Internet marketing never remains the same. For sure, this is the magic. Of course, the way users search for information on the Internet never stays the same as well. So, today we will look at everything you need to know about voice search in SEO. It is a trend that has been on the minds of many professionals offering SEO services and also entrepreneurs.
Let’s look at the reason.
What voice search is
Voice search allows users to search on the internet, in websites or applications using voice commands instead of typing them. You can do this by using the voice assistant on your mobile device or a related gadget (Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc.). So, if you have not used voice search yet, you can simply try it from your mobile phone. All you need is to activate the virtual assistant on your device.
Voice Commands and the Power of Voice Search
Voice search brought something that users love: greater convenience. Just think that your keyboard is not always the most convenient tool to look for something on search engines. Therefore, you can understand that this directly affects the way people search for information. Hence, so does affect SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Next, in the article, you will see how to use voice search to improve your website’s SEO.
Let’s go back to how much the way people search for information has changed. Google has reported that 55% of teenagers and 41% of adults use voice search on a daily basis. A percentage that we believe will increase. Moreover, according to Statista, from a survey conducted from 2019 to 2020, it is estimated that by 2024 there will be 8,4 billion voice assistants worldwide. Yes, this is correct. Voice search is not something completely new. In fact, a 2019 survey by Adobe showed that 85% of users leverage voice search on their mobile phones.
And now, voice assistants are continuously gaining ground. Google Voice Assistant, Siri by Apple, Alexa by Amazon, Cortana by Microsoft, and many more are increasingly becoming part of many users’ daily lives. Thus, voice commands are coming to complement the keyboard. But how does all this affect optimization for search engines?
How does voice search affect SEO?
Voice search could not but affect the SEO promotion of websites. Let’s see how.
To begin with, the keywords people use in voice searches differ from those they type. In particular, they are longer and seem more “natural”, as if the user is talking to someone. Google reported that 70% of searches in Google Assistant are in a more “natural” language. For example, let’s say someone wants to change a light bulb in the house. If users type the keyword, they will probably type something like: “Change light bulb”. But, if users choose, for example, Google Assistant, the question will be more “natural”, such as “Hey Google, how can I change a light bulb in my house?” or something similar.
Besides that, users are doing more searches containing the phrase “near me”. And this is because users looking for something are more likely to ask their voice assistant in this way. Such as, “Which pharmacy is open near me?”.
Another thing that changes with voice search in SEO is the results that Google gives to the user. What do search results have to do with this? Google always tries to promptly answer users’ queries by displaying the most relevant result first. In SEO, we call this “position zero” or featured snippet. When someone does a voice search, Google reads the answer in position zero.
How do I optimize my website for Voice Search?
Having seen all the above, you might want to ask the following question: “How can you optimize your website for Voice search SEO?” Let’s look at some key ways.
Use more “natural” and longer keywords
Do you remember earlier when we said that voice search users prefer more “natural” and longer phrases? A good way for optimization is to add such keywords to your website content or blog articles. Such phrases are long-tail keywords, which usually (not always) have more than two words and a low degree of difficulty.
Use Schema Markup
Schema markup helps search engines better understand what kind of content you have on your website. For this reason, there are different markups. Specifically, speakable markup shows Google which content or part of it is appropriate for search engines to read with Google Assistant.
Don’t forget keywords in the form of questions
Keywords starting with “What”, “Who”, “How”, “Where”, “When”, “Why”, etc. are ideal. So, don’t leave them out of your content (articles, product pages, etc.) and off your “Frequently Asked Questions” pages. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), by the way, are a good way to easily include such keywords on your site.
Improve the speed of your website
The loading speed of the average result in voice search is faster than the average website. Besides this, technical SEO is crucial for your website’s performance. Apart from keywords and backlinks, you should not forget the technical aspects of your website.
Conclusions
Websites’ optimization and their appearance in search engine results is an ongoing process. So, as digital marketing evolves, we need to move forward along with it. Voice search has influenced how we do SEO and is gaining momentum. We certainly do not believe it will replace the traditional keyboard or the visual search. It will only complement it and will give entrepreneurs and marketers more options.
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