Google Voice Patent - Front End vs. Back End SEO

How big of a role is your microphone going to play in the future of Google search accuracy?

Google received a patent for a voice search interface. What does that mean? Speak into the microphone rather than just typing the query? Great news for touch typists. Let's hope that voice recognition technologies are continuing to improve.

What are the Larger Implications?

There are definitely larger implications here than just searching without the keyboard.

Google and all of the major engines are working hard to make their search index more accurate for each search query submitted. They download billions of pages, apply their algorithms, and stick the data into their massive datastores. However, the accuracy of search results from this perspective is a "back end" approach.

The other way to look at the scenario is from the "front end", i.e. the user interface:

• Q1. Is the average user capable of choosing accurate keywords to describe what they are looking for? Think in terms of more complex queries and less "Charlie Sheen Denise Richards" pop-culture-type queries.
• Q2. Is the average user able and/or willing to use Google's additional syntax for specifying more advanced search queries (phrases, negative terms, exclusions, synonym search, number range, etc) OR to fill in the advanced search form and configure all options?

Advanced Google Searching:
Google Help : Advanced Search

The answer to Q1 and Q2 is that some may, but certainly not the majority. I think that is a fair assessment unless Google has usage statistics to prove otherwise.

The "front end" approach involves creating an interface that allows users to more easily specify precisely what they are looking for, before submitting the query to the back end to take over.

With voice, an advanced speech recognition algorithm may very well be able to determine how to format more advanced queries without any additional effort required from the user.

Right now, for a multiple keyword search query, it is hard to determine priority (or weight) to give to the terms except by using the word order. However, users cannot be expected to always input the query in the way most likely to result in highly accurate search results for the information they seek.

With a "verbal" multiple keyword search query however, Google can use advanced algorithms to determine how to weight the terms more appropriately... possibly resulting in more accurate search results.

Notes on vBSEO

• Since this is a front end usability issue, it should not have significant impact on SEO strategies by forum admins or other webmasters. But it does emphasize the need for us to continue to improve on onpage optimizations.

For Discussion

• Imagine "regional accent detection" to pull content from local searches. Example: an Aussie searching from the US - and search results pulling content from Downunder related sites.
• Imagine "age detection by voice" to make search content contain age appropriate results (for children or other identifiable demographics).
• Is the next step a webcam search interface that lip-reads and monitors the level of joy or frustration that results on our faces when the SERPs appear?

Source:
Google Granted Voice Search Patent

What does that mean? Speak into the microphone rather than just typing the query?

After writing these eloquent articles and tying them all effectively into vBSEO i think you should be granted at least one grammatical error. Regarding the actual possibility of a voice search interface what you mentioned sounds extremely exciting and inventive on behalf of Google, about time they started the next evolution of the search engine.

Thanks Michael. I hate typos, but they still manage to sneak in there.