Over the last decade, there have been numerous instances where voice search has been predicted to be the future of online search.
We understand that you are equally as thrilled as we are about having your website’s content accessible on smart home devices. After all, voice search has already gained popularity, and numerous individuals cannot fathom returning to traditional typing methods. Statistics reveal that 71% of consumers opt to pose voice search queries instead of typing them.
In 2022, it is predicted that approximately 66.3 million American households will possess a smart speaker. With the ongoing rise in the utilization of voice search, the count of individuals utilizing voice search is expected to surge. However, how can you ensure that Siri, Alexa, or Cortana prioritize your website when sharing information with households? What actions can you take to retain those 71% of users who solely rely on voice search as your loyal customers?
The SEO community has come up with methods to include voice search in site optimization, which is fantastic news.
How do people perform voice searches
Where is the current state of voice search technology as time passes? Various technologies exist that can receive and interpret spoken commands, utilizing search engines as their knowledge base.
Upon initial examination, it may appear that there are no distinctions between smart assistants on smartphones and smart speakers. However, upon further analysis of their usage, the subtle differences become evident. Our objective is to ensure that your website is prepared to cater to your audience that utilizes voice search.
Different ways people use voice search on each smart technology
By considering search intent keywording, we observe that each smart-assistant-enabled device has its own specific use case. To effectively target different types of searchers, it is important to understand how each device is utilized and customize your content accordingly.
Smartphones enable users to perform voice searches rapidly.
Individuals who rely on voice search often turn to their smartphones for fast answers or solutions to pressing issues. For instance, imagine being on a date and needing to determine the next destination. Conducting a swift voice search on your smartphone could provide you with numerous suggestions.
Smart speakers: Detailed understanding of voice searches.
Vocal searches are frequently used by individuals within the convenience of their homes to conduct extensive searches on various topics. Topics for such searches may include random trivia, songs, or assistance with plans like organizing a wedding or preparing for an overseas trip.
The consumer requires car speakers for voice searches.
A total of 52.8% of individuals utilize voice search while operating a vehicle, inquiring about destinations, routes, and places offering the most competitive prices.
How to optimize your site for voice search
Now that we have an understanding of how individuals usually utilize voice search, let us commence our efforts. Optimizing your website for voice search can aid individuals in discovering your business – and, of greater significance, selecting your business. How can your business take advantage of voice technology?
1. Find and use conversational keywords
Short and ambiguous keywords are not favorable for SEO. Instead, mid-tail and long-tail keywords are more preferable as they are more specific and likely to attract potential customers.
Voice search goes beyond using long-tail keywords; it requires the utilization of complete phrases and questions commonly exchanged in natural human conversations. For instance, one might ask, “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
You do not need to look any further than WebCEO’s Keyword Suggestions tool to find conversational phrases. Luckily, keyword-finding tools can effectively identify such phrases and questions.
The suggestion is to rephrase the text below while preserving the same meaning, using a step-by-step approach without adding or removing information. Hints include starting with question words such as who, what, why, where, when, and how. Original text: “The cat sat on the mat.” Rephrased step by step: 1. What happened? – A cat sat. 2. Where did the cat sit? – The cat sat somewhere. 3. Where exactly did the cat sit? – The cat sat on something. 4. What did the cat sit on? – The cat sat on a mat. Final rephrased text: “A cat sat on a mat.”
In order to complete your voice search keyword research effectively, make use of Google’s autocomplete and “People Also Ask” features as suitable alternatives. Additionally, it is important to explore forums and websites that are frequently visited by your target audience.
Reddit is a great example. To find questions asked by your potential customers, browse through the thread titles of a subreddit related to your niche. Simply incorporate these questions into your site and you’re good to go.
2. Build an FAQ section
It is often said that having an FAQ page on your website is beneficial for your SEO, which is completely accurate. Users typically arrive with inquiries, and it is important to have the appropriate responses readily available. SEO professionals recommend generating content that satisfies the users’ requirements, and an FAQ is indeed an excellent demonstration of this.
The essence of voice search is centered around “questions” and “answers”. These are the key elements that drive conversational language, which we discussed earlier.
After conducting your research, include a page on your website with a list of questions, followed by their corresponding answers. Ensure that the answers are comprehensive yet concise, as users prefer quick responses. Additionally, consider that voice search answers are typically brief as well.
3. Understand your type of customer and device behavior
In order to comprehend search context, voice search algorithms rely on data, location, and various data points, similarly, marketers must delve deeper into comprehending consumer behavior. By utilizing real-time data and conducting research on consumer insights, it is possible to gain an understanding of the varying ways individuals employ voice search and the types of voice-enabled devices they utilize.
4. Create compelling persona-based content
When optimizing for voice search, it is important to prioritize brevity, context, and relevance. Additionally, there is a need to specifically focus on the following aspects that may differ from traditional SEO strategies:
- Creating detailed answers to common questions.
- Answering simple questions clearly and concisely.
One effective strategy that has already been successful for many websites is to develop engaging, informative content that addresses your users’ frequently asked questions and addresses their problems.
- Create content or a webpage with a headline that asks a common question.
- Immediately after the headline, provide a concise answer or definition to the question.
- Use the rest of the page to provide further elaborative detail on the topic.
The crucial aspect of this strategy is that the comprehensive and powerful webpage ultimately captures the attention of Google’s ranking algorithm. Simultaneously, the concise and informative content at the page’s beginning is optimized for voice search and has the potential to be showcased as a highlighted excerpt.
5. Provide context with schema markup
If you are not already familiar, familiarize yourself with schema markup. Utilize schema to label your content and inform search engines about the subject of your site.
By using this HTML add-on, search engines can comprehend the context of your content, resulting in improved rankings in general searches and enhanced relevancy in voice searches. Google relies on schemas to understand language, making them an effective means of adding supplementary information to your website, ensuring you are prepared to provide answers to inquiries.
Milestone Marketing research discovered significant gains of +20-30% on average, based on 9,400 schema deployments.
- 40 schema types.
- 130 attributes and properties.
The information that mobile users and voice searchers will generally seek is this.
6. Think mobile and think local
In a world where devices and individuals are mobile, we are moving towards a mobile-first approach. It is essential to acknowledge the strong connection between mobile and local, particularly when considering voice search. Mobile devices enable users to conduct local searches while on the move, while voice search allows users to ask highly specific questions about their immediate surroundings.
Ensure that your website is designed in a way that allows visitors and search engines to easily find information such as directions to physical locations and XML sitemaps. Additionally, make sure to cater to the needs of both desktop and mobile users by optimizing for mobile searches, particularly for “near me” queries.
Make sure to have a solid mobile strategy and prioritize enhancing page speed and load times.
7. Claim your google business profile
Approximately fifty percent of individuals who use voice search seek local business details on a daily basis. As voice search is highly advantageous for locating nearby establishments, it is imperative to ensure that your voice search results rank high. To maximize your opportunities in this realm, the most effective approach is by optimizing your Google Business Profile, which serves as a leading local SEO player.
Regardless of voice search, this step is essential for all physical businesses. It is a simple and free process. You need to create a listing, provide as much information as possible, and then await approval.
Congratulations on acquiring a powerful asset for SEO purposes.
You can enhance its effectiveness by keeping track of it using WebCEO. Their reports on your Google Business Profile monitor customer engagement and display how visitors interacted with your website, beginning from the search engine results page (SERP).
8. Go fast, go mobile-friendly
If 20% of mobile queries are made through voice search, your site needs to be well-optimized for mobile. Otherwise, users will leave your site and navigate to a different one. Avoid this outcome.
What do you need to know about mobile SEO?
- Responsive design.
- No intrusive interstitials.
- Short loading time.
- Easy readability.
You can test the mobile-friendliness of your site using WebCEO’s Speed Optimization tool. This tool will provide you with a score and give tips on how to optimize your site for mobile devices and improve its loading speed.
