

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Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Navigational

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Transactional - vCommerce

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Transactional - vCommerce

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Actions and Chatbots can enable consumers to take action
Source: Microsoft/Bing Ads: Consumer Adoption of Digital Assistants and Voice Technology, March 2018.
68%
65%
52%
47%
44%
39%
31%
30%
26%
25%
21%
19%
16%
14%
11%
10%
Search for a quick fact
Ask for directions
Search for a product/service
Search for a business
Research a product or service
Make a shopping list
Compare products or services
Price comparison for products/ services
Add items to a shopping cart
Make a purchase
Contact customer service or support
Provide feedback for a product/service
Change an order
Cancel an order
Access bank/ financial information
Access credit card accounts
Transactional queries and
actions provide the opportunity
for voice skills and chatbots to
assist the assistants.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
“Your brand needs to have
its own agents that can talk
directly to customers and
to converse across multiple
digital assistants.”
–Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Context
and flow
Prompt for
guidance
Use
conversation
markers
Address
issues and
problems
Speak and
write
naturally
Be brief
and
concise

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Context
and flow
Prompt for
guidance
Use
conversation
markers
Address
issues and
problems
Speak and
write
naturally
• Write so the TTS sounds
conversational and
natural
• Avoid jargon & use
contractions
• Use noun and verb
forms consistently
• Remember what was said
• Use GPS for “near me/near-
by”
• Add variation in responses.
Randomly select from the
variations.
• Provide definitive choices
• Keep lists to 3-5 items and
prompt for more options
• Provide contextual help
• Add variations of natural &
gentle phrasing to
reprompt a response.
• If 3 consecutive turns have
a mis-understanding hand
off to customer service.
• Provide a direct contact to
customer service for
help/assistance
• Timeline (First, Then, Finally)
• Acknowledge/Feedback
(Thanks, I’m not sure I
understand, kay, Sure)
• Transitions (Now, next, so,
how)
• Subject Pointers for previous
referenced subjects (This,
that, it)
Be brief
and
concise
• One breath test
• 300 characters per turn
• 2 bubbles per turn

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
What you learned today
Voice schema is here – implement it
Start creating a plan for how to implement voice schema
based on the Q’s your customers ask
Voice is here - optimize for it
Optimize featured snippets for voice
Bots/Actions will enable vCommerce
Start thinking about how you can use bots and actions to get
your customers from questions to actions.

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Thank you!
Ask Questions. Say Hi.
@ChristiJOlson
chriol@microsoft.com

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Getting Voice fright for Paid Search
What Voice Queries exist today?
• Pull a search term report
• Analyze the long tail queries, in order to understand how your audience is using natural language.
• Analyze what questions your audience is asking, and how.
Optimize your Campaigns
• Create new campaigns/ad groups based on the conversational queries
• Use Broad, Broad Modified and Phrase Match
Be Prepared for your Audiences Questions
• Understand the device and the situational context by device. Evaluate using mobile bid modifiers to target based on device

Microsoft Advertising. Intelligent Connections. @ChristiJOlson #DD27
Getting voice right in Organic Search
Use structured data & schema mark-up
• Use schema to provide context around your content
• Use Speakable schema mark-up
Page Speed Matters
• Page speed is a voice optimization ranking factor
Structure content appropriately – Optimize snippet content for voice
• Evaluate where to compete, start with queries ranking on pages 1-2
• Do your Research. Mine search suggestions and people also ask.
• Compete for the featured snippets – ones feature 3 lines of text
• Evaluate the type of content – tables vs text
Write in conversational natural language
• Write content so that it sounds natural when read aloud.
• Think about keeping it conversational in tone and nature.
Create useful and valuable content