It is nothing new to users, but companies are still adjusting to the constant changes in technology. While you may not be using voice to search while on your mobile device, most of your users are. As you market your business, you will want to make sure you reach customers in every way possible. This includes making sure you are knowledgeable about voice search for SEO, and more importantly, how to optimize a website for voice search.
Why Is Voice Search for SEO So Important?
When you are researching how to optimize a website for voice search, you will first want to know why it is so important to your company. As a marketer, you should already be aware that sites need SEO to help drive the correct traffic to your site. You want people who are going to purchase your products, but you also want them to know that you are the company with the answers they need.
When search engines first became popular, you were forced to research specific terms and keywords. The phrases were rarely natural speech and would sound awkward in the text. Thankfully, with voice search for SEO becoming more regular, written search terms are becoming a thing of the past.
Voice Search for SEO Growth
The next step in how to optimize a website for voice search is to understand the growth in the field. Searching via voice commands was believed to be used 20-percent of the time back in 2018 by just Android phone users. There are millions more using iOS. It is believed that the trend is still only just starting.
As technology is reaching more people, the old and the young are finding it easier to speak commands rather than fight with the keyboard to type it out. It is also faster to speak what you want, rather than type it out and deal with autocorrect. Therefore, voice search for SEO has become an effective and accurate way to reach your potential customers.
How to Optimize Website for Voice Search
After understanding why you need to change your SEO layout, you will need to learn about how to do it. Voice search for SEO is very different, as it relies on the full phrases that people use when searching. There are seven ways to make sure your site is ready for voice search and will reach as many people as possible.
1. Page Speed
In today’s age, people demand things to reach them quickly and clearly. They do not like to wait around, so search engines favor any website that can load quickly as well. Therefore, when you set up your website for voice search, you will want to have a speed test run to make sure it is optimized.
2. Use SSL for Security
Websites that are secured using SSL and certifications will be better prepared for voice search for SEO purposes. Google is not shy about the fact they give preferential treatment to sites, and they even tell you what they view as important. When figuring out how to optimize a website for voice search, it is important to ensure people visiting your site will be safe. This is true for both simple blog websites and sites for eCommerce.
3. Use FAQ Pages
So, exactly how do you optimize a website for voice search if your site is secured and loads quickly? The answer lies in frequently asked question pages. A person asking a question in a search engine is more likely to find your page if you have a page answering common questions for your service. If your site is set up properly using voice search for SEO, you will reach clients using phrases they would commonly ask.
4. Create Long and Short Content
There is a big debate about what type of content you should have on your site, but for voice search for SEO, the best is to have both long and short content. You will want to make sure that you have content that thoroughly answers a potential client’s questions, but you will also want to make it easy to read. If they feel fulfilled by your content, they will return regularly, and your site will grow on search engines as trusted. Not all questions will require a lengthy answer, however, so be sure to use short, concise answers when necessary.
5. Keep Things Simple
Keeping it simple is extremely vital in terms of voice search for SEO. This is best done with short content that will allow you to put an internal link in your FAQ that will lead a customer directly to the product that will suit their needs. If they get their needs met quickly, they will come back to your business. This goes back to the fact that customers want things immediately.
6. Use Social Media
Another solution to how to optimize website for voice search is to use social media. This is where you will find many of your potential customers. People are active on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. They all have search options that allow people to use voice to text, and your page will be displayed as a result if you are active. Businesses should have a social media page where reviews, links, products, and more can be displayed. Having a social media page means you can actively interact with customers in real-time.
7. Maintain Top Status
Finally, when optimizing voice search for SEO, you will want to maintain first page search results once you obtain them. What this means is not only do you need to know how to optimize a website for voice search, but you also need to maintain your ranking so that your website will show up on the first page of search results when users conduct a search. This is particularly important since many people do not take the time to travel beyond the first page of search results.
This is done by creating evergreen content and having people available to help customers no matter what time zone they are in. If you are only operating within a certain time frame, set up autoresponders to let people know that you will get back to them during the next business day. As you maintain your influence, you will see customers trust your product more, and your business will continue to grow.
Voice Search Take Away
What is the take away for optimizing a website for voice search? You need people to visit your site in order to make sales, but you need to find a way to grab their attention. Knowing your customers is the first step and making sure they get to your page with a vocal search is the second. Providing them with a site that has meaningful content and loads in a quick, secure format will keep them on your site. However, as a marketer, you will want to make sure your site is optimized for text entry and a vocal search.