Since the advent of the internet, going online to search for the information we need has become a part of daily life, but with the development of mobile devices, it is becoming even easier to quickly gain access to what we need while on-the-go. However, in a world where 1.56 billion smartphones were sold in 2018 alone, it is no surprise that new technologies are being developed all the time to allow us convenient access to anything we want to know.
This has led to the development of voice search technology, which uses speech recognition for online searches. It gives the user the chance to speak into their device and directly ask for what they are looking for, rather than type it in using a keyboard. This has become a great way for quicker internet searches, and due to the rise in small smart devices, such as smart watches, small screen sizes make it harder to type in longer web searches.
By using voice searches, we can now make search engine queries, ask for specific information, as well as launch apps and programs. As artificial intelligence is becoming an integral aspect of the latest technological developments, it is important that your website is voice search compatible if you want potential visitors to be able to find your site. This is especially important as the results from a voice search may be significantly different from the results of a typed search query. Therefore, if you want your website to be as highly ranked for voice queries as it is for typed ones, then this article on how to maximize your site’s voice search performance is for you.
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
When traditional typed searches are made, short search phrases are typically used. However, when voice searches are used, long and more natural conversational phrases are more likely to be featured. Users are more likely to talk as if they are speaking to another human when using voice search features, so this should reflect what keywords you include in your content. Therefore, it is important that you do your keyword research using tools such as Keyword Tool to include both short and long-tail keywords so that your site features in search results whether it has been created by typed or voice search queries. Not only will focusing on long-tail keywords help to maximize your site’s voice search performance, it will also boost your overall SEO strategy.
Use Conversational Terms
As mentioned earlier, voice searches are more conversational than typed searches, so it is important that your site’s content features terms that you would find in conversations if you want to make the most out of its voice search performance. This includes phrases that start with who, what, where, when, and why. For example, if a user was looking for the nearest Chinese restaurant, then they would type search the words “Chinese Restaurant”, whereas when using a voice search feature, they would be more likely to ask the entire question, “Where is the nearest Chinese restaurant?”. This should give you an idea of how to optimize your site’s content for voice search performance.
Include an FAQ Page to Your Site
It is important that you don’t neglect the importance and usefulness of a Frequently Asked Questions website page. Not only are they very helpful to your visitors, they are also the perfect way to include conversational terms and questions on your site. It allows you to appropriately feature the who, what, where, when, and why questions and answers on your site that are also keywords that will help your site rank higher in search engine result listings. FAQ pages are also a great way to improve your customer service as it makes all necessary information easily accessible to users.
Be Mobile Friendly
It is essential that your site is mobile friendly, as around 60 percent of internet searches now come from mobile devices. With the world’s most popular and most used search engine Google now penalizing sites that do not offer mobile optimization by dropping their search engine ranking through their mobile-first policy, it is crucial if you want your site to be noticed while boosting traffic to your site. This is even more important if you want to maximize your site’s voice search performance as the majority of voice searches take place on mobile devices, meaning if you don’t make your site mobile-friendly, you are automatically excluding your website from the majority of internet voice searches.
Being a mobile friendly site also includes considering an optimal web design and layout. While mobile devices take longer to download data and load sites than a desktop, it is important that you use a web design layout that will show your content in a good way no matter which device it is being viewed on. Similarly, if your site takes a while to load, then the user will likely look elsewhere for the information they require, potentially by visiting one of your competitors’ site instead. You can analyze your site’s current speed using online tools such as PageSpeed Insights. It is essential that you make your site as mobile-friendly as possible if you want to improve your site’s voice search performance.
Utilize Local SEO
Through maximizing your site’s voice search performance, you can also utilize local SEO techniques. Research has suggested that around 58 percent of consumers use voice search to find and get information about local businesses. A lot of people tend to use voice search while driving or when they are on-the-move, as it allows them to search for information hands-free. Therefore, you should tailor your SEO strategy to include the location of your business as this may improve your voice search rankings and boost traffic.
While sites have spent the last few years trying to rank highly in search engine result listings created by typed searches, it is now important to consider how well your site performs in terms of voice searches as more people are swapping traditional typed searches for voice searches to find the information they need online.