Voice search is a hot field for marketers. Google announced a voice search API last year, and a new era of voice search has already begun. In this post, we will introduce some of the latest voice search strategies and resources to help you stay ahead of the competition and lead the voice search revolution.
Voice search is a major factor in how searchers are finding information on the Internet and in the world around them. It’s the reason why Google recently announced ‘Cortana’ and ‘OK Google’ — a way for you to talk to your phone and locate the information you want.
Are you missing out on traffic because people aren’t doing the searches you think they should be doing?
If your website is not optimized for voice search, this may be the case. These six timely SEO strategies and resources for voice search will not only help you get more traffic from people using Siri and Alexa, but they will be important pillars of your overall SEO strategy.
What is voice search?
Voice search is a way of searching the Internet by voice. Using artificial intelligence, the device can recognize your voice and enter a query into a search engine.
Speech recognition has been around for a long time (since the early 1950s), but it wasn’t until 2011, with the arrival of IBM’s Watson (you may remember it beat Jeopardy!), that it gained practical relevance in the real world.
Voice search is ubiquitous today. A study by eMarketer found that nearly 40% of Internet users in the U.S. use voice search, underscoring the ubiquity of voice-enabled devices.
Voice search devices and popular search engines
Now if you look in your pocket or on your desk (maybe even on your arm), you will most likely find a voice control device. One of the reasons voice search is so popular is that the technology is present in almost every device we use, making it very easy to use.
Here are some of the most popular voice search devices and the search engines they use:
- Google Home : Google
- Amazon Echo/Alexa: Bing
- Google Assistant: Google
- iPhone/Siri : Safari
- Android phones and devices : Google
- Microsoft Cortana : Bing
This means that your phone, TV, portable speaker or other device is able to do voice searches on the Internet.
What is the effect of voice search on SEO?
When you type a query into Google, what should it do?
It first needs to understand what you mean by your search (which helps in understanding the kind of results you want to see), and then it shows you the best results that match your search.
The way we type searches into Google is very different from the way we talk to our voice assistants. For example, if you are looking for a local restaurant to eat at, your search might look like this
- pressure: Restaurants near chez moi
- Vote: What are the good restaurants in my area?
When we type, we usually use a keyword-based search, but when we use voice search, our search becomes much more conversational. This meant that search engines had to be very good at semantics, i.e. understanding the meaning of words.
The way we use language is very complex and it is not easy for machines to understand the meaning of words (just think of how many words have multiple meanings). Voice search has forced search engines to improve significantly in this area, and Google is leading the way with major updates like Hummingbird.
This update and others before it have changed SEO by shifting the focus from keywords (in the beginning people just inserted keywords in their articles) to user experience.
Voice search played a role in this evolution, and it continues today, with a constant focus on experiences, not just keywords.
6 ways to optimize voice search
A voice search won’t take long. Voice-enabled search devices are everywhere you look, and voice-enabled search’s share of total searches continues to grow (from September 2018 to early 2019, its use increased by eight percent).
The good news is that you don’t have to destroy your current SEO strategy to optimize for voice search. Voice search is part of the overall trend to respond to user intent and provide the best possible user experience. Therefore, the tactics you use to optimize for voice search will benefit your overall SEO.
1. Optimisation for local searches
Many voice searches are looking for local information; they are three times more likely to be local than text queries.
If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When you’re on the go and want a quick answer to your question, it’s easy to whip out your mobile device and ask a question. This means that it is important for you to focus on the local element of your SEO.
For many businesses, local SEO is a fundamental part of digital marketing anyway. Local searches account for about 46% of all searches, and these are highly interested buyers. This means that it is very important to appear in local search results, especially if you are in the office supplies business.
Local SEO follows the same principles as traditional SEO, and the most important thing (that many websites overlook) is to let people know that you are a local business. Be sure to create content that is relevant to your region and include local keywords in your writing.
Check out Ubersuggest for local keyword ideas and be sure to answer local questions:
- expressions people use to describe the area around your location
- next to me in the title, meta description, internal links and anchor text tags
- attractions around your company site
- the names of local institutions relevant to your business
If you focus on local SEO, searching with your voice will be easier. So check out my Definitive Guide to Local SEO.
2. Creating compelling but concise content
The days of stuffing content with keywords just to please the crawlers are over. To be successful in SEO, you need to be authentic, use natural language and provide valuable content.
Basically, you should be human (we’re all human, so it shouldn’t be a problem).
Voice search is a good example, because when people do a search, they usually speak more naturally than when they type a query into search engines. Your content should match the conversational style in which people ask questions of their voice assistant, but not just for voice search.
Today’s rankings emphasize user experience. The sites that best answer users’ questions and share their best experiences will be at the top of the rankings.
To do this, you need to give people quick access to the information they need (be concise) and do it in a pleasant way (in natural, familiar language). This way, you not only align with the language people use in voice search (user intent), but you also drive engagement with the authentic voice of your brand.
3. Using structured data
Ask your voice-activated device this question: Who was the first president of the United States of America?
What the hell is going on here?
It is possible that your device is starting to read the answer about George Washington.
However, this information comes from a long page about George Washington, so how does he know which piece of text to read? The answer probably lies in structured data.
Search engines consider many factors other than content when determining a page’s relevance and position in search results. Professional SEO specialists use these additional factors to further optimize the content for search engines.
Schema markup, also known as structured data, is one such factor. It doesn’t directly affect rankings, but it can give you an edge over your competitors, especially in voice search.
This is essentially metadata: Data related to the information on your website. It is included in the source code of your website. Visitors can’t see it, but microdata helps search engines organize and rank your content. This is a strategy that is not often used because it requires work.
Do you need an example?
The following markup classifies your contact page as a contact information page.
Let me guess your next question: What is the connection between microdata and voice search?
When users search for local businesses, they often look for opening hours, contact information, address, directions from the highway, etc.
You can classify this information using microdata for search engines.
Let’s see how big the population of Dubai is.
Google found this number quickly thanks to tagging.
Do you need another reason to work on structured data?
The study found that more than 40% of the voice-over results came from an excerpt of an advertising text. As with voice search, the extracts should contain exactly the information you are looking for. Therefore, they are likely to refer to structured data to decide what information to display.
If you need step-by-step instructions on how to implement diagram tags, read my guide on how to use diagram tags.
4. Approve your Google My Business listing
The Google My Business listing is an important part of local SEO and voice search.
Voice search is often used to find important information about your business, for example. B. contact number, address and opening hours, Google must have accurate information about this.
Your website and structured data already go a long way in helping Google find the right information about your business, but Google wants to be very specific, so it looks at your Google My Business page.
This gives Google all the information it needs to understand what your business does, who it’s for, when it opens, where it’s located, etc. This is exactly the information that voice search requests, so you can quickly get accurate results to user queries.
5. Compatible with mobile phones
How is voice search performed most often?
You want to appear in the results on mobile devices and you need to provide a good mobile experience. This is an important part of Google’s algorithms, but there are still websites that are not optimized for mobile devices.
If this is the case with your website, people will click on your site and immediately leave because the page doesn’t work properly on their device. To Google, this is a sign that your page is not worth ranking for and it harms you in both voice searches and traditional searches.
I’ve already mentioned that modern SEO is all about user experience, and since most traffic (and virtually all voice traffic) comes from mobile devices, this is something you need to master.
There are many small things you can do to make your website more mobile friendly. So make sure your website provides an appropriate experience for people using voice search.
6. Create content that answers questions your target audience often asks
People tend to use questions in language research.
The good thing is that Google gives you a good overview of the kinds of questions people often ask.
Enter a question related to your website and see the results. You’ll probably see a box titled People ask too. The FAQ function is displayed in many searches and shows which questions your target audience regularly asks.
Once you have a clear idea of the questions people are looking for information about, you can start creating quality content that answers those questions. As I mentioned earlier in this article, it’s all about user experience and the first thing you need to give someone the right experience is valuable content.
Answer people’s questions, help them solve their problems and make them feel good. If you can do this better than any other page, you have a good chance of ranking well.
Questions and answers about Voice Search
What is search engine optimization?
SEO for voice search is about optimizing your website to appear on voice search result pages.
Does voice search affect SEO?
Voice search has had an impact on SEO. It’s about understanding the meaning of words, and that’s a fundamental part of any SEO.
Why is voice search important for SEO?
Devices with voice search capabilities are ubiquitous. This has led to a significant increase in voice search. If you don’t optimize this, you risk missing out on a large portion of your audience.
What percentage of searches are voice command searches?
According to Google, 27% of mobile searches are voice searches.
Voice search output
If you want to increase your organic traffic, you should aim to rank well in voice search. Not only are there a huge number of voice searches every day, but the methods you use to optimize these searches are a fundamental part of modern SEO.
Voice search has changed the way people search for information and search engines have responded by adjusting their algorithms. They must also be responsive. If you meet the intent of the search engine and provide the right user experience, you can ensure that you get more organic traffic from voice search.
Have you already optimized your site for voice search?
- SEO – unlocking a large amount of SEO traffic. To see real results.
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- Paid media – effective paid strategies with a clear return on investment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I optimize content for voice search?
The best way to optimize content for voice search is to use the same keywords that are used in your website.
How does voice search work SEO?
Voice search is a new way to search for information on the internet. It uses natural language processing to understand what you are asking and then returns results that are relevant to your query. How does voice search affect SEO? Voice search is a new way to search for information on the internet. It uses natural language processing to understand what you are asking and then returns results that are relevant to your query.
What is voice search in SEO?
Voice search is a type of search engine that uses natural language processing to understand what you are asking. It can be used on any device, including smartphones and smart speakers. Voice search is a type of search engine that uses natural language processing to understand what you are asking. It can be used on any device, including smartphones and smart speakers.
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