Voice Search Optimization

 

What is Voice Search Optimization?

Voice search optimization has become the next big digital trend. It allows users to voice out their queries instead of typing it in the search bar.

All the large-scale websites and eCommerce businesses have already incorporated voice search as a significant feature on their websites. More than 70% of people prefer voice search over typing in their queries. What has made voice search poplar is its multi-tasking nature and the instant response it delivers.

Adding voice search can play a great role in improving your website’s ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs). However, you will have to pay attention to voice search optimization requirements.

Changes Your Website Needs

To ensure that your website is voice-search optimized, here are the 6 big changes you will need to make:

1.    Reshape Your Keyword Strategy

Now that you are not only focusing on keywords for typed queries but also for voice search, you need to reshape your keyword strategy. Creating valuable content with all the significant keywords and long-tail keywords is always going to remain top SEO practice.

When people type, they are more likely to include keywords such as “best pest control service.” However, when people use voice search, they ask a complete question rather than speaking a phrase – “What is the best pest control service near me”?

Therefore, it is important to shape your keyword strategy so that your content includes all kinds of questions for your targeted keywords. That’s how you are going to end up in featured snippets.

Also, it is important to note here that when it comes to voice search optimization, only 1st rank or position 0 websites are to deliver the response. So even if you stand at 2^nd or anywhere on the 1^st SERP, it will be of no use. Only the best one wins!

This makes focusing on keyword strategy way more important than you are considering. There are several tools, such as Answer the Public, to help you do the job. It returns you with all the commonly asked questions related to a certain keyword.

2.    Enhance Site Structure and Add FAQ Pages

Structuring your site means putting up valuable content structurally. You must map your questions at various points throughout the content. It makes the customer journey useful and makes you available at any point the customer needs.

Here’s the most recognized pattern in the customer journey:

• Knowing why a certain product is needed, E.g., how can pest control services help?
• Knowing if a certain product can deliver to specific needs. E.g., can pest control services take care of black moles?
• Getting the best options. E.g., which is the best pest control service in LA?
• Finding how much a product/service costs. E.g., how much is pest control service going to cost?

When content is organized in this manner, it largely improves the site structure.

Also, adding the FAQ page is the best way to include all the potential questions related to keywords. It helps with search engine optimization in a great way.

3.    Optimize for Local SEO

People use voice search for local queries mostly. For instance, where can I find the best coffee in NYC? Which is the best coffee shop near me?

This makes it important to make your website optimized for local SEO. Based on your location, you will make it to the top 3 results when you answer a local user’s voice query. Here, being in the top 3 matters because when it comes to business information, Google refers to SEO 3-pack. This way, one of the top 3 listings makes it to the user’s answer.

Also, make sure your website includes all the business information to make you the best result.

4.    Implement Structured Data

As mentioned, voice search only returns the position 0 sites as a result. This makes it kind of a hit or miss. There’s no third option. So what can help you hit most of the time is implementing structured data. It is highly significant in SEO as Google will be easily able to crawl in when you have a proper sitemap.

Now, what is structured data? It is an HTML code that allows the search engine to better navigation and understanding of your data. Using schema markup largely helps in implementing structured data.

5.    Optimize Your Page Speed

Page speed is another crucial change you need to make if your website does not respond in less than 3 seconds. Page speed is a critical factor that determines whether your page will show up in voice search results.

As people use voice search for instant answers, they are not likely to wait. This makes page speed optimization an important element that needs high priority. What you need to do first is to analyze the current speed of your site using PageSpeed Insights. Then, figure out what’s hindering the speed and fix that up.

6.    Optimize for Mobile Search

Where do most of the voice queries come from? Mobile devices, yes!

Siri presents top results as the user conducts a voice query. For that very purpose, you need to optimize your website for mobile search. It plays a great role in voice search optimization.

How to make your website mobile friendly? Responsive website design. Making your website mobile-friendly makes it voice friendly. People looking for information on mobile devices only navigate mobile-friendly websites. Responsive websites enhance user experience and ensure user satisfaction. This way, you will not lose your leads and chances of conversions.

Final Thoughts

By now, you must have a good idea that voice search is going to be the dominant way for search queries. It can shape search marketing in the coming days. To make your website voice search optimized, you need to take all the important steps.

The changes mentioned above and overall good SEO practices will ensure that your website is ready to catch all the voice traffic!