Voice Search – The Future For Seo And How To Optimize For It

By Author: Deepinder Singh
Total Articles: 1
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It would not be wrong to say that we are in the middle of a Voice Search Optimization revolution right now. It has brought in a wider approach to Google search in general.

Analysts & marketers such as Social Media Freaks are developing content, website designs, and Ad campaigns looking to rank high in VS.

Voice-based queries are expected to evolve enormously in the future as well, changing the parameters for organic SEO.

That brings us to the evident question: Why is voice search assuming so much importance in SEO?

Let us look at recent data to understand how VS has gained popularity among it is internet users.

● 41% of adults and 55% of teenagers use VS on Google every day.
● 20% of all searches on mobiles are with voice.
● 60% of all searches are made on mobile devices.
● All the above numbers are expected to rise by 10% in 2021 VS has entirely changed user behavior while seeking answers to queries.

Hence, the growing popularity of voice assistants and the consequential change in Google algorithms such as Hummingbird have come up, changing the dynamic ...
... of SEO.

As a website owner or marketer, optimizing for spoken searches is crucial.

WHAT IS VOICE SEARCH?
Voice search is a speech recognition technology that enables users to find information by speaking the words aloud rather than typing them into a box.

There is a microphone icon on the right corner that can be utilized to speak your query.

Google Voice Search has launched 8 years ago, however, the last 1.5 years have seen n phenomenal upsurge in mass behavior.

The deployment of voice assistants(Ok, Google) and devices such as Amazon’s Alexa has brought VS to centre stage for marketers and SEO.

HOW IS VOICE SEARCH CHANGING SEO?
Haven’t all your SEO strategies being aimed at being on the first page in the search results?

However, the popularity of voice changes that quite a bit. With VS, you have to be the number one result in the SERPs, not just on the first page.

It is because the voice assistant only speaks the answer given in the top result.

So the all your strategies should be aimed at providing clear-cut and simple answers to queries and be the in top ranking for a particular question.

HOW DO WE OPTIMIZE A WEBSITE FOR VOICE SEARCH?
KEYWORDS
For voice search, the most effective strategy for SEO is to target long-tail keywords and phrases.

But it doesn’t make them less important. It is not about the keywords anymore, it is more about answers.

Spoken words are different too, in a lot of ways, apart from being longer. They are more specific and conversational.

So, focus on the dialect, language, and slang used in the area where your business is located. Also, you can achieve more mileage from search engines with question-based phrases rather than words.

LOCATIONS
Navigational queries remain on top of Google’s voice recognition technology.

This kind of user behavior is very useful in ranking your site on location-based queries.

Nowadays, 40% of voice search is the “near me" kind, thanks to location-enabled smartphones and LTE.

A majority of such queries are made on mobile devices. To tap into the immense potential of navigational queries, refine your SEO to get top ranking in local inquiries.

You need to update your business address, open/close timings, and contact information on Google & regional directories alike.

So, whenever someone is trying to find a business like yours around them via “asking" Google, the engines would look for relevant info.

People want to find a suitable store, eatery, a Yoga center, or a salon near their current location.

Optimize to combine address with crucial info such as parking space, prices, and products and be the one to feature in the top results.

PROVIDE ANSWERS
SEO for voice search has a different strategy because the way Google displays the results is also different.

Instead of a search engine, Google becomes an answer engine, providing answers to spoken queries.

Most spoken queries start with words such as how what, which, where, and when.

You need to optimize the pages to provide direct answers to queries. Structure your content to incorporate answers to questions related to your business.
For example, which is the best facial for dry skin? Now, Google presents related answers rapidly to the user, using its knowledge graph.

The next apparent question would be, " where can I get a dry skin facial"? Or, what is the price of a dry skin facial"?

By including questions and answers to probable questions in the content, one can increase the chances of appearing in the knowledge graph.

SCHEMA
Voice Search has not only altered the way people search for information on the web but also, the way Google engines handle them.

Schema is our way of informing the Google engines about what information is available on our website.

It must be provided in a language that they understand – the schema metadata. It is the data about data.

With schema, you can give information or descriptions of all the data that is available on your website.

This raises the visibility of the site by several notches. Schema mark-up is a very powerful SEO technique. It pushes your ranking much ahead of the competition.

MOBILE OPTIMIZATION
Voice searches are made mostly by people on the go, on mobile devices and tablets. Busy people, the elderly, or users sitting in an eatery or moving vehicle tend to use VS a lot.

Mobile SEO ensures that all users get routed to your site via top results from mobile devices and get a good experience. optimized for the same.

However, many sites do not adapt to screen size, and load times. As the percentage of mobile voicers is on the rise, mobile optimization is the first thing you should prioritize.

It includes:
● Rebuilding the site structure
● Making a responsive site design
● Increasing page loading speed

CONCLUSION
Voice search is continuously growing in popularity in all areas of surfing. Voice-based shopping, voice-aided surfing, music, movies, and much more. Within 2 years the figures are expected to grow by a hundred percent.

With such huge potential, methodologies founded on voice search is the future for SEO. On-page and off-page optimization need to be refined as a precursor for voice-recognition technology.