The SEO industry is embracing voice search optimization with enthusiasm. It is the fastest-growing search trend, as people adopt voice search and voice-based assistants more than ever.
What is Voice Search?
Also referred to as voice-enabled, voice search allows the web user to utilize a voice command to search the Internet, a website, or an app. In a broader definition, voice search includes open-domain keyword query on any information on the Internet. There are several types of voice search, such as Google Voice Search, Cortana, Siri and Amazon Echo. Smartphones using iOS and Android give users the option to enable Speech to Text Searching Assistant. The Speech to Text Searching Assistant makes it faster and easier to search apps, web search, or image and video search for the content you want.
Why use voice search? On average, people type at a speed of 40 words per minute. Voice interactions are more efficient in comparison at 150 words per min.
Top Ways to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search
As people rely more and more on this quick and reliable search option, businesses will need to assure that their content is optimized for voice search. These are the top ways to optimize for voice.
- Restructure your content.
Your content is the foundation of your SEO. Voice optimization also depends on the content; however, it’s important to rethink the way you write your content. Here’s how you should write your content:
- Use conversational language.
- Focus on the detailed answers to common questions.
- Include FAQs in your product detail pages.
- Improve content readability.
Nearly 70% of queries made to Google Assistants are expressed in natural language and constructed very differently from manually typed search queries.
2. Target Long-Tail Keywords.
When people search using the search bar, they use short phrases. e.g., Julia Donaldson’s books. However, when they use speech-to-text, they use long questions, e.g., What are the best Julia Donaldson books?
Google, Yelp, and Bing together have a 90% share of the world’s search directories, according to a study conducted by Uberall.
3. Use Schema Markup.
Schema markup tells Google more about your website. Adding it to your HTML is like adding an enhanced description for Google to search, classify, and organize the website. It is not visible to the visitors because we do not direct it towards them. Schema gives you an edge over other businesses, but it may not affect your rankings directly.
Nearly half of voice users turn to local search for business review ratings and discover new businesses (at 47% and 46%, respectively).
4. Think Mobile & Local.
People search on the go using their mobiles. Usually, these searches are focused on local businesses, e.g., restaurants near me. Optimize your content separately for computer and mobile versions. Mobile versions should focus on local searches.
Another voice assistant statistic reveals that the most common uses for mobile voice assistants are in the car while driving (62%) and while relaxing at home (38%).
5. Improve Website Loading Time.
Google favors fast loading websites more than slow speed websites. If your website loads slowly, Google will not use it for voice search results. You can help improve your load speed by using compressed images and videos, using async to reduce JavaScript parsing, and reducing redirects.
Voice optimization is the fastest growing SEO trend; therefore, websites need to work on it. For voice optimization, you will need to work on your website’s content, technology, and responsiveness.
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