Voice search is a strong digital browsing trend. This AI-powered technology has reached increased levels of accuracy. Users receive fast and precise voice queries results. According to Google, about 20% of online browsing is done through voice search. It’s more convenient to use digital assistants such as Siri or Alexa for online searches. To remain relevant, marketers must optimize online content and business websites for voice search. So, here’s a list of 4 tips to optimize your website for voice queries and rank higher in Google’s search results.
Answer Prospects’ Pains
Check what words users use when they refer to your business. People use different keywords when they speak compared to when they type. For example, a user may type “Restaurant near me,” but in a voice query, they’d say “What is the nearest restaurant near me?” Find the common phrases and questions, which people use when they’re talking about your brand and answer their pain points. Tools such as “Answer the Public” and “People Also Ask” will help you brainstorm question ideas. Type in your question and the tools will list a variety of related questions. Use FAQ pages and blog posts to create content for your prospects.
Include a Google My Business Listing
Voice search comprises a high volume of local queries. Share your business’ contact information in your website’s footer and claim your My Business listing on Google. Include your company’s name, phone number, and the address. Make sure the phone number contains the area code. Voice queries are conversational. Users search for local businesses in two ways. For example, they’ll search for “Restaurant in London” or “What restaurant is near me.”
For the “Restaurant near me” query, Google will use your location and the Google My Business listing.
Leverage Structured Data
To establish a page’s ranking in search results, search engines consider a variety of factors. Structured data or schema markup indirectly impacts ranking. Although users don’t see the metadata, it helps engines categorize and organize your content. Structured data enables search enhanceme Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash nts and provides an attractive result. For example, you can include star ratings for a hotel or recipe, the operational hours and address of your business and directions to your store. Submit a sitemap to Google and make sure that robots.txt files aren’t interfering with your schema markups.
Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
People use voice search on smartphones. To rank higher in Google’s results pages, make sure that your site’s design is mobile-friendly. Use the Google mobile-friendly test tool to check if a page is responsive. The tool will determine if you must fix the page or not. It’ll provide useful recommendations to ensure that your web design is responsive. Make sure that your website’s page load speed is optimized. Collect details about your site’s load speed with Page Speed Insights. Depending on the results, Google will list a variety of optimization solutions to improve your site’s load speed. Webpagetest.org is an online tool, which you can use to determine the elements slowing down your website.
On mobile, only 5% of users read text, 37% read headings and 57% scan text, according to SensoMotoric’s study. Most users just scan text and headings guide them through the content. To improve your content’s scannability, optimize it for mobile. Use short phrases, simple words, short paragraphs, and attractive sub-headings.
Conclusion
To remain relevant and rank higher in Google’s search results, optimize your online content for voice search. Most voice searches are for local businesses. Make sure that you include your business’ contact details in Google My Business. You’ll attract prospects and boost sales. Find out what prospects are saying about your business and determine their questions.
Use online tools such as “Answer the Public” and “People Also Ask” to find related questions. Create FAQ pages and blog posts, which resolve your target audience’s pains. Structured data will help Google recognize and organize your business’ online content. And because most voice searches are made on mobile devices, make sure that your website is responsive. Optimize your page load speed and improve your content’s scannability.
Author Bio
Ian Carroll, Director of Digital Funnel who are a digital marketing agency. They specialise in helping small and medium size businesses with lead generation and driving sales.
