As the number of voice searches grows each year, it has become necessary for websites to optimize for voice search. Voice search technology is rapidly advancing and evolving, and businesses that adapt to this trend will likely gain a competitive advantage in their respective niches. With the rise of home assistant devices like the Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, Google Nest, and others, voice search is slowly becoming a more normalized way of conducting searches online. It makes sense, really, given that people have always preferred communicating with one another in a human way as opposed to tapping on a keyboard for a machine to interpret.
In this post, we will be discussing how to optimize your website for voice search, so you can rank higher in organic search positions and drive targeted traffic to your site.
Understand the user’s intent
When optimizing a website for voice search, it’s essential to understand what the user is trying to achieve when using their voice. Voice search queries tend to be longer and more conversational than traditional search queries. People are more likely to ask Google, “What’s the best restaurant near me?” as opposed to typing “best restaurant near me.” To optimize your website for voice search, you’ll need to think about the possible questions users might ask related to your industry or niche. By understanding the user’s intent, you can create content that targets the specific questions they may ask.
Long-tail keywords
When it comes to voice search, long-tail keywords are an essential aspect of the optimization process. People tend to ask more extended and more specific questions when using voice search, which means the queries themselves are constructed differently. As a result, the keywords used in voice searches should be more conversational and natural. Instead of focusing on individual words, you should focus on a broader theme or topic. Conduct research to find out which long-tail keywords are relevant to your business or industry and create content that includes them.
Optimize for featured snippets
According to studies, Google assigns about 40% of voice search results to featured snippets. These are brief responses that appear at the top of Google’s search engine results pages. For example, if someone asks Siri, “What’s the best mobile phone camera?”, Siri would give a snippet of an article in response – this is what you want your website to rank for. Optimizing your content for featured snippets goes hand in hand with the first two steps. You’ll need to find out what questions are frequently asked in your industry or niche and construct content that answers these questions, concisely and succinctly.
Focus on local SEO
Voice search users are more likely to be searching for places or businesses near them. In fact, “near me” searches have grown over 130% in the past year alone. Therefore, local SEO is extremely important when it comes to optimizing your site for voice search. You can increase your chances of ranking in local search results by ensuring your business is listed in Google My Business, Yahoo! Local, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, and similar directories. You can also use schema markup to provide search engines with relevant data such as reviews, ratings, and addresses.
Mobile-optimized site
Voice search queries are primarily conducted via mobile devices, so you should expect most voice search queries to come from mobile devices. Therefore, it is essential to ensure your website is fully optimized for mobile devices in order to rank well in voice search. Slow loading times and poorly structured pages can also impact the user experience, and hence, you will miss out on potential leads or customers. Optimize your website for mobile by compressing images, using a responsive design, and ensuring that your website loads quickly.
Use conversational language in your content
Finally, to optimize your website for voice search, you should focus on using conversational language. Voice search queries are conversational and require conversational answers. So when you write content, you should try to use language that sounds natural and conversational. Avoid using technical jargon or overly complex sentences that will confuse the user. Use shorter paragraphs and avoid long paragraphs that can be difficult to read on smaller screens.
Conclusion
To get ahead of the competition, you need to account for the growing trend of voice searches. There’s not much time left before voice search technology outranks text-based search. By following the tips outlined in this post, you will be able to optimize your website for voice search, resulting in a better user experience, higher search engine rankings and increased traffic to your site. Keep in mind that voice search is an ever-evolving field, and your efforts must stay up-to-date to beat your competitors.
