When was the last time you asked one of your smart devices a question?
Whether you ask your watch to check the weather or use your phone as a mid-conversation fact-checker, voice search is here to stay. More than a quarter of Internet users leverage voice searches at least once a week, and as AI assistants make voice searching even more effective, that number will only grow.
Optimizing your site’s content for voice search is more important than ever, and it’s an excellent add-on to your existing SEO services. Here are our top tips on optimizing your website and content to show up in voice searches.
How Does Voice Search Optimization Work?
The concept behind voice search optimization is simple. Consumers speak a search query into a smart device. The device, whether a watch, phone, or smart home unit, will parse the question, search the Internet, and read out the best result. Voice search optimization simply refers to tweaking your site’s SEO strategy to ensure your content is the result the AI assistant reads off.
Voice Search Vs. Text Search
Though it might sound surprising, voice and text search aren’t entirely interchangeable. There are several key differences between voice search and text search that you will need to keep in mind when optimizing your website.
- — Query Length: Voice searches involve longer, more complicated questions because it’s faster and easier to speak out loud than to type a question.
- — Tone: Voice searches are typically more conversational. Consumers will generally phrase voice searches like they would ask a friend.
- — Intent: When people use a voice search, they want an answer to their question immediately. Text searches are better suited to situations where consumers want to explore options or research something more in-depth.
- — Results: Text searches allow consumers to scroll through the first few results to find what they want, but voice searches typically only read out the top result for any given query. It’s essential to aim for the top position when optimizing for voice search.
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How to Optimize SEO for Voice Search
Optimizing specific pieces of content and optimizing an entire website for voice search will require slightly different strategies.
However, whether you’re fine-tuning a blog post or overhauling your entire website, you must focus on conversationality. Your copy should reflect how people speak since that’s how people perform voice searches.
How to Optimize Content for Voice Search
Voice search optimization for individual pieces of content can help your blogs show up higher in voice search results. You’ll need to consider a few things when trying to land that top spot.
Leverage Long-Tail Keywords to Capture Voice Searchers
Long-tail keywords are your best friend when it comes to voice search optimization. These phrases capture the conversational tone of most voice searches, and since they’re so specific, they tend to be higher-value keywords, too. Do your research to determine which long-tail keywords will be most effective, and include them as headers in your content to maximize their impact.
Pithy Featured Snippets Perform Well in Voice Searches
Conciseness is also important for voice searches. AI assistants will often read out the top featured snippet when responding to users’ voice queries, so including concise, relevant information in easy-to-find places is a great way to maximize your chances of landing the top spot on your targeted search results pages.
How to Optimize a Website For Voice Search
You can also optimize your entire website to work well with voice search.
Compatibility is Key for Voice Search SEO
First and foremost, make sure your website is compatible with all devices. People often use voice search on their phones and other mobile devices, so if your site comes up when they perform a voice search, you’ll want to make sure they can actually navigate your site.
A Polished SEO Structure Gives Voice Search SEO a Boost
An easily navigable site structure will also make your website more accessible for the crawlers that help populate search results pages. Keeping your general SEO strategy updated — especially backend information like metadata and alt tags — will also help your site appear in search results.
Optimized Content Makes SEO for Voice Search Possible
Finally, your site won’t appear in voice search results unless you have content addressing common consumer queries. Optimized blogs, built-out FAQ pages, and robust product pages will all increase your chances of showing up in voice search results.
Collaborate With a Voice Search SEO Firm to Ensure Success
Working with an SEO firm with experience optimizing sites for voice search is the best way to ensure success.
Whether you already have SEO practices in place and want to add voice search optimization services, or you’re looking to build an SEO strategy from scratch, NisonCo offers SEO packages to fit every company’s needs.
Want to discover your site’s current strengths and weaknesses regarding voice search SEO? Contact NisonCo today for a free audit and consultation. We look forward to hearing from you.
