How to Properly Optimize your Website SEO for Voice Search

< Blog
Updated on: January 9th, 2023Olga Pechnikova7 min read
How-to-Properly-Optimize-your-Website-SEO-for-Voice-Search-visual

Voice search has been around for almost a decade and it has come a long way in that time. When Siri was first introduced in 2011 it was more novelty than useful. However, innovation has become a digital trend that does not appear to be slowing down. According to a recent report, there are 50 million installed smart speakers alone, which is in addition to smart assistants on mobile devices such as Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant. As a top web development company, we understand the impact voice search will have on search interactions. That is why we wanted to share our tips for how to Properly Optimize your Website SEO for voice search.

Is Voice Search the Future?

According to recent data, voice search is trending towards being the future and much of that has to do with advances in voice recognition AI. As of May 2017, Google’s machine learning-backed voice recognition has achieved a 95% accuracy rate for standard English. As accuracy increases, more users will become comfortable using voice assistants for search.

Currently, many voice assistants are used for basic commands, such as launching an app to complete a task like making a phone call. However, looking at the business landscape it is very apparent that Google and other industry leaders are expecting voice search to increase in usage. Many large testing and auditing groups have already begun large scale reviews of voice search input versus results to clarify user intent and find what content will meet the needs of most users based on input.

The main reason voice search is the future of search interactions is ease-of-use. According to Google Insights, these are the top reasons people use voice-activated speakers:

  • Allows for multitasking
  • Instant access to information and answers
  • Faster interactions
  • Increases day-to-day efficiency

Website SEO Optimization Tips for Voice Search

Taking the time to focus on website SEO optimization for voice search now rather than later will allow marketers to get the most out of this emerging technology. Voice search is already increasing in use with mobile devices with people on the go looking for specific information about businesses such as hours or location. That is why businesses should include voice search queries as part of their overall SEO optimization plan.

  • Expand the keywords used for SEO – People type differently than they speak which is an important distinction when it comes to SEO. Voice search tends to ask questions or make more complete statements as people speak to a voice assistants like they would a person. Therefore, keywords for SEO purposes should include long-tail phrases and variations to better align with the search input. A fantastic resource is Answer the Public, which is a website that will convert search terms into commonly asked questions for those terms based on advanced data analysis. This is especially useful for FAQs pages.
  • Create a FAQ page – Building off the prior point, voice search commonly involves people asking their device a question. The search algorithm is going to then look for the best answer to that question. In some cases, the questions will be a simple know query for something like the current temperature or the score of a baseball game. In other cases, the answer will be more specific and will require a more detailed answer. FAQ pages are the perfect place for those detailed answers that also includes the natural phrasing of the question. FAQ pages should use a conversational tone as if two people are speaking. Answers should be limited to about 30 words and use the active voice along with common terms. Ideally, a high-school level of writing is appropriate to meet the needs of most users.
  • Google Business listing – A business should always claim their Google Business listing and then ensure it stays current and optimized. Voice search on the local level, such as from a mobile user, is often used to find basic information which the listing provides. The GBL should have important key details, current photos, website links, menus, etc. and should always be updated when any business aspects change.
  • Develop content for voice search – Take the time to integrate content that provides answers to common and important questions at various points in the customer journey. This will ensure that your business is in a position to provide information via voice search at any stage the customer needs you. Along with FAQ pages, content such as guides, how-to articles, product information, product comparisons, and press releases should be integrated into the site structure.
  • Site speed – Testing has indicated that voice search results load faster than average pages. This would indicate that a premium is placed on providing mobile users with faster results based on their mobility and needs. In addition to helping with SEO efforts, improving site speed provides a better user experience. Optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, using Accelerated Mobile Pages, improving server time, and other speed optimization techniques should be enacted because page speed is a mobile ranking factor.
  • Build Skills or Actions – Smart assistants can interact with your content or app if you create Actions (Google) or custom Skills (Alexa). For example, The Tonight Show created a skill so people can ask, “Alexa, open The Tonight Show.” Smaller businesses such as regional radio programs have done the same. By creating new actions or skills related to your brand or industry, it will be easier for people to access and interact with your products or services.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that voice search is going to be used more often and it is important to not only understand how to properly optimize your website SEO for voice search but also to start immediately. As the market becomes more competitive, it is important to stay ahead of the curve and develop a niche first rather than having to battle other businesses for the niche they have already established.

Be sure to check back every week for great new Lounge Lizard blog articles.

Published on: May 2nd, 2019
Blog cta banner bg

DRIVE YOUR SALES TO NEW HEIGHTS!

Related articles

file-10
7 min read

Top 6 Reasons Why Brands Need to Consider OTT and Connected TV Advertising

January 10th, 2023

Advances in technology are felt in almost every industry which in turn changes how businesses need to approach interactions in those industries. For marketing, one area [...]

IMG_2929
8 min read

Why Using Popular Hashtags on Instagram is Helpful in Engaging Customers

January 6th, 2023

Hashtags are a unique topic for marketing as they are often used incorrectly on the various social media platforms. What started as a simple filter method [...]

BlogPost Why Instagram Stories are Important for Social Media Marketing 1447by737
6 min read

Why Instagram Stories are Important for Social Media Marketing

January 6th, 2023

Instagram is an extremely popular social media platform with 1.1 billion monthly users which makes it fertile ground for marketing. With a global reach that connects [...]

BlogPost The Difference between Responsive and Adaptive Web Design 1447by737
6 min read

Understanding the Difference Between Responsive and Adaptive Web Design

January 9th, 2023

Is your business website adaptive? Or is it responsive? Between the two, which is the more effective design style for your business needs? This is a [...]

How-to-Use-Quora-for-Marketing-visual2
6 min read

How to use Quora for Marketing

January 9th, 2023

People will always have questions and now they turn directly to the internet for answers. This continual need for information creates a unique opportunity for brands [...]

file-7
6 min read

How can AI Benefit your Customer Experience?

January 10th, 2023

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is on the rise in the business world and for good reason; it’s effective. In a 2017 survey it was [...]

How to Properly Optimize your Website SEO for Voice Search
Share On:
Newsletter Sign Up

"*" indicates required fields

0 of 60 max characters
0 of 60 max characters

Ready To Grow Revenue?

Digital Experiences That’s Driven Growth Since 1998

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Help My Business*

New York City
112 West 34th Street
18th Floor
New York, NY 10120
Long Island
991 Main St.
Suite 200
Holbrook, NY 11741
Washington D.C.
1101 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 450
Washington, DC 20036
Nashville
424 Church St
Suite 2000
Nashville, TN 37219
Los Angeles
1100 Glendon Avenue
17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Miami
1221 Brickell Ave
Suite 900
Miami, FL 33131
Charleston
170 Meeting Street
Charleston, SC 29401
Richmond
919 E. Main Street
Suite 1000
Richmond, VA 23219
Las Vegas
2300 West Sahara Avenue
800
Las Vegas, NV 89102
Austin
2021 Guadalupe Street
260
Austin, Texas 78705
HEY, DON'T GO!
We have an important message from our
Co-Founder Ken Braun.
Video popup poster
GET READY
TO GROW
WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO
MEETING YOU!
Please fill the form.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Exit popup final
CHAT SOON!