What is natural language search and how does it affect your content?

Natural language search works like a conversation between people speaking different languages, it’s the job of natural language processing to translate. 

How do you ask for information? 

The words you choose when typing into a search engine are often different to those you use when talking to a person. Understanding this difference, is the first step in understanding natural language search.  

What is natural language search? 

If you wanted to ask someone for a restaurant recommendation in London you might say: “Do you know any Italian restaurants in Soho?”  

If you wanted similar recommendations from Google, your word choice might look more like: “Italian restaurant Soho” 

We adapt the words we use to make it easier for the search engine to understand us. Many of us are fluent in this ‘Keyword-ese’ but natural language search means we don’t have to be. It’s designed to work around how we think and speak. 

Most of us probably use natural language search already, for example when using voice assistants and smart speakers or when visiting a website and using an AI chatbot. 

For many of us, the technology has seamlessly entered our lives. Recent figures show that 48% of 45 to 54 years olds in the UK now own a smart speaker.

How does natural language search work? 

Natural language search allows us to interact with search engines and data in a way that feels human. If a search tool feels intuitive, we’re more likely to use it and it’s made possible through natural language processing. 

The machine learning technique takes a conversational query and uses algorithms – and often AI – to remove filler words and understand the context being used. 

Some of the processes involved in natural language processing include:  

• tagging words with their contextual uses  

• identifying words that have multiple meanings  

• analysing words that indicate emotions 

• turning audio data into text 

Natural language search works like a conversation between people speaking different languages, it’s the job of natural language processing to translate. 

What are the benefits of natural language search? 

Natural language search benefits businesses and their customers, here are just some of its advantages compared to keyword search: 

Fewer undesirable results: Search engines that use natural search remove ambiguity and have a better understanding of users’ intent. When people use them, there are fewer unwanted results. 

Answering complex queries: When users are comfortable that they’re understood, they’re comfortable making complex queries. This means users can be more specific and find information they might otherwise struggle to.  

Improved customer journey: All these benefits add up to create a better experience for the person searching. A better experience encourages people to return. 

How to make your content natural language search-friendly? 

If you want your content to appear top of results pages when people use natural language search, make sure you do the following: 

1. Use your audience’s language 

Using conversational or natural language makes it easier for search engines to find your content. A great way to start sounding like your audience is to develop a solid tone of voice. Strong tone of voice guidelines should be based on audience insights and help you to address their needs. Remember to focus on ‘long-tail’ or longer keywords too, as natural language is generally more precise than conventional Keyword-ese. 

2. Be clear and concise  

Nothing puts people off your content quite like confusing and needlessly long copy. Long-tail keywords are great for replicating the way your audience speaks but there are certain elements of speech that shouldn’t creep into your content. Take out any fluff and leave no room for ambiguity to give your content the best chance to cut through.   

3. Divide and conquer topics 

Don’t underestimate the way you divide and structure content. A pillar and cluster page approach is useful for helping search engines to understand the relationship between your content and mirrors the way people think about subjects. They also give you the chance to explore subjects in detail, to really showcase your expertise, focus on specific queries and build authority.

Do you need help making your content natural language search-friendly? Or perhaps a developing tone of voice guidelines to speak like your audience? 

Speak to our team and we’d love to help make it happen.