5 tips for voice search optimization in SEO

In 2017, 33 million searches were registered using Google voice command, this is 35 times more when Google Voice came out in 2008. Voice search is far from being “just a fad” since 40% of Internet users do it used daily. But why is this happening? Simple! Because it is very easy to use and much more comfortable. In a world as dynamic as the one we live in, you can ask a question and get an answer immediately.

Today there are many voice command assistants like Google Assistant, Siri or Cortana that resemble real human interactions; In addition to that, there are even options to have inside your house such as Amazon Echo or Google Home. In this way your assistant is always at your disposal. We all know E-business is quite stressful. 

Not only is it a comfortable technological advance, it also gets companies thinking about how to position themselves (using SEO) and be ranked by Google in this era of voice search. This type of search has altered the way Google displays results and how it classifies them. This causes companies, digital marketing agencies, and websites in general to restructure their site to adjust to this type of search and ranking by Google.

How to optimize the SEO of your site for voice search?

• Use simple and commonly used words

Every day there are more people using voice search, this has made the keywords evolve to adapt to it. Keywords that worked in “typed” search are unlikely to work in this era of voice search.

The reason is simple, it is because since the Internet users “speak with their mobile” they use a language as if they were speaking to someone real. In the “written era” they used to be compact searches with very few words like “restaurants in New York” or “best restaurant in New York”. Today this is different, people search in a questioned form. For instance, “which restaurants are the best in New York?” or “Tell me which is the best restaurant in Cancun.” This makes the search formula different, beyond the words they would use in their “research” with words they use in everyday language.

The formula for success here is getting to know your clients and potential clients and imagining what kind of questions they would ask your salesmen or your company if they could ask something directly.

There are websites like “Answer the Public” that, free of charge, give you questions about a topic. For example:

• Claim your business with Google My Business

By claiming your business through the Google My Business platform, you ensure that, organically, your business appears in the first results of Google since this tool will have verified that you are a formal business and will give you priority in the results. This is not only important for voice search but also the SEO of your site crm system.

Also, by registering with Google My Business you can be more specific about the categories to which your business or local does belong and in which it does not, this will greatly help the voice search process.

• Improve your local SEO

In many cases local SEO is relegated to prioritize the general SEO of your site, although this is understandable is a big mistake. With local SEO we mean search within your same city or urban area. In general, we give priority to generalized searches and leave aside searches such as “Where can I eat rustic hamburgers?” made within your city.

In general, if someone does not know you, they will not do a direct search by name of your company / business but will do a search asking about something related to any of the services or products you offer. Does your business need an office space? Why don’t you consult Litman Construction to manage your office space? 

• Adapt your website to be responsive

We have said it over and over on several occasions, every day more and more people browse from their mobile devices and not from a computer. This makes websites that are not intended to be browsed from devices fall within the search engine ranking.

Part of optimizing the SEO of a website is making sure that it is compatible with mobile devices, this way, also, you can make sure that it is friendlier with voice search.

Don’t know if your site currently supports mobile browsing and search? It is very simple, there are free tools like this one that will help you verify it with a simple click.

• Use Structured Data

If you structure your site appropriately, you can offer Google and the rest of the search engines more information about your website. In this way they will be able to classify it organically within the first positions and it will be easier for users to find it when they perform voice searches. You should use Schema.org to structure your website according to search engines.

Last words

Voice searches are more convenient and faster than typing. It is especially true for mobile devices with their small keyboards. Young people, in particular, are much more relaxed about using voice control and use it intensively. Regardless of age, many users will quickly like it once they have managed to try out voice control. 

We cannot exactly predict the Voice Search future. However, it is for sure that it is going to be thriving all over the world. It depends on your efforts how much you put yourself into it to optimize your business website for voice search since it contributes in SEO strategies and digital marketing. Precisely, incorporating these strategies into your business can tremendously grow your business. 

If you have questions about how to achieve this or if your site has a responsive web design, we can help you.

Along with increasing voice control, search engine optimization’s algorithm also changes. Sentence-based searches, especially in question form, require a different optimization of the content. With Voice Search, SEO is again taking a big step away from optimization for machines to optimization for people. Those who know the questions of their target group and offer those answers and solutions with added value are well prepared for the growing popularity of spoken search queries.