Optimizing Your Website for Voice Search 

by | Mar 22, 2018 | Digital Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Each year, marketers set up their strategies and websites for the latest SEO trends as new advancements come about that make changes in the way that SEO professionals optimize their sites for voice search.  Right now, voice search is one of the top leading trends.

What is Voice Search?

Voice search is when users give oral commands to search engines to find specific, desired information.  Then, based on that voice input, search engines display the results with the intent of meeting the user’s needs easily and quickly.       

How to Optimize for Voice Search

The use of voice search is rapidly on the rise with each passing day thanks to the continuous use of mobile devices for internet browsing.  And, as it turns out, users don’t want to type every single word or phrase into a search box to look for information on the internet. They prefer the quick use of voice search simply out of convenience.  For businesses, this means that your website needs to be able to capture these opportunities that the capabilities of voice search allow. Your site must be able to generate more leads to stay ahead of the competition.  

So, how do you optimize your website for voice search?

Well, first you must understand that this latest trend isn’t going away, and that means that if your site isn’t optimized for voice search, then search engines will not display your site in the search results, thus, you lose out on business.  Fortunately, there are some basic strategies that you can follow to optimize your visibility. Here’s what you should do:

  • Increase Page Load Time – One easy way to optimize your website for voice search is to simply make its load time faster.  Think about it, no one wants to click on a site only to wait around for it to load. If it takes too long, users will just click away, and go to another site.  Remember, the point is to provide fast, easy access to information. Search engines operate the same way; they want fast loading websites. This means that slower sites will undoubtedly get left behind when it comes to SEO traffic, engagement and revenue generation.  Make your site faster so that it’s easily accessible to mobile voice search.
  • Content-Specific Optimization – Writing quality, unique, SEO optimized content is pointless if search engines can’t actually find it.  You must optimize content specifically for search engines, people and voice search. This is how you stand out and climb the SERP ladder of Google to create more business opportunities.  You want to create quality, unique, informative, SEO optimized content that is specifically for your target audience. To do so, add common words and long tail keywords for voice search optimization.  You can also add informative charts, infographics, videos, audio files, links of useful articles, etc., to make your content more interesting and compelling for both visitors and search engines.
  • Featured Snippets –  You must employ the proper use of micro-markup and featured snippets.  This will help increase your site’s performance, as it helps SEO professionals streamline the information available on your website so that search engines can easily extract the most relevant content and display them in the search results.
  • Localize SEO – Huge importance is placed on local SEO, especially if you want to increase the pace of your lead generation.  When you optimize your site for people and search engines, place special attention on local SEO ranking factors.  This will help Google display your site in its SERP and keep visitors from clicking away.
  • Engage Regularly – If you have a professional website, and you want a positive response from your visitors, then you must engage with your audience regularly.  This is very important to stay on top of the game. Visitors expect this level of interaction. They want you to be able to answer their questions as soon as possible, and they want you to show genuine concern for their needs.  So, engage promptly, and you’ll continue to win them over as repeat customers who also recommend your services. Remember, a happy customer is the ultimate ambassador for your brand.
  • Mobile First – To fully optimize your website for voice search, you need to take a mobile-first approach.  These days, more people are using mobile devices to conduct internet searches, so make sure your site is on board with this trend.  Make sure your site is responsive to all devices and that visitors don’t face any problems while accessing it on those devices. If you have the budget and resources, you may want to consider creating an entirely separate mobile version of your website so that you can more easily meet user needs.    

The volume of voice search will only continue to skyrocket.  So, don’t get left behind! It’s time to optimize your online resources for a new SEO challenge, and with the implementation of these tips, your website will be ready for this new voice search driven world. 

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