Voice Search Is The Future – Optimize Now

Voice search is becoming increasingly popular across the world. Now, an estimated 28 percent of mobile users use voice to find accurate search results. From 2010 to 2016, this type of search grew by more than 700 percent. At the current rate, voice search will equal about half of search traffic by 2020.

With this in mind, online sites have to focus on optimizing content for new kinds of searches. Whether businesses want to succeed in the present or the future, this type of search is important. With Google Home, Amazon Echo and Siri, voice-activated programs are quickly turning into the norm instead of the exception to the rule.

For brands, voice-friendly content is key. When someone searches using voice-activated commands, they use different wording. Often, they use longer keywords and phrases. By adjusting to these differences, brands can start optimizing content for the new style of online searching.

1. Start Using Longer Keywords

When you are typing something by hand, you naturally shorten your sentences and queries. Speaking takes far less time and effort than writing does. When someone is writing a search query by hand, they think about what they want to type beforehand. Spoken searches are often longer and more detailed. Because of this, it is important to focus on creating longer keywords. The good news is that this opens up new keywords that other brands have not targeted yet. The downside is that marketers have to work harder to uncover the right keywords that their potential clients might use.

Keep in mind that voice search engine optimization (SEO) is still SEO. You will still generally use the same optimization techniques for voice that you use for other content styles. The main difference is that you will need more contextual or long-tail keywords in the meta data and content. Structured markup can also help the search engines understand your articles better.

2. FAQ Pages Matter Again

A few years ago, brands started transitioning away from FAQ pages. Because of the way voice search is changing the marketplace, FAQs are becoming a smart choice again. People are more likely to use complete sentences when they speak than when they type. When a customer says an entire question, it can end up matching your FAQ questions.

To make this technique work, think about the kinds of questions your users are actually thinking about. Then, write out an FAQ pages with the questions and answers. When someone searches for that question, they will find your website. If you do not have an FAQ page, try building that question into a byline or blog post.

3. Always Ask Questions

This is similar to the FAQ change. If you want to boost your search rankings, start using questions in your content and in content titles. People have always used online searches to answer their questions. The only difference between now and the past is that they never typed out the entire question before. Now, they can easily ask the entire question and get an answer. When using Siri, Alexa or Google, they now include the entire question instead of typing the keywords.

To maximize this approach, rethink your content titles. Your H2 subheadings should feature relevant questions. Underneath the headings, make sure that the content actually answers the question.

4. Remember to Provide Value

While using questions and long-tail keywords can help with your rankings, you still need content that adds value. Your content should deliver utility and help customers find what they are looking for. No matter how many times Google updates its algorithms, it will always give priority to quality, useful content.

Try focusing on ways that you can deliver information or entertainment that other websites do not. Consider ways to simplify commerce and the best ways to deliver your message. When you are delivering information that helps the reader, people are more likely to return to your page. Your content has to be machine readable for the search engines to crawl it, but it ultimately needs to be useful and readable for actual people as well.

5. Keep It Simple

Voice prompts and search queries are fairly simple. People might use longer keywords and questions, but they are less likely to use heavy jargon or verbiage when they speak. With this in mind, keep buzzwords and industry jargon to a minimum. The increase in voice-activated prompts and searches mean that content needs to sound more natural. If it sounds like language that people actually use, it is more likely to match up to a search query.

In general, voice keyword searches are at least three words long and stop after about seven words. With this in mind, try to focus your keyword phrases in this range. More specific keywords can perform quite well with the new kind of searches. You should also consider optimizing your search results for local search. Digital assistants are being used to find locations, so think about using keywords that include phrases like “close by,” “near me,” and “nearby.”