Voice Search is changing the way Google is Handling Its Search Queries
Bluetooth technology has elevated the need for voice search. Consumers are using voice assistants as a faster and simpler way to complete everyday activities. Gone are the days of seeking answers through search queries by typing in keywords. Technological advances allow users to search by speaking, thus enabling today’s multitaskers to become more efficient. To stay afloat in this world of multi-tasking, it is vital that your website is optimized for voice search.
Meet “Mom the Multitasker”
Mom is diligently getting her Peleton workout on at the gym and recalls that she forgot to start the pot roast for dinner. Fortunately, she can instruct her Smart Home to start the crockpot in an effort to get dinner started. As mom is showering after her workout, her phone alerts remind her to pick up the family pet from the groomer on the way home. Mom forgot to include the address to her Google calendar when she set the reminder. Fortunately, she can easily ask her car – which is connected to her cellphone to look up and call “Four Paws”. (Hopefully “Four Paws” has optimized their website for voice search so this feat is possible.)
Mom might ask “search for Four Paws in Anytown, USA” or she may ask “find Four Paws pet grooming near me”. There is a plethora of combined keywords that mom might use – and the success of Four Paws relies on optimizing their website for voice search
Voice-Enabled Search Use is High
Recent studies have been conducted with consumers concerning their familiarity with voice technology. Of those surveyed, only 10% were not familiar with voice-enabled products and devices. Of the 90% who were familiar, nearly 72% of the respondents have used voice assistant. More important is that the differences between spoken and typed queries may cause different SERP results. Websites using voice search optimization will have better chances of being found.
How to Optimize Your Site for Voice Enabled Search
The following is a list of essential factors that should be considered when optimizing your website for voice search.
- Featured Snippets: Focus on quality data to insert into your featured snippet of every post and page on your website. The SEO Yoast plugin is very effective at helping you to build a featured snippet for your website pages. Essentially you want to be sure to include your keyword phrase as the slug, followed by supporting sentences that emphasize the keywords.
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Long-tail Keyword Combinations. Long-tail keywords are search terms and phrases that – as their name implies – are longer than the typical search query. Unlike a typed search query, spoken searches are more conversational. Voice searches reflect how people speak in everyday life. By targeting long-tail, conversational keywords and phrases, you stand a much better chance of ranking for these queries and appearing prominently in search results.
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User Intent. People often use the phrase “near me”. Be sure that your address information is prominently displayed on your website for Google to search for. What are the actual products and services you offer? If you are the groomer in my scenario, it would make sense to be sure to include heavy content on dog grooming products and services.
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Page Speed. Google will rank pages with faster page speed. Conversely, pages that load slower means that search engines crawl fewer pages and this could negatively affect your indexation.
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Schema Metadata. Also known as Structured Data, Schema allows you to “describe” what the data on your website means, in more detail. This is one of the most underutilized SEO practices. Visit schema.org to learn more.
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Local SEO. When you add content to your website, be sure to always GEO-target your products and services. If you offer Boutique Clothing as a product, your content should be added as Boutique Clothing, Boston MA.
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Updated Google My Business Listing. Google auto generates a Google My Business listing for all websites. A majority of website owners fail to claim and verify their listing. Getting on Google My Business can increase your chances of showing up in Google’s Local Pack, Local Finder, Google Maps, and organic rankings in general.
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Frequently Asked Questions. One of the most effective ways to provide content-rich data for describing your products and services is to include a frequently asked questions page. Be sure to use a conversational tone that aligns with Google’s latest search queries.