Voice search optimization stands out as the most underused SEO element on a website. This is a shame because the number of people that use voice search keeps growing at an exponential rate to people that use mobile devices to browse the internet.
We are used to putting keyword phrases at specific places on a page and trying to get backlinks. However, we are not used to making improvements so that voice search results can point to our pages. When your site is not optimized for voice search, you lose traffic. This is why you should always use the following strategies to adapt to voice search and its benefits.
Focus On Long-Tail Keywords
In SEO in general, you should not focus on short-tail keywords but with voice search optimization, this is even more important. People never use voice search in order to look for short-tail keywords. They ask really direct queries in order to get highly relevant answers. For instance, people do not look for “brown shoes”. They look for something like “where can I buy brown shoes size X?” Always use long-tail keywords that would be used by people that utilize voice search when you optimize your content.
Build Content Based On FAQs
Try to create content that prioritizes asking frequently asked questions that start with “how”, “what”, “who” and “why”. Also, focus on an FAQ that is conversational in nature. The goal is to directly answer questions people might have.
Use An Informal Tone
This is where many businesses get it wrong. Even some search engine optimization specialists make the mistake of using formal tone when optimizing for voice search when the business uses such a tone in text content. As opposed to text search, the voice search commands are often very colloquial. They are direct so you should focus on how people speak. Then, develop content that can match this exact tone.
Use Voice Search To Understand How It Works
One of the best possible ways to understand the way in which voice search impacts a business or a website is to simply try it. You want to play with it and see how the competition ranks. As you do this, you get the opportunity to locate some really interesting long-tail keywords that can be used. Also, you might identify some long-tail keywords that the competition does not use and you can.
Think About Questions People Ask To Reach Services/Products Like Yours
After you understand the questions that people ask to find businesses like yours, it is time to focus on offering a concise and highly-direct answer. This helps gain better rankings. Try to focus on the way in which the question is going to be phrased. When you do this, you add extra words so that you can get a very concise answer. The content that you create should be built around the direct queries.
Final Thoughts
As technology evolves, there are more and more ways in which businesses can take advantage of voice search when they want to increase site traffic. Voice search even works with brick and mortar locations and optimizing for local SEO. As an example, when you own a restaurant in Seattle, providing good content based on voice search can bring you more real-world customers.
As time passes, the SEO strategy you use needs to incorporate voice search. This boosts SERP rankings and will get you used to the future when mobile devices will dominate internet use. Have patience and work hard to develop content that is optimized for voice search and you will soon reap the benefits. Just make sure that you also use the same principle to optimize content to increase sales.
