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How Does Google Voice Search Work & How to Optimize Your Site for Voice Search?
Voice Search has been evolving over the decades. Thanks to this evolution, what once seemed like an impossible science fiction idea is now here and usable. You'd probably recall the look on your face many years ago when you watched movies with actors speaking to their computer devices. Well, we are now in that world, with voice search becoming a trend.
Users of voice search technology are rapidly increasing, and unless you learn to leverage it, your business may be left behind. With more gadgets becoming reliant on voices, website owners are learning about the importance of incorporating this type of search into their content for search engine optimization.
As a digital marketer, you've probably heard the numerous importance of voice search in your SEO strategies. However, you may be wondering where to start. This article is for you, as we will be explaining the details of what you need to do.
Before going on, let's understand what it is.
What is Google Voice Search?
Simply put, voice search is a function that allows users to initiate a search on Google using spoken voice commands rather than typing.
This technology has developed over time, and today, it can be used on mobile and desktop searches. However, most times, users need to say a wake phrase that tells when to analyze what's said to it. Voice searches are typically started by using the hands-free voice command on some mobile devices or by clicking on the microphone icon on the right side of the Google search field.
Apart from the activation and use of voice search, there's barely any other difference between how a regular typed search and voice search functions. Except in very few exceptional cases, users would be taken to the same search engine results page, irrespective of whether their query is typed or spoken.
Why Voice Search is Important in 2021
It's no more breaking news that voice search has come to stay. Entrepreneurs and digital marketers are jumping on the thread to avoid being sidelined by their competition. Now is the time to leverage the technology. Delaying any further may mean that you'll lose potential customers using voice assists to find your business. They'll likely be directed to your competition because Google, Alexa, and Siri may not be aware of your business existence.
In addition to making for a more remarkable customer experience, voice search can also boost your SEO efforts, as long as you are taking the right steps.
Guess what?
Your Voice Search Optimization efforts may be directly proportional to the possibility of potential customers (or voice assistants) finding your business. However, you need to note that voice search SEO is different from traditional web search SEO, and as such, factors affecting ranking may differ in both.
Now that you've known how important voice search is to your SEO efforts, you are probably wondering how you can optimize for voice search. The next part of this article is dedicated to offering efficient tips that you can use to construct a winning voice search strategy.
Here goes:
1- Focus on Phrases and Longtail Keywords
Yes, voice searches are typically longer than traditional keyboard searches because of their conventional style. Additionally, we are aware of Google's fondness for long-form complete content. It's probably not possible to prepare different content for every voice search, but we can include the relevant terms in full-fledged posts. This way, you are providing the needed information while targeting keywords that voice searchers would try.
Content creators use this strategy by including all the potential keywords that may appear in vocal queries into long-form content.
2- Optimize for Questions Asked in a Conversational Manner
One primary characteristic of most voice search queries is the conversational manner they come in, and this is something every marketer would want to leverage. Using robotic language in your content will significantly reduce your chances of appearing in voice search results.
The truth is that using natural language to write and publish on your website is beneficial in so many ways. One of such benefits is the numerous matching scopes it creates with the verbal questions. You need to start by seeking to know what verbal queries your potential customers will ask. Digital marketing experts often recommend studying and anticipating the query style adopted by people when using voice search.
You can start by seeking to know the answers to the following questions.
- What type of question keywords would my potential customers use?
- What are the most suitable answers to their queries?
- What is their conversational style?
An honest answer to the above questions combined with data-driven insights will help you understand what people actually want when using verbal search.
3- Make Sure Your Website Is Ready for Voice Search
Content is an essential part of voice search optimization. But beyond content, there are several aspects to look at. You want to dish out the best content every time you update your website. While your Voice SEO strategies may bring potential visitors to your website, it's only a top-quality website that will keep them.
Things like site load time and mobile-friendliness play an important role in bringing and retaining visitors to your site. Page speed is a ranking factor for voice search results and is also highly influential in bounce rate and user experience. So, you'll need to pay attention to all these areas to get your SEO efforts as effective as you want.
4- Provide Context With Schema Markup
This is one strategy that you almost can't overlook. For starters, use schema to mark your content, providing enough information about what your site is about for Google. The HTML add-on you'll include would help clarify your content to the search engine. This feat would typically translate to better ranking in typical searches, and even more relevant in-specific queries are made using voice search.
Apart from helping Google understand your content's language, utilizing schemas can also be a comfortable way to add more information to your website, making you ready to answer questions.
5- Leverage Google My Business Listings
When searching for information about local businesses, virtual assistants work as Google My Business Listings.
As expected, your Google My Business Listing should contain important information about your business, such as your business name, location, and contact details. Most people also include added information like their website URL, business hours, other contact information, and a short description of their business.
You should also optimize for all local listing features available, considering that some virtual assistant devices may not use Google to gather their information. You should also ensure that your listing features the right information so that potential customers will not find locating you difficult.
Conclusion
There you have it, everything you should know before taking your first step into optimizing your site for voice search. As expected, this is not an easy process, but you can reach your expectations with the right level of attention to detail.
- What type of question keywords would my potential customers use?
- What are the most suitable answers to their queries?
- What is their conversational style?
