Assistant from Google. Alexa, Cortana, and Siri.
There are many excellent voice assistants available today, and they can all perform some pretty impressive functions.
One of them is to assist users in finding answers to inquiries; in other words, for anything for which a person would typically use a search engine, voice assistants may locate the resource and read it out.
The idea that voice search offers fantastic SEO potential for organizations is now nothing new.
After all, if those well-known voice assistants are reading off the answers to people’s queries, there’s a possibility that some of those answers may include the information on your website!
Additionally, the data support this:
Voice search is used by 40.2% of persons in the US.
71% of consumers say they prefer voice search to typing their web queries.
Google estimates that 27% of all web users utilize voice search on their mobile devices.
Voice search has been utilized by 58% of consumers to find information about nearby companies.
Voice search is therefore a legitimate institution that isn’t going anywhere.
Hold on, though, since just because your website has content doesn’t mean that it will appear in voice search results.
Before you start using voice search optimization in your SEO plan, there are several things you need to learn about it.
Describe voice search.
Let’s start off simply by providing a definition for voice search.
People can utilize voice commands with their smart gadgets to retrieve web resources via voice search.
It functions similarly to a computer or smartphone, with the exception that you speak to the device to conduct searches rather than typing them in.
Artificial intelligence is used by the smart device to process the user’s language, consult the appropriate search engine, and provide the best result.
All kinds of queries, including direct questions and answers, driving instructions, and jokes, are made using voice search.
Additionally, voice search continues to advance. In Google’s instance, that is largely attributable to the usage of natural language processing by the search engine.
The ability of Google, a machine, to not only read but also comprehend search queries as a human would is made possible by natural language processing, or NLP.
In other words, rather than merely understanding what was said, Google is increasingly able to understand the meaning behind queries thanks to NLP.
The advantages of using voice search to access online resources through a voice assistant are clear, but what about the advantages for businesses?
What Are the SEO Benefits of Voice Search?
The idea of how voice search might benefit your company’s SEO strategy may be beginning to form in your head if you’re only now understanding what it is.
But in case things are still a little hazy, let’s talk about the actuality of it.
The voice assistant will read a result aloud after each voice search.
Now, the voice assistant will simply provide you all the information you require while looking up instructions.
However, your voice assistant will search organic information for the solution if you have a legitimate query, such as one regarding a person’s identity, how something operates, or why something is the way it is.
Since the information the voice assistant reads can be your own, this is your moment to shine.
Typically, the featured snippet from a standard search engine results page is the answer (SERP).
Accordingly, the article that appears first receives the additional benefit of being read by users as the most reliable source to respond to their inquiry.
Showing up in someone’s voice search should undoubtedly be a goal of yours if you’re wanting to expand through SEO, as SEO is all about positioning your company as a reliable authority in your specific market sector.
The key, then, is to focus on voice search optimization.
There are a few things to keep in mind here: You can’t just do one thing to appear in voice searches.
Let’s now discuss how to make your company’s internet presence voice search-friendly.
Voice Search Can Be Targeted in Two Ways
I approach voice search optimization in two main ways: by creating quality content and by providing accurate NAP information for your local business.
You must understand the personas who are searching for things as well as what they want if you want your website to appear in voice search as an organic result or if you want your business’s NAP information to appear in the map pack.
Let’s discuss the true meaning of each of those items.
Organic Content Optimization
Therefore, you want the information on your website to appear when users search for things like “the quickest roast potato recipe,” “how photogrammetry is utilized in automobile crashes,” or “why do Dalmatians have spots.”
The basic method to approach this is to target your material at the actual intent of the inquiry, which is what consumers desire.
Why does that matter?
Consider the Dalmatian query.
Here’s what you do if you own a dog blog, investigate that keyword-based query, and want to show up as a voice search result when people search for that.
Make the query the blog post’s title.
Google gives the H1 tag, or page title, a lot of weight in organic search results.
Write a succinct yet thorough direct response in the opening paragraph of that post. The next sentence may provide more context, if necessary.
Next, compose the remainder of the article, include all the information, and add compelling components like photographs and infographics.
It can help to provide the introduction as the response the assistant will read in order to make it seem like a voice response.
But there are other things you can do if you want your response to be presented by the voice assistant as the best one and as the most reliable response on the internet.
To make your post easier for Google to comprehend, you might provide structured data for blog posts.
Structured data is also very useful for recipes and products. With the aid of that markup, Google will be better able to comprehend the specifics of the page you wish to highlight, and your content may appear in voice searches.
Why Study Kinesiology?
Always keep in mind that individuals typically use lengthier, more natural words when conducting voice searches. You should thus investigate and incorporate those longer-tail keywords into your article.
You should be able to identify the persona behind this article based on how detailed those keywords get. What are they after and who are they?
Knowing your audience will help you create engaging content, and that extra effort can be the key to getting that desired voice search result.
Optimizing Information About Local Businesses
Then there are all the nearby searchers who are looking for a place like yours in their neighborhood or who are already familiar with you and want to know more about you.
If someone voice searches for “pizza places around me,” you want to appear in the local map pack.
When someone asks the voice assistant about “X company’s business hours” or “Y business’s address,” you also want it to respond with accurate information.
Here, there are a number of things to say.
One is that maximizing the optimization of your Google Business Profile is the key to appearing in local map packs, whether through voice search or conventional search.
Including hours, addresses, images, services, a link to a website, and reviews, reviews, reviews is required.
One guaranteed approach to flourish as a local business is to ask for positive testimonials from satisfied clients.
Knowing they will have a positive experience with your business benefits people. Additionally, it demonstrates to Google that customers find this company beneficial, allowing it to continue displaying it to searches.
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Additionally, since voice searches mostly happen on mobile devices, make sure your website is optimized for mobile so that anyone looking for more information has a positive experience there.
The time is now to think about voice search
Although voice search technology is not new, its popularity is growing due to how convenient it is to access information, so if you haven’t been optimizing for it, now is the time.
Now, none of this implies that appearing in voice searches is simple.
It’s likely that many of your rivals are aiming for the same goal.
However, if you concentrate intensely on your keyword selection, their intent, and your ideal user persona, you provide your company the most opportunity to stand out through booming organic search technology.
