Tips for optimizing a Website for Voice Search
Research suggests that by 2020 half of all internet searches will be made by voice search. Voice search entails speaking into a device, such as an assistant appliance, phone or increasingly a desktop computer to perform a search. It is quicker and easier than typing, a top search result comes straight back eliminating a need to scroll and therefore seen as more convenient.
Making changes to your SEO content to accommodate voice search can lead to more web traffic and a better user experience so we’ve put together a few tips to get your website optimized for this growing trend.
Consider first the type of search voice users make. They tend to be question based and so are longer phrases than those that would be typed in. They also include more specific search phrases with more intent. For example “warehouses for sale in Biggleswade” has more intent for a purchase than a search for “Biggleswade warehouses”. So include long tail keywords (a 3 or 4 word phrase that is very specific to your business) in your content and if possible have it based around a response to questions. Internal links are good way to incorporate these keywords.
FAQ pages work particularly well with voice search; just ensure the information provided is not too complex as voice search results tend to be at a simple to understand level, in a conversational tone.
Next we can look at where a voice search result reads out information from. These are the Snippets, which are the pieces of text google shows in a box as the answer to a search query. They are taken from a webpage. So it’s a good idea to go back over existing snippets in blog pieces etc. and edit them to include more keyword phrases.
A significant number of voice requests are ‘Near me’ searches so it’s vital to make sure your local listings information is accurate. Try and add geographic information such as your town or city to your content.
Finally webpage speed is very important as google rank fast loading pages higher. And of course ensure your site is mobile friendly as this is where most voice searches are made.
