By 2021, people will no longer require screens to conduct as much as 40% of their web sessions. That sounds great, doesn’t it?
This is only possible through voice-only searches. The magic behind voice-only search is that it allows customers to browse the internet and get the information they need without having to do any form of scrolling through websites on their mobile devices or laptops.
And from what we can tell, the brand will successfully adopt this technology in the coming year.
What is Voice-only Search?
As the name implies, voice-only search is the opposite of having to type keywords on the internet to search for a thing and then scroll through the results that are displayed.
What a voice-only search allows you to do is speak into the device and get the results that you want.
People are already beginning to use audio technology, and it is a lot easier because it uses speech recognition to understand what a user needs, interprets it, and gives results to the user verbally.
Does voice-only search sound new to you? Well, it is not a new concept because voice search has been around for some time now.
There are some programs like speech to text and even voice dialing that are already performing the functions.
Also, you have probably heard of Siri or Google Assistant. Even Microsoft Cortana and Amazon Alexa make use of voice search capabilities.
Although there are specific devices that can be optimized for voice search only, brands, websites, and platforms can also take advantage of voice search.
For instance, Amazon Alexa can quickly scan through Spotify musical inventory, search for things on Wikipedia, or even help you shop on Amazon – all you have to do is say the words.
This goes to tell you that brands are very specific when it comes to optimizing their content to suit voice search.
How Voice Search Affects SEO Rankings?
Voice search can speedily enhance a customer’s experience, and as a result, by the year 2021, more than half of the searches online will be made via voice search.
Because of the high volume use of voice search, search engines like Google are putting in more work on voice search optimization.
The truth is the purpose of search engine optimization is to properly rank websites so that users can get the most relevant information for their search query as fast as possible, which means that users’ experience is at the apex when it comes to search engine optimization.
Nevertheless, it is significant to remember that voice search SEO is a lot different from popular website SEO; therefore, some of the factors that may or may not have an impact on website ranking may not have the same effect on your voice search ranking.
The good news is there are specific tips that may help you balance your web SEO and voice search SEO.
These Tactics will help you rank both for the quality of content on your website and for its voice search optimization.
Ways to Help You Optimize Voice Search
When users make use of voice search, what they are generally trying to do is complete an action or get some information on a subject.
However, notwithstanding the difference between the two intents, Google uses the same procedure to rank sites.
Regardless of what the goal you are trying to achieve is, below are five simple ways you can boost your voice search rankings.
Make Sure That Your Website Loads Very Fast
Just like typical search engine optimization, Google Voice Search favors websites that load fast because users are usually not so patient with slow websites.
Your site responsiveness is also crucial; see to it that it works effectively on mobile devices as well as on laptops and other devices.
It is also essential that the images on your website are optimized and that you compress files.
These two things, along with utilizing website caching, will all enhance the speed of your page.
Your server response time is also very important to ensure you cut it as much as possible.
Just Write the Same Way You Speak
Users are in the habit of writing short phrases when they want to search for content on their mobile phones or desktops.
For instance, if a user wants to look for a great web developer, They may type things like “best web development firms in Peru,” and Google will help them find the best possible answers.
However, if the same user were to search using voice search, he or she would probably say something like, “What are the best web design companies in the world?” so from all of this, you can see that the rule of thumb is that you must include a long tail keyword that will enhance your content for voice search.
Something else that you should do is to ensure that you keep your phrases short and straightforward.
The results for voice search are generally written at an elementary level, so you must break down your information to make it easy for people to understand.
While we have already pointed out that you’re freezing should be kept short on simple, we have also noticed that long-form content also ranks better on voice search and even unconventional search listings.
Ensure your web page contents are usually between 2500 words and 2700 words.
Include Featured Snippet
An average voice search result is a maximum of 29 words in length; nevertheless, even though we have pointed out that shorter answers do better, there has to be a method that also suggests how the content will be identified by the search engine.
That method is a featured snippet also known as position zero or the answer box.
On a laptop or desktop search listings, this particular snippet appears just below the paid adverts but before the regular search listings.
If you want to enhance your content for an identifiable featured snippet, you must include a brief summary of your primary content formation. That summary is below 29 words.
All contents that use lists, H tags, and bullet points can easily be read by Google, giving them a higher chance of Performing well.
Also, do not forget to include your long-tail keywords within your featured snippet.
Focus More on Local Search
One thing we have been able to understand is that brands that pay more attention to local content are more likely to create voice search content than brands that do not.
As a matter of fact, 22% of voice searches basically search for location-based content.
So, the more of these location-based content you have, the more traffic you can drive to your website, and the better you will rank. Phrases like “near me” do well on search results.
Voice search is one of the best ways to drive website traffic to a website
There is no evidence to prove that voice search results have a direct role in increasing your Google Analytics report. However, it does help to drive traffic to your website
Additionally, you have the opportunity to scroll through the written descriptions of search results, and this allows you to direct traffic to your website conventionally as well as increase organic traffic.
Something else that voice search can do for you is improve all the importance of Matrix, such as media plays on websites such as Spotify and Pandora, and even your online sales.
Is It Possible for You to Do Your Search Rankings?
The voice search is vital to raising brand awareness and conventions, so we do not need to be reminded of this.
For this reason, it is crucial for you to know what your voice search ranking looks like to understand what adjustments you need to make.
However, at the time of this article, viewing your voice search rankings is impossible.
A few years ago a digital agency created and automation software that would let this agency run several queries and other reports on its customers.
While this information is based on Hearsay, and we are not sure how perfect the software is, it might be able to carve a niche for some specific voice search ranking reports very soon.
Till that time comes, the best option is to continue optimizing for SEO. Eventually, you can view tangible reports showing the fruit of your labor and more specific improvements.
The bottom line is that technology is improving daily, so if you want to remain relevant on the internet, you must also move with the trend.
Optimizing your website for voice search is one of the ways to follow the pattern, and every business that has found its way to the internet must take advantage of this. Leave a comment below.
