Thanks to apps with voice recognition capabilities such as Apple’s Siri, Google’s Google Home Search and Google search, and Amazon’s Alexa, voice search is big in a new way of looking up information online. Of course, this means that the way people find content is different, so it’s time to pay attention to how voice search is changing SEO.
According to Google, voice searches are currently at a 20% of mobile app and Android services searches. This number is expected to increase gradually in the future, with predictions such as ComScore’s announcing that by 2020, 50% of all searches will be made by voice.
How voice search is changing SEO
Since it’s faster and more convenient to talk directly into your phone than typing in a search query, users are starting to gravitate towards voice search. This in turn makes it so that the way in which we phrase and word our searches also changes, directly affecting SEO and marketing practices based on keyword search, especially now that word accuracy keeps improving.
All of this means that the way people are asking search engines for a query is changing. Instead of typing “mexican food restaurant NYC”, they are asking “where is the best mexican food restaurant in New York city?”. So, how exactly is voice search changing SEO, search traffics, and marketing strategies?
Natural language searches
A voice search involves structured, full and grammatically correct sentences, which means that the traditional way in which SEO uses keywords no longer works as well for optimizing and it becomes necessary to keep in mind natural language searches.
With this in mind, Google is already working on how to best accommodate conversational search queries into their system.
An increase in mobile searches
The use of voice search is more popular in mobiles since it brings greater convenience for the users, who can now ask their search queries while driving or handling other activities. This means that the number of mobile searches and mobile voice search users is growing day by day, so optimizing your site for mobile is imperative more now than ever.
Searches have become more local-based
There’s plenty of research indicating that voice searches are much more focused on local-based searches than text-based ones. Because voice search depends entirely on language and people speak many different languages, online businesses looking to rank properly must take into consideration the SEO localization strategies in order to not get lost amongst the organic search results.
How to stay up to date with voice search changing SEO
Since this has become an increasingly popular tool, business owners looking to stay on top must adjust to the way voice search is changing SEO.
Long-tail keywords are still a must
Since voice searchers may use longer queries, it’s time to take into consideration natural language and target long-tail keywords. Consider the way your prospects will most likely phrase their searches and use analytics tools to help you search for terms that fit best.
Take advantage of FAQ pages
A FAQ page is filled with sets of questions that customers are most likely to ask, making this a great way to optimize your website and include words used in voice search queries such as “what”, “where”, “when”, “who”, “how” and “why”. By providing answers to these questions in your blog and social media posts as well as in your website, your chances to rank higher amongst voice searches improve.
Take a natural approach to your content
Since search queries are made in a natural conversational tone, voice search is changing SEO by making it necessary for marketers to write content in a natural voice. This makes the brand much more conversational so that your site is more related to customer’s voice searches.
Mobile responsiveness is a major must
By this time, your website should already be adapted to mobile browsing in order to play well with search engine results. However, in 2019 and thanks to all the ways in which voice search is changing SEO, this has become a fully indispensable feature. As we mentioned earlier, voice searches are mostly mobile-based, meaning that in order to follow a successful SEO strategy your site must be adapted to fit this format.
Localize your content
Since searches have become more local-based thanks to voice search, with customers using specific locations and words such as “near me” or “around me” when basing their questions, businesses must stay up to date and improve their localization strategies in order to receive more traffic.
Voice search is here to stay which changes and affects SEO deeply. Therefore, as a smart online business strategy, you should be taking advantage of these tips and tricks to start optimizing your content for the changes ahead so that your website doesn’t end up buried at the bottom of search results.
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