“Siri, how can I optimize my content for voice search?” Voice search is one of the key ways people find what they need in today’s world. Voice recognition has come a long way — don’t be left behind without it. Let’s talk about the best way to integrate voice search into your content optimization, because you know if you’re using it, your clients are, too. OK, Google, let’s get started.
Voice Tech’s Explosive Growth
According to Wired, Alexa is your family’s new best friend. Just ask the six million U.S. families who bought an Amazon Echo – yeah, that many. (If you wanted less screen time, you got it.) Using voice search is intuitive and more natural than interacting with a keyboard — it’s almost like talking to a real live human being. Gartner, a leading new tech research and advisory company, predicted a whopping 30% of tech interactions will use voice search in 2018, or “conversations with smart machines.” Northstar Research found that 50% of teens in and 41% of adults use voice search on a daily basis in the United States. Optimizing your content for voice search will keep your business current.
Content Optimization for Voice Search
Teenagers love to talk — voice search will be second nature to them. Adding voice search optimization to your SEO strategy can only increase your future and current traffic. Let’s take a quick look at the best strategies for ranking in voice searches now.
Best Practices for Voice Search
Here are some great suggestions; take what you need, incorporate it into your daily practice, and wait for the stellar results.
- Create longer long-tail keywords (voice search queries can be five or more keywords longer)
- Use conversational words like you’re talking to a friend
- Use trigger words like “who,” “what,” “where,” “best,” “why,” and “when”
- Ask yourself what your client might ask of a digital assistant and how
Snippets — What the Heck are They?
A snippet box is that first entry that pops up on your screen when you do a device Google search. Snippets usually include a quick answer to your question, a link to the page, and the URL. Getting your website on the top snippet position is called “position zero” and is the goal of SEO strategists the world over. If your snippet is featured, the snippet is more likely to appear in voice search results.
Reality Voice Search
Okay, enough B.S. — what do people really ask their voice search apps? Well, they talk to them like they would a good friend. They yell out whatever they want as if their voice search tool was a having dinner with them or a beer in the backyard. Treat your voice search SEO optimization the same way — and don’t forget to use the voice search tool’s name, even if it won’t deliver a six-pack, yet.
