If you don’t think the way your target users are, chances are you’re losing a lot of traffic that could have otherwise boosted your financial goals in 2022. Approach 2024 differently by optimizing content for voice search. While it is highly advisable to consult with an SEO services provider, it is crucial to know the basics. How will you tackle voice search SEO, you might ask. Read on.
What is voice search?
Also called voice-enabled, voice search allows users to transform voice signals into text through an automatic speech recognition system (ASR) and natural language processing. Such voice recognition tech is a component of artificial intelligence. So if you are using a smartphone, the tech will recognize your voice in logging a query in the search engine.
As such, the voice command that utilizes regular speech is used when searching the Internet or a website or application. The practicality and relevance of voice search compel smart device owners who use them daily. As a matter of fact, 30% of smartphone owners use voice search daily, and 50% use it weekly. Not only that, consider the following figures too.
- 40% of adults use voice search daily
- About 1 billion voice searches occur monthly
- Over 40% of these monthly searches are featured snippets
- 58% of consumers use voice search to find a local business
- Voice-based shopping is expected to increase in 2022 to $40 billion
What is voice search SEO?
Voice search optimization, or voice search SEO, is a strategy to help your website generate more organic traffic. These users constantly use Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa when searching for particular information. Here are the search engines and the respective voice search devices they use:
- Google: Android devices, Google Assistant, and Google Home
- Bing: Alexa, Microsoft Cortana, and Amazon Echo
- Safari: iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, and Mac), Siri
Voice search is increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives. Companies need to take advantage of this technology to conquer the search engine results pages. This is not a fad, and it will only experience massive growth in the future. That is 2024 and beyond.
Nevertheless, while building links and other optimization tactics are geared toward Google since it is the biggest search engine to date, it is also essential to target Bing and Safari. This is especially true if your target users are primarily Apple product users, for example.
Differences between text and voice searches
To understand how voice search works and how it may benefit your business SEO-wise, we need to know how search queries work first.
An average user can type up to forty words per minute but can speak up to 150 words per minute. So it means humans speak 3.75x faster than they write. We all live in a fast-paced world and carry this principle in how we interact with technology. With this, we find voice commands more straightforward than googling a piece of information we need in real-time.
Furthermore, three things make voice search the thing of the future.
- Voice search queries are longer; hence they are more targeted
- Voice search queries are more organic, and contextually relevant answers are commonly displayed
- Voice search queries are more local-oriented since the majority are near-me searches or directions-related
Ways to optimize for voice search
If you already have one, you need no drastic changes to your SEO strategy. Nonetheless, it pays to consider the following tips for better voice search optimization.
1) Create conversational content
Gone are those days of stuffing content with keywords for more frequent crawling of your website. Crawling and indexing do not work that way either — they are algorithmic.
With that said, you want to create valuable content that pleases the users — your target audience and not the bots. Use natural language in your copy, which is crucial since voice search users utilize natural language.
Nowadays, the most critical content that appears on voice searches answers the users’ questions or addresses their pain points. Therefore, you should publish content that includes relevant information and is written conversationally. The goal is to match the intent behind a search with the right content.
2) Write content that answers FAQs
Speaking of questions, the ‘People also ask’ section of Google’s results pages, for instance, is a good source of information. But, of course, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section of a page or the entire page itself will also be helpful.
Voice searches are typically in question format, so putting out content in question-and-answer format makes sense.
3) Use structured data
Structured data typically appears in voice search results. It is because of the schema markup applied to a particular section of the entire copy. You have surely seen structured data, including featured snippets and answers to questions.
Schema markups or metadata are applied so the crawlers would know what information is included on the page. Such metadata helps classify and organize content, particularly those that search engines display in the results pages. Markups are found in the source code, invisible to the actual users but are crawlable by spiders.
4) Prioritize local SEO
As highlighted above, voice searches are three times more likely to be local-oriented. For one, on-the-go users rely on their mobile devices for information — they want it fast and relevant to their needs.
Local businesses must prioritize local SEO. As a matter of fact, it should be integral to the digital marketing strategy. Thus, if you are a store servicing a particular area, ensure that your optimization strategies are geared towards making the people know you are nearby. For instance, you must include local or geographic-oriented keywords in your copy.
5) Optimize Google My Business listing
When we mention local SEO, Google My Business optimization is typically included. This listing contains essential information about your business, like the address, contact information, operating hours, etc. Make sure these details are consistent because Google will display various sources when a user searches for your business.
With consistent NAP (name, address, and phone number), it would be easier for voice assistants to return the correct answers to users’ questions quickly.
6) Be mobile-friendly
The importance of being mobile-friendly cannot be emphasized enough. The thing is, users are mobile-first users — a significant chunk is mobile-only users. Thus, if you want your website to appear in voice search results, you need to provide an excellent mobile experience.
Optimind Technology Solutions offers SEO services — whether organic, paid, local, or voice. Please let us know how we can help optimize your content for voice search. Call us today!
