Google launched the voice search back in 2009 but it required the users to call a phone number & speak their search when prompted. Obviously, it didn’t go down well with the users and it remained an ambitious project of the Google until recent years.
Now the voice search is more convenient & accurate than ever and that’s why the searching habits of the users are changing, again. We, humans, are hard-wired to be lazy and that’s the reason we prefer the most convenient option. Now we can search using our mobile or any home assistant devices.
If you are a local business owner, Now is the time to start optimizing for the voice search.
According to the recent studies, people are using voice search mostly to find location-based information. So if you have a local business, it’s time to create a new SEO strategy targeting voice search users.
Target long tail keywords
Before you start optimizing your site for the voice search, it’s crucial to understand how it works. Saying a long sentence is still more convenient than typing a few words and that’s the reason why voice search is catching up, fast. When it comes to text search, people type few keywords. Example: “Lord of the rings series” & then search for the information, in voice-search, they get more specific “how many films are there in LOTR series”
Understanding how the users search and incorporating that search pattern into your content is a great way to get ahead. Voice search makes it easy for everyone to ask questions, without struggling with the tiny keys. The fact that human can barely type 40 words in a minute but can speak up to 150 words pushes the length of the keywords even further. So start targeting long tail keywords.
Write conversational content
The voice searches are more conversational. So create content using the simplest word, the word we use in everyday life and most importantly while speaking. When it comes to writing, we use our vocabulary to its full extent, but that’s not the case while speaking. Identify the questions that your targeted customers can ask, and then use the simplest words possible to answer those questions.
Include Micro-data markup
Googleshows bits of your content on the search page to help users quickly find the answers. The feature that allows that is called rich snippets. Although it’s great for users, it’s not really great for SEO professionals and site owners since it creates an extra hurdle. But there’s no turning back to it, especially if you are optimizing your site for voice searches. So utilize micro markup data to the fullest and make bits of your content appear on the SERP. If you want to learn more about it, head straight to schema.org.
A Mobile friendly site is a must
Having a mobile-friendly site not only help you with the general SEO but also with the Voice search SEO. Voice-enabled digital assistants like Alexa & Google home are the preferred choice when it comes to voice search, but you can’t underestimate the mobiles. Although people still feel shy while using voice search in public, the shyness is fading up. Thanks to the sophisticated AI that now fetches relevant results.
Voice search still has a little way to go before it becomes fully mainstream but it is getting there, FAST. Embracing Voice search now will give you an unprecedented advantage over your competitors and a good reputation among your customers.
