Google Voice Search | SEO for Voice Search | Understand The Voice Search

Understanding Voice Search

Before we jump into how you can optimize for voice search, there are some basics we need to cover. First, it’s important to understand that voice search is more natural and conversational in tone--and that it’s most often performed on a mobile device for local search purposes. Because they’re more natural, voice searches also tend to be longer than text-based queries.

Voice search, in general, is all about delivering on-the-go results in the location in which the user is currently located. Now that you understand how voice search is used, let’s get started with these tips. 

1. Make Your Content Scannable

People who are searching the internet on their mobile devices are looking for content that’s been optimized for this platform. Make sure your content is easily readable, scannable and doesn’t have any annoying pop-ups or ads that could hinder them from getting the information they need. Use simple sentences, short paragraphs, and bold headers to break up your content as much as possible. 

2. Claim your Google ‘My Business’ Listing.

If you haven’t claimed your Google My Business listing yet, now’s the time to do so! Claiming and optimizing your Google My Business listing is a great way to provide Google with additional details about your business, such as industry, phone number, address, business hours, and more. Keeping this property up-to-date increases your chances of showing up in the results when a relevant voice search is performed. 

3. Read the Official User Guides

Even if you’re one of those individuals who doesn’t “do” directions, it’s worth reading the official guides to voice search for each major platform. Approach it as if you’ve just bought your first Windows, Android or iPhone smartphone, and read the guides to find out how you can best optimize your experience. While the information may seem basic, remember that there are many users who will be experiencing voice search for the first time. 

4. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords

We’ve already covered the fact that people use more “natural” speak when using voice search, so targeting long-tail keywords is a must. To do this, you must “think of how people speak.” How would you ask particular questions? Or what kind of spoken questions might bring others to your site? This might be a different kind of long-tail than you’re used to. It’s more about real speech and less about keyword variations. You need to know and target as many variations as possible. Answer the Public offers a great tool for this.

5. Create Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Pages

Another great way you can use the customer and SEO data you’ve collected is to create FAQ pages that focus on those long-tail keyphrases. Try to group common questions on the same page, and write as naturally as possible. If you need to create multiple pages to sound more natural, go with that approach. You want the search engines to have the best chance of pulling answers/information from your site, so anticipate direct, long-tail questions. At the beginning of each piece of content, you should also add in some quick answers to satisfy Google’s rich snippet requirements. It can seem like a daunting task, but creating these individual pages and content snippets centered around specific semantic questions can help your site not only show up in voice search results but at the top of any text-based search as featured snippets. 

6. Pump Up Your Microdata

Make it as easy as possible for Google to crawl your website and understand what it’s about. This will increase the chances that the search engine will use your content to answer voice search queries. To do this, in addition to adding your Google My Business information, you’ll need to submit a sitemap to Google including information such as prices, directions to your physical location, store hours, and your address and phone number. Next, use microdata to help Google understand what this text means. Create markups for various use cases. For example, here’s a rich snippet Google returned for “How many people live in the Bahamas.” 

7. Understand the Unique Ways People Play with Voice Search

If you've ever used Siri, Cortana or OK Google yourself, you’re probably guilty of joking around with these personal assistants. And, if you haven’t, there’s plenty of fodder for your next play session in such articles as 140 Questions Siri Has Hilarious Answers For, 70+ Awesome Ok Google Voice Commands, and 131 Questions to Ask Cortana. The point is, it’s important to understand how users are playing with voice search because it gives us insight into how users interact with these technologies. While most of the answers you read will probably be irrelevant to your business, others might give you ideas about how you can optimize for voice search on your site. You may even find a way to inject some humor into your copy and engage with customers in a brand-new way.

The Future of Voice Seach

As the world of search continues to evolve, marketers must learn new strategies to keep up with these changes. Follow the tips in this post to ensure you’re a step ahead of your competitors when it comes to voice search.