In an increasingly competitive online zeitgeist, it is crucial to optimise your SEO wherever possible. Voice search SEO is one of the many ways you can boost your online presence but it is also one of the most overlooked.
Voice search marketing is the present and future of online browsing. So why not invest in maximising it to improve your SEO? It doesn’t matter if you don’t already have the assistance of SEO services, we’ve got your back with our guide on how to rank for voice search in 2024.
What is Voice Search Optimisation?
Before we delve into the how, we need to make sure we understand what exactly voice search and voice search optimisation is.
Voice search is a method of searching for information on the internet using voice commands instead of typing your query out. It relies on speech recognition technology to convert spoken words into text queries, which are then processed by search engines like Google or Bing to provide relevant results.
Voice search optimisation refers to processes aimed at improving a website’s ranking in relation to their voice search results. This involves understanding how people use voice search and tailoring content to match their natural language queries. Key factors in creating robust voice search SEO include using conversational language, optimising for local search, and ensuring content is structured well.
Why Optimise for Voice Search?
Relying solely on improving your written SEO is not enough. The number of people using voice search is large and is only continuing to grow. That is why it is also important to optimise for Google voice search SEO alongside these efforts.
Voice search SEO comes with many benefits for your SEO strategy such as:
- Increasing how many voice search results you appear for: Having your content shared by voice assistants increases brand awareness and visibility, especially at the local level.
- Building trust with your target audience: Providing helpful and valuable information about your business through voice search positions your business as authoritative and trustworthy.
- Improving the user experience: Making changes to optimise for voice search involves improving technical SEO elements—which leads to a better overall user experience.
- Enhanced local SEO: Voice search is often used to find local businesses and services, making it crucial to optimise your website for local search.
- Boosted conversion rate: Voice search users are often more engaged and ready to purchase than traditional text-based search users. By optimising for voice search, you can increase the chances of converting visitors into customers.
- Future-proof your SEO strategy: Voice search is a rapidly growing trend, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve. By optimising for voice search now, you’ll be well-positioned to attract new visitors and customers in the years to come.
These are just some of the few benefits that make the ‘why’ of voice search marketing clear as day!
How does Voice Search Impact SEO?
Voice search marketing has emerged as a significant force in the digital landscape, transforming the way people interact with search engines and impacting the field of SEO. While you may be more well versed in how text impacts SEO, you may still be in the dark as to how voice search does.
One of the primary impacts of voice search on SEO lies in the evolution of how search queries are formed. Unlike traditional text-based searches, voice searches often incorporate natural language and conversational phrases, leading to longer and more comprehensive queries. This calls for SEO strategies that focus on long-tail keywords, natural language processing (NLP), and conversational tone that is characteristic of voice queries.
Local SEO has also gained prominence due to the rise of voice search, as users often employ voice assistants to find nearby businesses or services. Businesses need to optimise their online presence for local search by ensuring their listing on Google My Business is accurate and up-to-date, and by incorporating local keywords into their website content. Tapping into voice search to improve your local SEO prospects is crucial if you are a small business in particular.
Voice search also emphasises the importance of structured data markup, which provides search engines with rich information about the content of a website. This structured data helps search engines better understand the context of voice queries and deliver relevant results.
As voice search continues to grow in popularity, SEO strategies must adapt to cater to this evolving landscape. By understanding the unique characteristics of voice search and implementing appropriate optimisation techniques, businesses can ensure their websites are well-positioned to capture this growing audience and achieve their online goals.
How is Voice Search different from Text Search?
While the usage of voice search and text search is an obvious difference between the two there are also other differences in their impact and purpose, such as:
- Query Structure: Voice searches tend to be longer and more conversational, resembling natural language questions. Text searches, on the other hand, typically involve shorter, keyword-focused phrases.
- Intent Understanding: Voice search relies on natural language processing (NLP) to interpret the intent behind spoken queries. Text search algorithms analyse keywords and contextual clues to determine search intent.
- Location Sensitivity: Voice searches are often location-specific, as users frequently seek local businesses or services. Text searches may or may not involve location cues.
- Device Usage: Voice search primarily occurs on mobile devices, while text search can be done on both mobile and desktop devices.
- User Behaviour: Voice search users often engage in hands-free interactions, while text search users actively type their queries.
These differences mean their optimisation strategies should be catered to differently.
Keywords research for voice search optimisation
Keyword research for voice search SEO involves identifying the specific phrases and questions that people use when conducting voice searches. This process differs from traditional keyword research for text-based searches due to the conversational nature of voice queries. Here’s a step-by-step guide to performing seo voice search strategy:
- Understand your target audience: Begin by understanding your target audience’s demographics and interests. This will help you identify the types of questions they might ask through voice search.
- Analyse existing search data: Utilise Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and other analytics tools to examine your website’s existing search traffic. Identify keywords that are already generating traffic through voice search.
- Explore voice assistant-specific tools: For voice search, you might like to use keyword research tools that cater to this specifically. Use tools like AnswerThePublic and Google Suggest to discover voice-specific keywords and phrases. These tools analyse search engine suggestions and autocomplete results to reveal common voice search queries.
- Analyse competitor websites: Review the content and keyword strategies of your competitors to identify keywords they are targeting for voice search. This can provide valuable insights into relevant phrases and questions.
- Consider local search: If your business operates in a specific location, incorporate local keywords and phrases into your research. This includes terms like “[your product or service] near me” or “[your business name] in [your location].”
- Validate keyword relevance: Use Google Trends and other keyword analysis tools to assess the search volume and relevance of your identified keywords. Prioritise keywords with strong search intent and align with your target audience’s needs.
- Incorporate keywords naturally: Once you’ve identified relevant keywords, incorporate them naturally into your website’s content, titles, meta descriptions, and FAQ sections. Avoid keyword stuffing and maintain a conversational tone.
How can I improve My Voice Search?
The voice search SEO guide above has covered it all in terms of how to undergo voice search keyword research. But there’s always room for improvement. Here are some simple steps you can take to continually improve on voice search SEO:
- Adopt Conversational Tone: Craft your website’s content in a conversational style, mimicking the natural language people use when speaking to voice assistants. Use contractions, avoid jargon, and structure sentences in a natural flow.
- Optimise for Mobile Devices: Since most voice searches occur on mobile devices, prioritise optimising your website for mobile users. Ensure your website is responsive, loads quickly, and provides a seamless user experience on smartphones and tablets.
- Monitor Performance Regularly: Continuously monitor your website’s performance in voice search results. Use analytics tools to track voice search traffic, identify keywords that are generating results, and assess the effectiveness of your optimisation strategies.
- Stay Updated on Voice Search Trends: Keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in voice search technology and user behaviour. Adapt your strategies accordingly to ensure your website remains aligned with evolving voice search trends.
- Create FAQs and Answer Sections: Develop a comprehensive FAQ section and answer sections on your website to address common questions users might ask through voice search. This provides direct answers to potential voice queries and improves your chances of appearing in voice search results.
SEO Voice Search Strategy for your Online Visibility
Voice search isn’t just the future of SEO, it is now! Voice search is rapidly growing and has become a common part of people’s everyday search habits. That is why it is important to implement voice search SEO strategies so you can maximise your company’s success.
