What is Voice Search and SEO? How to optimize for voice search?

The voice search has been in the trend lately, and it is likely growing. It is estimated that it might replace the keyboard entirely in the coming decades, but about that, the idea is too raw to even consider right now. Just as we do the Search Engine Optimization for the mobile phones as well as desktop computers where the users tend to type the keywords in the search bar, the voice search needs optimization as well. This means that if we do SEO for voice searches, we will be able to attract the internet traffic from the sources where the users are speaking the keyword phrases using mediums like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, etc.

How many people use voice search?

As per the survey, nearly 41% of adults and 55% of the teenagers in the United states used the voice search twice a day in the year 2014. Moreover, the use of the virtual assistants jumped from 0 to 10 percent in the year 2015 in the global platform. It is evident that the growth is gradual and consistent, which obviously changes how we manage the contents of our site.

Although, most mobile users are likely searching for a specific geographic location, for instance, nearby restaurants, petrol pumps, saloons, grocery, and so on, rather than “when did Osama die” with their voice assistants, it is also possible that they stop using the virtual keyboard once they are familiar with the functioning. There is an estimation that by the year 2020, more than half of the search queries will be done using the voice assistants.

Following are considered as voice search best practices:

1. Questions and answers – Have you noticed the Google’s results’ patterns? You usually get a few related Ads that match your keywords; the most suitable site(s) as per the RankBrain’s algorithm, a few questions and answers that are asked by most users, and so on. So, do not stay behind when it comes to including the queries. The direct queries containing who, what, when, etc. along with the detail-oriented answers raise the chances of uplifting the site even more.

For instance, the user may want to search about Ketogenic diet. If he types using the keyboard, he will likely enter just the two words, which is none other than “Ketogenic diet”. He may also write the whole thing “what is Ketogenic diet”, or “Ketogenic diet meaning”, if he doesn’t get the desired results during his first attempt.

But in case of voice searches, he is going to speak the whole thing as if he were talking to a person, that is “What is Ketogenic diet?”. The possibility of ranking higher for those sites that contain this question along with a suitable answer is more as compared to those that don’t.

2. Describe much as you can – Always elaborate your site contents, whether you own a blog, or a literal business of anything that contains information about the same, detailing helps a lot. Then focus on the keywords that are relevant. The term ‘keywords’ implies both focus and related keywords. The Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) is going to tell the Google search engine whether or not a particular website contains pertinent details. Although, it is not recommended to go into too much detailing; else it will increase the bounce rates, which is of no help for the site’s Search Engine Optimization.

By being informative, it also implies that it should be very precise, so that whoever is searching for anything doesn’t get confused. For example, if someone asked for Cafe Coffee Day, the results should give information about all the nearby branches that are present, with exact kilometers, directions, and locations, whether it is inside the mall or at the railway station.

3. Know that the site needs to rank higher already – If you want to rank higher in the voice searches, it is necessary that your website already ranks high. This is possible by following the latest SEO techniques to bring the organic traffic to your site. Browse the internet about the latest SEO norms; do the trial-and-error, and make your site the most visited one in order to position uppermost.

Also, observe your local rankings. You ought to be familiar with your stand in a particular locality, or a city. Once you improvise in this field the chances are higher that you are going to get better in global platform.

4. Long-tail keyword – Long-tail keywords are of great help when it comes to being in the middle of the competition. Of course the two-words or three-words keywords are most often typed by the users, the results may or may not be satisfactory. So, what the users do is attempting to type more keywords to be more precise. Now when it comes to speaking to the voice assistants, it makes even more sense. One needs to research on what phrases would bring the traffic. As stated before, long phrases in this case should be based on what a person might say.

For instance, instead of considering just “Cafeteria”, it is better if you consider the keyword phrase – “Where is the nearest Cafeteria?”.

5. Being mobile-friendly – Since most users these days keep their mobile phones quite much all the time, it is best to be mobile-friendly. The voice assistants are being used more often if someone owns a mobile. The mobile users are growing with time, and that not only implies being a first-time mobile user, but also moving to a better version of handset. So along with being mobile-friendly, it is also feasible to pay attention on how much the mobile SEO is important. The mobile SEO is going to help you position higher and that would be maintained for longer if it is easy to browse.

There is a lot of competition everywhere. Even the Google’s first page these days is filled with a number of advertisements, or people’s commonly asked questions; enabling your site appear higher is a great deal of effort. Always remember that patience is the key and so is the research. Keep on updating yourself. If your website is on the first page does not necessarily mean that it will remain there forever. This is because other sites with better inputs may take over anytime. So, always execute your plan with a great SEO strategy.