Last updated - November 10, 2023
Business owners, regardless of what kind of business they own, wish to enhance their website for better leads, customer experience, customer satisfaction, etc. And adding audio information can enhance a website in the best way possible.
You don’t need to be or hire a voice-over artist to add audio information to your website, a simple Text-to-Speech (TTS) plugin can get the job done. For those users who can’t read or for those who prefer listening over reading the TTS technology will come in handy.
Since a vast majority of businesses use WordPress-based websites we are going to go over the top WordPress TTS plugins in this article.
What is Text-to-Speech?
A sort of assistive technology called text-to-speech (TTS) reads electronic text aloud. It’s also known as “read aloud” technology. TTS may turn text on a computer or other electronic devices into audio with the push of a button.
Even though this technology was primarily developed to assist children who struggle with reading, tech companies quickly began to seek ways to incorporate audio-based information with it.
With consistent technological evolution, TTS evolved to become a plugin/extension that can get the job done with the least amount of time and effort.
How does Text-to-Speech Work?
With the help of training data from human speech, TTS voices are created by machine learning. To build neural nets that replicate a person’s voice in its entirety, human-read voice data is used. The unique qualities of the voice are then employed to replicate audio utilizing these.
Text-to-Speech has long been utilized in customer service and in early versions of artificial intelligence assistants, such as Apple Maps. TTS is a tool that publishers use to turn their online articles into audio, including the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.
The majority of TTS plugins employ an integrated audio player that loads the article’s audio version at the beginning of each post. An audio rendition of each new post is created using a TTS system each time it is published. The majority of businesses provide hosting and administration through their own websites, making the process as simple as installing a plugin and making an account.
Why Use Text-to-Speech?
To begin with, always keep in mind that some folks may find it challenging to completely appreciate the information you’ve previously put a lot of effort into creating due to visual impairments.
In addition, there are a vast number of individuals who do not prefer to read, rather they relate better when they listen. And, as a business owner, it is your responsibility to make your website accessible to all kinds of customers.
By providing a TTS option, you ensure that you are not shutting out a large number of potential customers. Give them access to your website’s audio version.
Additionally, there has never been a time when the popularity of audio content on the Internet has been higher than it is right now. The best illustration of this would involve podcasts, a relatively new audio format that has already surpassed traditional radio as one of the most popular audio experiences among users.
All things considered, the virtually unequaled level of choice that audio material offers its customers contributes to its popularity. They are not required to find the time to read a piece of information while seated in front of a computer. No matter where they are or what they are doing, they may carry it with them.
Top Text-to-Speech Plugins
BeyondWords
The AI speech platform BeyondWords enables seamless audio communication for newsrooms, authors, and companies. Automatically generate audio versions of WordPress articles and pages, which you may then embed using a player of your choosing. Text-to-speech algorithms that can be customized and lifelike neural voices produce realistic speech that keeps users coming back for more.
You have access to 500 voices in 130 different language regions through your BeyondWords dashboard, along with tools for audio production, distribution, monetization, and analytics. Natural language processing techniques, which guarantee correct pronunciations and enable personalized text-to-speech rules, improve these. You can even design your own voice.
Rating ⭐ 4.4
ResponsiveVoice Text-to-Speech
The ease of setup is ResponsiveVoice Text-to-Speech’s key selling feature. You have access to two different sorts of shortcodes after activating the plugin. One can include a play button that will read every word on a page aloud. Only the text you enter in the shortcode is read by the second.
You can pick among 168 voices in more than 50 languages using this plugin. ResponsiveVoice by default employs an English-speaking female voice with a British accent. You must sign up for a free ResponsiveVoice account in order to use its API and have access to the other voices.
There are no notable limitations on the plugin’s free version. High-traffic websites may require a license to use the service, the developers do note.
Rating ⭐ 4.0
Play.ht
Play.ht is undoubtedly one of the most effective solutions in the pantheon of the finest text-to-speech for WordPress options. The service provides you with a variety of more than 100 realistic-sounding voices so you can decide which one best suits the tone and overall experience you want to achieve.
It offers a WordPress plugin specifically for the platform, but it’s also a cloud-based service, making it work with nearly any site that accepts HTML, including Blogger and even Tumblr. Play.ht converts text information to audio using a number of text-to-speech services like Amazon Polly, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
A player for the audio version of the post will be created by the plugin and displayed at the top of each article. This tool enables authors to modify and curate audio from the dashboard. On their website, Play.ht also offers a significant range of voices with demonstrations.
Rating ⭐ 4.0
Trinity Audio
Another plugin that provides text-to-speech from a variety of additional cloud services is Trinity Audio. Their business focuses on including audio adverts before the post audio, enabling content creators to monetize their output.
One of the setup options for the plugin is to remove the ‘Powered by Trinity Audio’ label from the player. According to the FAQ section, the plugin is a purchased item, while larger publishers can use the service for free.
First, there is the Player feature, which enables you to rapidly include an audio option for almost any piece of information on your site. Then there is Pulse, a tool that helps website users discover fresh, intriguing information that they might not have found otherwise if they had not known what to seek. The Skills feature allows you to integrate your WordPress website with smart home audio systems like Amazon Alexa gadgets.
Rating ⭐ 3.7
Remixd
For media corporations, reputable editors, and content creators, Remixd is the industry leader in spoken-word technology. The printed language is now instantaneously compatible for website visitors who wish to listen, as well as accessible, measurable, monetizable, and prepared to spread across the audio and speech ecosystem. We’ve created the most comprehensive plugin and toolset to make this possible.
Remixd is a service designed to increase writers’ and publishers’ earnings. Similar to Trinity Audio, this plugin allows you to generate money from your posts by inserting pre-roll advertisements. If you want to try out audio advertisements, text-to-speech audio is a good choice even though its income won’t be as strong as those of display advertising. Remixed provides a reporting dashboard accessible through their website, similar to SpeechKit’s.
Rating ⭐ 3.0
Voicer
Voicer is a TTS WordPress plugin powered by AI and machine learning that supports 275 voices in 45+ languages and dialects. This plugin runs on Google Cloud, which guarantees great dependability and fast performance. It combines state-of-the-art audio synthesis (WaveNet) with Google’s neural networks to create high-quality audio.
With the majority of WordPress themes and page builders, this plugin is interoperable and performs effectively. Even websites that sell goods online can use it. The websites are built using a variety of WordPress frameworks, including Genesis, Divi, Themify, Warp 7, Ultimatum, Beans, Unyson, Gantry, and others. It is also compatible with multilingual websites.
Rating ⭐ 4.9
WebsiteVoice
The finest WordPress plugin for bloggers and publishers to convert website content into high-quality audio is WebsiteVoice. This plugin uses automatic content recognition technologies to identify the material on your site.
To help you avoid artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning-based voices, they have trained their voice algorithm. With the help of its intelligent adaptive voice, speaking sounds completely human.
The voice’s speed can be altered and managed by users to suit their preferences.
The customizing possibilities are straightforward. All that’s left to do is add the script to the website and edit the player to reflect your brand.
Rating ⭐ 3.2
Conclusion
Installing a plugin and opening an account with one of these excellent businesses is all it takes to add audio versions to your WordPress website. Expect audio pieces to be published online more frequently as a result of the growth of podcasts, AirPods, and streaming technologies. To stay on top of the game, try using one of these plugins. Make adjustments for your audience to boost engagement and convert readers to listeners.
