By now, most of us have used or at least heard of popular voice assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant. The one thing that all of these have in common is that they are voice-activated and designed to help you with your search queries. Although the technology is still relatively new, most people who have used it can certainly agree that it can come in handy for times when you can’t be bothered to manually search for what you are looking for. After all, why would you waste time Googling about the weather forecast for the day when you can get an answer from Siri or Alexa in seconds?
Having a device or app that works by listening to what we say has given technology a more personal feel for many people. And as a result, the latest development in this industry is taking the world by storm, with around 50% of adults and even more teenagers now using voice search on a regular basis.
As this technology becomes more advanced and Google’s AI is now claimed to have an accuracy of 95%, it’s clear to see that ignoring voice search is no longer an option for SEO. With at least 40-50% of smartphone users making use of voice search on a daily basis, the trend is not going anywhere soon.
The Connection Between SEO and Voice Search
It might come as a surprise that despite its growing popularity, voice search has been rather neglected with it comes with SEO. In recent years, organizations have worked hard to ensure that searching for things using your voice has become both a useful and enjoyable tool to utilize, and that getting the answers that you need doesn’t take any more than just a few seconds of your time.
Today, with voice search entering the realm of SEO, it is no longer just a tool designed to make user’s lives easier, but it has also become a new line of competition in SEO. With companies working on improving their AI, websites around the world have also had to race to ensure that their content is optimized for voice search.
Today, it’s important for both small businesses and well-established companies to take into consideration how voice search queries are likely to affect their SEO.
How to Use Voice Search for Better SEO
First of all, it’s important to make sure that your current SEO is solid before you start considering voice search. Any expert will tell you that good SEO takes a long time to build, and starting from scratch is not always the best way to ensure that your website is voice-search-friendly. When it comes to voice search, the longer and more detailed that your content is, the better it is likely to rank.
It’s also important to consider the words that you are using on your website. Traditionally, keywords in content have been in line with the type of queries that people type into Google when searching. And research has shown that when we are manually searching for something, we tend to use shorter words and sentences to keep the level of effort down as low as possible. On the other hand, people tend to use longer words and sentences when using voice search, because it takes less time to describe what you are looking for by speaking it.
Voice searchers are also typically looking for immediate results, so it’s important to put out as much information as is relevant and can be used straight away. For example, if a searcher is looking for a business like yours, they are more likely to get in touch with the first one that they see on the results page as long as all the relevant information is included.
Optimizing Your Content for Natural Language and Questions
Unlike when searching manually in Google, users taking advantage of Hey Siri on Mac, for example, tend to use more natural language and more questions. You can find out more about how to set up Hey Siri on Mac at Setapp. Setapp offers a range of reviews and how-to guides to various technology questions, including getting started with using voice search yourself. You can also source productivity apps from their curated selection.
Using voice search yourself is a good place to start since it will help you get a better understanding of the type of language people are more likely to use when speaking their search queries rather than typing.
Most people do not search by keyword when using a voice assistance. In normal conversations, we do not typically converse using single words – however, this does happen a lot when making a type search. It’s important to bear in mind that users are going to communicate in a more natural manner when using a voice assistance, speaking to the assistant as if they were another person in the room. As a result, answering user queries has become a top priority in the world of SEO.
More Focus on Local Listings
Since voice search increases the need for a single answer. If you ask a voice assistant like Alexa or Google Assistant where to find a certain item or service, it will usually provide you with just one item or a list of local stores or businesses where you can find it. As a result, it has become more important for local businesses to ensure that they are listed correctly online. Since many people use their voice assistant like they are speaking to a friend in the room, it’s no surprise that many searches are based on location.
Because of this, it has become even more important for businesses to ensure that they are correctly listed on Google My Business. You will be able to list all the key features of your business without the need for the user to visit your website, including your phone number, address, and opening hours. If a voice assistant finds your business to be the top local choice for a user’s queries, you need to ensure that they are going to be able to find you or get in touch easily.
With more people than ever before now making use of voice search technology, it has changed the way that businesses need to approach SEO. Providing more answers to questions and ensuring accurate local listings have become a priority in the world of voice search.