How important is voice search? Check out the following statistics to get an idea:
- 33 million voice search digital devices circulated in the market in 2017.
- 40% of adults used voice search to find what they were looking for on Google.
- In 2016, Google’s voice search tool got 35x more search queries than they did in 2008.
- By 2020, 50% of all voice searches will be done via voice with 30% of searches being performed without a screen.
When you visit an SEO agency to optimise the SEO on your website for voice search, they should be recommending the following changes for your website:
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Featured Snippets
When you search for something using a voice search query, Google Assistant and Google Home will read the featured snippets of websites out loud. Your aim is to gain the top spot, but ‘how’ is the question you need to ask yourself.
Even though there is no sure shot way to reach the top, you can incorporate the following tactics into your content to make your way to the top:
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Use Answer the Public to Answer Specific Questions
Use the platform to find common questions on a specific subject. Create content based on the search results. The questions you are answering need to be the second heading followed by the answer.
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Do Not Use Jargon, but Answer Questions Concisely
Do not add a lot of jargon into your content because your target audience may not understand it. The type of language you use depends on your target audience. Google will only feature a question at the top if it has answered the question correctly. You can answer the question in a list form, as it features well in featured snippets.
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Develop Engaging and Interesting Content
Most of the featured snippets are derived from a website that ranks in the top 10. You should already have recruited an SEO agency to optimise your website for SEO, so it shows up on the first page of Google. Next, ensure you develop engaging and interesting content for your target audience. SEO specialists will also optimise the meta data and strengthen your external and linking game.
Most importantly, voice search questions need to be conversational as if you are speaking to someone than written queries. Ensure it is answered with your brand’s tone of voice and helps you climb the rankings.
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Ensure Your Local SEO is On Point
Users use voice search to find information about your business. For this reason, you need to optimise your local SEO. Update your Google My Business Page if you have not done it in a long while. Ensure the address contact details, and opening hours are correct. If something is not listed, list it.
When the user asks, “where’s the nearest plumber,” you want to make sure that you are answering the question. The same goes for users asking about your operating hours. If the information is incorrect, it can negatively affect your business.
Additionally, optimise for local searches by using structured data mark up and creating your online reviews.
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Improve Your Website’s Speed
Most users who prefer using voice search are mobile users. This is why, you need to optimise your website for mobile. An SEO agency can create a mobile-friendly website for you by incorporating a responsive website design via their web design team.
A website not optimised for mobile loses users to its competitors with mobile optimised websites. Mobilegeddon was the publicly known Google Algorithm outlining this ranking factor. Failure to redesign and redevelop your website and ensuring its mobile friendly will cause your ranking to drop against your competitors. Aim for your page to load in less than five seconds, preferably even within one second.
Mobile users are always on the go and will want immediate results. Offer them instant results and increase your rankings for voice searches by optimising your website for SEO.
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Become a Mind Reader to Read the User’s Mind
Okay, so you cannot read the user’s mind, but you can get an idea on what’s happening inside their mind. With Google planning to include voice search data in Search Console, which will separate voice searchers from keyboard searchers, it will separate the mobile search data and desktop data.
The conversational nature of voice searches requires longer tail keywords. For this reason, the volume of each specific search query will be low, resulting in the search engine’s Search Console to completely exclude them.
Even though there has not been a certain deadline or announcement established for when this is to take place, it is something you need to keep an eye out for. Once it launches, you will earn a lot of traffic on your website from voice search queries. This will allow you to optimise your website and increase its rank on the search engine.
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Use Long Tail Keywords and Questions
When a user searches an answer to their question via voice search, they talk as if they are talking to a person, which we have covered in the previous heading. You need to use long tail keywords, phrasing them in a way that users speak to each other.
Moreover, key phrases with two words or more experience less competition and offer you a chance to rank higher on the search engine. For instance, you will talk like this: “Hey Siri” or “Okay, Google.” When coming up with long tail keywords and phrases to use, see how you would ask a voice search assistant about a product or service, for instance. Try to use a conversational tone on your blogs and website.
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Develop Long Content
Another way to rank your website for SEO is to create long content. The content needs to be long, but the sentences need to be short. Long content gives search engines more chances to answer the user’s question.
Google wants to provide its users with answers that correctly answer their question. For this reason, you need to answer the user’s questions clearly and update your website on a routine basis with new, engaging, and interesting content.
Google provides direct answers instead of website links. Since Google has the habit of introducing changes to their algorithm more regularly than ever before, having an experienced SEO agency to review your website and implement these changes will help you rank for voice searches.
When you are developing your content, ensure you write at a Year 9 reading level. You can test your content’s reading level using a tool that allows you to copy and paste text into the box to determine its reading level.
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Increase Your Domain Authority
Increase your domain authority to rank higher on the search engine. If your website has several links, your website is likely to rank higher for voice search. The average Ahrefs Domain Rating of a voice search of 10,000 search results on Google is almost 77.
Page authority is just as crucial to voice search as Domain Authority. Google will only use your website to provide users with information if you increase your website’s domain authority.
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Rank Videos in Search Engine Page Results
Videos have become an integral component of Google’ strategy for answering questions asked via voice. This is because videos can tend to display more for keywords and phrases spoken naturally between people.
For instance, if you type “apple cut,” Google will show your videos on how to cut an apple, but as the third featured result. By using natural language to search, “How do I cut an apple?” you will receive a snippet of the video at the top of the search engine.
The snippets will usually begin at the place that answers your questions. Not always, but sometimes, Google will display text from the description box of the video below it.
3 Steps to Consider Before Adding Content to Your Website
The following steps are to be considered for internet queries:
- The decision of the target market. What is the persona of your target market? Who is your ideal customer?
- Consider the issues you can resolve for your ideal target market. Create a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs), related to the customer service queries your business usually receives.
- Collect all the required information, so you know who you are producing the content for.
The Popularity of Voice Searchers Among Your Target Audience
Speaking into your device produces results faster than if you were to type out your query into the search engine browser. Users can use voice search while they are in the car, walking, or at work. Even though not all use voice searches to search, there is a growing segment of people who use a voice assistant to search for information pertaining to a product or service or general information.
By engaging the services of a reputable SEO Agency you can embrace the holistic SEO strategies for desktop and mobile search phrases on broader terms as well as the emerging strategies of voice search that will continue to grow in popularity by comparison to typed search queries.
