Innovations affect how people use the internet. As voice search technology has leaped forward in the past few years, the way most consumers search online has changed tremendously. To capitalize on this new trend, business owners learn how to optimize their business for voice search.
Why Should You Optimize for Voice Search?
Retail as a business has changed completely. Consumers can now buy just about anything online in a matter of minutes.
More than 50% of teenagers and 40% of adults now use voice shopping on a regular basis. This was something hard to imagine years ago. If we go by predictions, sources would say that at least half of all searches will be done via voice this year. In fact, the number of people using Google voice search in 2008 had multiplied to 35 times as many by 2016. This advancement takes user experience to another level, with many easy tasks now becoming more simplified, including online shopping.
It is easier to use because you do not need to type, and when using smart speakers, you get one answer for your search, saving you time from combing through several search results.
Also, voice search is not just for smartphones and other mobile devices. Consumers can also use it on their computers, laptops, and tablets. It’s pretty much useful anywhere!
If you want to attract on-the-go customers who are searching for products and services like yours, you need to invest in voice search optimization.
The most important thing to know about optimizing for voice search is that for your business to appear in search results, the search engine must think that your brand is a perfect match for the search query. Google takes into account three things:
- Prominence. This has to do with how popular your business is. How many reviews do you have, and how is your star rating? The number of inbound links and direct listings is also important.
- Distance. Your brand will have a better chance of ranking high in local searches if you are near the location of the searcher. Do not underestimate the power of consistency in your business’ citation information, which includes address and phone number. If you want to show up for nearby searches, you have to do this correctly.
- Relevance. Of course, your business has to be relevant to the search query. This is where voice optimization comes into play. Voice search will involve the use of long, spoken phrases or long-tail keywords. Instead of just mentioning a single keyword like “pizza,” people will likely say “find me a pizza restaurant nearby.”
How Do You Optimize Your Business for Voice Search?
1. Optimize in Question Form
A common issue with voice searches is how consumers usually say their searches in question form. Instead of the phrase “best pizza restaurant nearby,” you should optimize for “What are the best pizza restaurants nearby?”
Be sure to include what, who, how, when, and where every time you optimize in question form.
This slight variation may not appear much, but it can make a huge difference in voice search optimization.
2. Do a Keyword Research Analysis
To optimize for voice search, you need to research long-tail keywords relevant to your business and location. You can use keyword search tools such as SEMrush. This can help you learn which terms consumers are using to look for products or services like yours.
3. Write More Conversational and Customer-Targeted Content
After getting your long-tail keywords in order, start adding them to your page’s content. Voice search uses a more natural language than text searches. For your brand to thrive in voice searching, your website’s content should have a more conversational tone.
Add some emotion the same way you would if you are writing personal emails. This is a practice often ignored by digital marketers, but emotion-driven marketing is powerful.
Moreover, it is important to keep everything centered on the intent behind the query. Your content must address all possible related concerns.
Use several long-tail keywords in your content. Be sure to include variations so you’ll have greater chances of matching up with different searches.
4. Focus on Locally-Made Searches
Optimizing your business for local SEO will definitely put you ahead of your competitors, but how will you do that if you need to maintain a deep level of personalization on your website?
You already know at least one good tool for keyword research. Your next challenge is strategically placing your keywords all over your website content, while making sure you are also targeting local keywords.
When using keyword variations, you can add locations. Instead of just optimizing for “pizza restaurant nearby,” use “pizza restaurant in New York City.” You may also use “NYC” or “big apple.” This way, you are covering all the possible local search variations for search queries.
With the rise of voice search on our modern devices, it is more important than ever that your business has a voice search strategy. Partner with us at Advanced Digital Media Services to ensure your page shows up in different searches! Learn more about our SEO services by completing the form below.
