News Marketing

How to Optimize Your Content to Accommodate Voice Search

Evelyn Ritzi
Evelyn Ritzi
BY: Evelyn Ritzi ON October 11, 2017

The way we’re finding information is changing. Again.

In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of voice search assistants (such as Google Home, Alexa, Siri, and Cortana) revolutionize how people find information and make decisions. No longer do we need to sit down at the computer to find information or take time to type out our questions on tiny phone screens.

With a simple voice command, mobile and home voice assistants can sort through vast amounts of information to find the answers to our questions. While voice assistants are a convenient tool for many people, the rising popularity of voice search queries presents a unique array of challenges for today’s businesses.

According to a Google Trends report, Google voice searches queries have grown exponentially since the feature was introduced in 2008, with search queries rising more than 35-fold from 2008 to today. Google also stated that 20% of mobile queries are voice queries. The future is indeed hands-free. So, how can businesses optimize content for voice search? Check out our tips for making your website’s content a little more voice-friendly:

Get conversational

In content marketing, it’s well-known that a keyword is more than just a single word. For SEO purposes, long-tail keywords are your best option to beat out the competition and earn first-page rankings. But voice assistants have flipped the keyword selection process on its head. This is because we don’t use voice assistants in the same way we use traditional search engines. Instead of inputting a single word or phrase, we’re asking our voice assistants complete questions in a conversational tone, much like we would if we were talking to an actual human being. Content marketers need to adjust to this by thinking about common questions people may have about their business’s products or services and choose keywords accordingly.

Focus on localized keywords

Location already plays a large role in traditional searches, but voice searches are even more hyper-localized. This is because so many people are using mobile voice assistants to find information such as directions, stores, and restaurants. Basically, people are searching for a place near them while they’re already in the car. If your website is optimized for local keywords, it may have a greater chance of ranking at the top of search results.

Ensure your site is mobile-friendly

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly yet, what are you waiting for? With almost all voice search queries originating from a mobile device, your business may be missing out by not having a mobile-friendly website. That’s not to mention that Google is switching to mobile-first indexing in the coming year, meaning that mobile-optimized sites will rank higher than desktop according to Google’s algorithm. Remember, the purpose of voice assistants is to locate the most useful, relevant information for on-the-go users. If your website doesn’t fit those criteria, you may be left behind.

If you’re ready to start optimizing your website to accommodate the growing popularity of voice search, we can help. Whether you need to create a mobile-friendly website or rise to the top of search-engine results, contact our friendly team to get started today.

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave


Share this article: