Voice Search Optimization: How to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search
“Voice search optimization – the destiny of Google’s search engine is to become that Star Trek computer, and that’s what we are building.”
These were the words from Amit Singhal, the former head of Google’s search rankings team when asked about the future of Google’s search technology in an interview in 2013. This reminds us of the actors of Star Trek speaking to a computer for answers, which then felt like a far-flung science fiction idea.
Today, when we see people speaking to their smartwatches, interacting, and getting responses from their phones, it looks like we are almost there. Beyond mobile phones and watches, 49% of people who use Google Home find it as a necessity. With Google taking several bold steps to rule the search world, most of the advancements are in the field of voice search. So, it’s high time for businesses to include voice search optimization in their marketing plan to keep it on the top spots of search engine results pages.
According to Gartner, 39% of the US population uses voice assistants, and 26% use smart speakers at least once a week. With COVID -19, more people are turning towards voice search as 32% of consumers are interested in hands-free technology that would limit touching or contamination.
The Importance of Voice Search Optimization for SEO
Rolled out in 2011 by Google, voice search was initially seen as a novelty more than a feature. But today, it has quickly become an integral element of people’s life. With improvements in speech recognition technology, voice search is considered the crucial tool of search marketing. Moreover, people need quick results, and they aren’t wasting time typing queries on their smartphone when they have a personal assistant within earshot.
Voice search not only enhances customer experience but also improves your business’s SEO. Wondering how? Voice search enhances brand awareness, increases website traffic, and improves organic rankings. This guarantees a purchase or conversion. So, if you are working on an SEO strategy for your business, it’s time to include voice search optimization to capture the attention of the increasing number of people using voice tools for web search.
Voice search is different than traditional search as people don’t speak the same way they write. Our professionals at Strategic Marketing Consultants explain how you can optimize your website for voice search.
Tips for Voice Search Optimization
Shift Your Focus on Long-tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords have lost their importance already, and voice search is expected to decrease the prominence of short-tail keywords even further. As mentioned earlier, people don’t speak the same way they write, and people don’t use voice search the same way they write a query into a search engine. Long-tail keywords sound more natural, and the queries must be direct to get more appropriate answers. Using long-tail keywords increases the chances of content ranking and being found online by voice assistants.
Featured Snippet
Did you know more than 40% of voice search answers come from featured snippet? This is because the featured snippet contains precise and descriptive answers to a user’s voice search query. So, Google prioritizes answers from the snippet as the format for snippet is perfect for voice search users who are running under a hectic schedule. Here are a few tips from our experts at Strategic Marketing Consultants for your content to appear in the featured snippet.
- Use header tags effectively and format the structure of your content to appear on the featured snippet.
- Use bullet points.
- Understand and use the language of your audience.
- Analyze and give precise answers to the questions of your targeted customers.
- Create a FAQ section with concise answers to get featured on the snippet.
Mobile Optimization
According to recent research data published by Google, one-quarter of the world population uses voice search on mobile. Creating mobile-friendly content with a mobile-first approach is crucial for voice search optimization. With Google’s mobile-first indexing tactic, mobile optimization is made mandatory for websites to stay at the top of the search engine results page.
Page Speed
The page load time of voice search is 4.6 seconds, which is 52% quicker than an average page load time. Reducing the loading time of your webpage is an essential aspect of optimizing your website for voice search. To reduce the loading time of web pages, optimize the size of video and image files used, remove unnecessary plugins, utilize website caching, avoid redirects, minimize HTTPS requests, review hosting options, and more. With Google’s Core Web Vitals, the average page load time is 2.5 seconds, and having a short loading time helps your website achieve higher rankings.
Secure Your Website with an SSL Certificate
Did you know more than 70% of voice search results are HTTPS websites? It’s high time to purchase an SSL certificate and increase your website’s chances of appearing both on regular and voice search results.
Use a Simple Language
Most of the users who make voice search queries are generally in a hurry, and they don’t have time to deal with bulky paragraphs, complex languages, and long sentences. Moreover, the typical voice search results are written at a ninth-grade reading level. So, even if the information is high-level and complex, break it down to make it easy for the readers to comprehend. Using simple, conversational language works better as the user is having a conversation with the device.
Schema Markup
Use schema markup to let search engines know what your website is about. This allows the search engine to understand the context of your website and help you rank better in typical search and for voice queries too.
Domain Authority
Domains with high authority produce more voice search results than non-authoritative domains. Building high domain authority helps build websites for voice search, and this ensures that the users receive relevant & valuable information.
Create FAQs
FAQs not only help your websites appear in the featured snippet but also show up on voice search results. When creating FAQ pages, prioritize answering users’ questions that start with why, how, who, where, what, and when. Consider answering questions people are more likely to ask when looking for your products or services. Provide a direct and short answer to ensure better ranking. Keep the answers simple and conversational in nature to answer the immediate queries of the users.
In short, voice search users pay attention to,
- Detailed answers to common questions
- Clear and short answers to simple queries
Think Local
More than 22% of voice searches are looking for location-based content. Optimize your website for local business by creating content focusing on local keywords and use phrases like ‘near me’ to be found locally. Also, make sure that Google My Business, Bing Places, Yelp, and similar listings are up-to-date with accurate information to allow voice search assistants to deliver correct information.
Voice Search Optimization and Website Traffic
Voice search results may not appear to contribute directly to an improvement in your Google Analytics, but it does drive traffic to your website. Wondering how? When users make a voice search, the results are read through a simple ‘According to (domain name),’ which increases brand awareness. This allows users to scroll through the written search results, navigate the site and improves organic traffic.
Voice Search Optimization – The Bottom Line
Voice search optimization is not just one of the latest marketing trends but a necessity for your business to evolve and sustain in this competitive environment. If you haven’t started yet, prepare for voice search now, or else you’d lose your search game. Voice search is clearly on the rise, and don’t be foolish to ignore this growing trend.
Get in touch with our professionals at Strategic Marketing Consultants to learn more about voice search.
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