Optimizing your website for voice search is not as difficult as it may seem. Hopefully, you’ve become accustomed to thinking about SEO (search engine optimization) for your business and know how to maintain an excellent ranking in searches for your products and services. Making a few adjustments or changes can improve your site in terms of voice search optimization.
Voice search is ‘the in-thing’ right now and its usage is increasing rapidly, in particular with the younger generation. In fact, a recent study found that 60% of people who use voice search only started using it in the past six months. 55% of teens are now using voice search on a daily basis and 20% of all Google searches are now carried out by voice query. ComScore are predicting that by 2020, voice search will account for 50% of all internet searches. So, now is the time to get on board.
7 Game-Changers in Voice Search Optimization
Let’s look at some of the ways to implement Voice Search SEO and increase traffic to your website.
Understanding SEO
SEO is old news these days for most businesses. But, are you doing all of these things already to help boost your search rankings? It’s time to have a reevaluation of your site’s functionality and what could be improved to optimize your site for voice search.
Make Long-Form Content
This shows you are an expert in your field. Long- form content is a term that refers to an informational blog that is over 1,000 words. According to Backlinko, the average word count of a voice search result page is 2,312 words. The voice search answers are more likely to come from long-form content pages.
Sharing on Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Youtube…which ones are you on, and which do you avoid? Most people on these social media platforms check at least once per day, many will check several times a day. This is the best opportunity to get your work out to the masses and seen by more people online.
Nothing Too Complicated
Most people skim and scan articles on their social media pages or internet sites. If someone is not understanding the content or it is not engaging, they’re gone. Write copy that draws the reader in and is interesting but not too complex.
Mobile Marketing
Is your website mobile friendly? In 2018, 52.2% of internet traffic was from a mobile device, according to a study by hostingfacts.com. Make sure that your website loads well on a mobile device, that your looks just as good as it does on a desktop or laptop.
Page Speed
The speed that a page loads at is important. Even more important for those who want voice search optimization. The algorithm used by Google takes page speed into account with the pages that come up in the search.
Local SEO
Local SEO means connecting your website to the local area with a few well-researched keywords. A great way to start is to add Google My Business. Anytime a person searches on a Google map, your business will appear with others nearby who have done the same. Add the words “near me” to your web pages which will optimize your site for voice search. Check that your listings are correct on local help and advice pages such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google Maps, and other sites that people go to for local information. This will boost and optimize your site for voice search.
Conversational Keywords
When people use voice search, they tend to ask questions and use colloquial speech, which gives the need for a slightly different keyword approach. Add a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page which will point those using voice search to that particular part of your site. Another way to do this is to add blog posts with a question and answer format. The blog posts help boost your SEO already, but then with questions added it will optimize the site for voice search more effectively.
Another tip for the FAQ page is to make your answers easy to read and short. The average answer from a voice search is 29 words. Creating short answers will move your ranking up on Google. Also, the average reading level of the answer was written at a 9th-grade level. Less is more, especially with Voice Search SEO.
Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are a series of three or more words that are very specific. Using long-tail keywords in your site will increase optimizing your website for voice search. When people use voice search, they tend to be more specific in their questions and terms. There is also much less competition in the rankings with terms that are highly specific. Searching for “travel” will bring up millions of pages whereas “backpacking in Southwest France” offers a much different result.
Action Groups
There is a feature on Google that allows for users to turn their content into an application for millions of users. This is a unique way to optimize your site for voice search. You can sell goods and services, build apps in all languages, or make something family-friendly. Much more about this process can be found here.
Optimizing Your Website for Voice Search
Voice search SEO is the next wave in search trends for users, especially mobile users. To optimize your site for voice search, it takes a little bit of savvy and tweaking of your current content. Perhaps you need to rework a few pages, or add an FAQ page, some long-form content, or make the content less complex. You’ll definitely notice the difference by making a few changes, and more traffic will automatically turn to your site for answers, information, and knowledge. Make the most of your website and start with a few easy steps today!
Our team has deep expertise in all facets of search marketing. Let’s connect if we can help you set the right voice search optimization strategy for your business.
