Is Voice Search the Future of SEO Success?
Posted July 28, 2016
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Technology is making great strides in communication today and voice recognition is leading the way in how consumers search online. A Google search no longer involves just a familiar box that helps desktop users find goods and services. These days, Google takes into account more advanced end-user preferences and divides its searches across different interfaces so everyone stays better connected. Today, you can still search everywhere on the web but there are many forms and formats to choose from. In order for your company and brand to stay relevant, you have to understand and inject yourself into these different indexes and arrange it so your website is first in answering the questions these users have.
This makes us wonder, “Is Voice Search the future of SEO success?” Let’s take a look at this rising influence and the possibilities that exist for your business when you embrace it for greater visibility.
For more voice search mobility:
- Make Your Site More Mobile-Friendly – Google has a test now so you can see exactly how mobile-friendly your site really is because this is one of their top SEO ranking factors. With most consumer searches taking place on mobile phones today, voice search is becoming a bigger part of this process and you have to adjust so your website shows up on these searches and is viewable on these smaller screens.
- Focus on Long-tail Key Phrases – These longer phrases are valuable in Voice Search SEO because they answer the questions people actually ask when they make these searches. For example, saying “affordable discount shoes and footwear for women” at your site, improves your ranking efforts more than when you simply say, “buy discount shoes online”. Google Suggest gives you some good ideas for these phrases because it uses data from the most popular searches it finds.
- Think Locally — When people use Voice Search, they want action on this information right away. They want to know where the nearest Pizza Parlor is when they are on the go or how to locate a computer technician who can come out to their house between noon and 3 p.m. tomorrow. By adding full and correct information to places like Google+ Local, Yellow Pages and Facebook, this encourages your customers to leave positive reviews that Voice Search ranks by number and the average rating of these reviews.
- Use Natural Language– The way people are interacting with voice search is different from your average search box query. These conversational searches are no longer just based on keywords, they need real life “who, what, where, why and how” answers in order to outrank your competition. Users are now telling voice search that there is a burning smell coming from their heating system behind the house instead of just typing in “heat repair near me”. If you try using Google Voice Search and ask the questions you think might bring people to your site, this lets you see what currently ranks at the top and what is actually working for others.
At a recent Google I/O developer conference, they announced that 20 percent of all searches have voice intent which makes this an astronomical number considering there are over 100 billion searches performed each day. And the more customers use it, the more powerful this technology becomes. The future of this database is on the rise because it accurately captures what consumers look for today and is their go-to resource for convenience. It’s also safer; especially when they are driving and when their hands or vision are otherwise occupied. When you use a FAQ Strategy in your SEO marketing plan today, you’ll focus more on the “who, what, where, why and how” questions these customers are now asking and optimize your business better in the future.
