“Hey Siri, how do I optimize my content for voice search?”
According to Google, 20% of internet searches done within their app are voice-activated; that’s roughly 1.7 billion daily searches.
Whether you’re B2C or B2B, this is the perfect opportunity to reach prospective customers. Otherwise, your content is as good as mute if it doesn’t speak the language of voice assistants.
How do you go about it?
Consider these eight voice search optimization tips to make your content acceptable to both humans and bots.
1. Use Natural Language
Think of how you speak to your phone or smart speaker.
You will most likely say, “What’s the best Pizza restaurant near me?” as opposed to how you would type, “Pizza restaurant New York City.”
That’s what makes voice search different. It’s casual and natural, like talking to your buddy.
Your content needs to mimic this natural tone for voice search optimization. Tone down on the formal style and go for a more authentic style.
Here are a few pointers to help you out:
- Avoid formal words or technical jargon unless necessary. Use phrases that you’d normally use in everyday talk.
- Break up long blocks of text into shorter, easy-to-understand sentences. This will make your writing feel more natural and keep your audience engaged.
- Use contractions such as don’t, can’t, and I’m to make your text sound friendly and informal.
- Personal pronouns I, we, you, and us will create a connection with the audience.
- Finally, ask thought-provoking or rhetorical questions to keep the audience engaged.
2. Long Tail Keywords
Here at Adogy, we’ve always championed long-tail keywords.
Long tail keywords are simply longer and more specific phrases. While their search volume is normally low, they have a higher conversion rate.
For instance, someone searching ‘how to bake a strawberry cake without eggs’ is likely looking for a quick recipe for that particular moment.
Long-tail keywords work well with voice speech for two reasons. One, they mirror natural speech patterns, and two, they often include intent.
The trick with these keywords is to understand what the audience is asking and then create high-quality content that resonates with them.
3. Optimize for Local SEO
Most people use voice search to try and find local spots– a coffee shop near them, their favorite pizzeria, or a shorter route to their destination.
As such, it’s important to have your business information listed online for local SEO. Cross-check that the name and phone number you’ve provided are correct. Add directions or a Google map to your physical address to help people and search engines locate you faster.
And don’t forget about the reviews. They matter a lot. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely voice assistants will recommend you.
4. Focus on Featured Snippets
Search engines, including voice assistants, love snippets: those quick answer boxes at the top of search results.
Google provides one snippet per query, which means it’s what everyone contends for.
To win this spot, keep your answers short and direct. You’ve probably heard this a million times already, but that’s only because it’s important.
Short and easy-to-read sentences are your friend. Like this one.
Long, fluffy sentences that are difficult to understand often serve more to obscure meaning, confuse readers, and ultimately undermine the impact and clarity of one’s message. Like this one.
Answer the question first, ideally within the first two sentences; then, you can expand with more information in the other headings.
It also helps if you can format your content using lists or steps for enhanced readability.
5. Use Structured Data (Schema Markup)
Schema markup helps search engines understand your content. It tells Google what your business is about, your prices, reviews, and everything relevant.
By using schema markup, you make it easier for search engines to categorize your content, increasing the likelihood of your content getting noticed.
Tools such as Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool will help you with your markup.
6. Page Load Speed
Like everyone else, voice assistants don’t like waiting.
They are trying to provide their ‘bosses’ with the best answer within the shortest possible time. That means your pages need to load fast, or else they’ll skip you and go to the next result.
You snooze, you lose.
There are a few ways to keep your site fast. My favorite is by compressing images. Since images take a long time to load, reduce their sizes to improve speed without compromising quality.
Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights will also help you determine what’s slowing things down.
7. Keep Content Mobile Friendly
27% of voice searches happen on mobile devices. That’s why it’s important to keep your content mobile-friendly.
Your site should look good and load fast on all screen sizes, including smartphones.
To do so, use a responsive design and fonts large enough to read. Go the extra mile by testing for bugs with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.
It may not seem like much, but it’s a step forward in helping with voice search optimization.
8. Test. Test. Test
If you try one (or more) of these tactics and it works, that’s useful information. If it fails terribly, that’s also useful information.
As digital marketers, we often avoid trying new things for fear of failure. Failure isn’t a stop sign but rather an indication to return to the drawing board and try new tactics.
Voice search, like all technology, is constantly evolving. And we also need to evolve with it.
Update your content periodically to make it fresh and relevant, try different tones and styles, and share your content on social media to boost visibility.
It’s okay if you don’t get it right after the first try.
Still Not Getting it Right?
We get it. Good content can be difficult to create, even for professionals.
It requires time, skill (lots of it) and effort. Luckily, we’ve got all three here at Adogy. We specialize in crafting high-quality, compelling content that delivers results.
Why struggle when you don’t have to? Reach out today, and we’ll fine-tune your content for voice search optimization.
