Unlocking Voice Search SEO: Strategies and Tactics for Success in 2024

You already understand the significance of search engine optimization (SEO) for your company. It can assist in bringing visitors to your website via search engines, social media, and other places where you post information. You’ll also be aware of the necessity of routinely reviewing your SEO approach to make sure the desired outcomes are still being obtained. But as voice search becomes more popular, you should keep it in mind when you develop your SEO approach.

The following concrete data illustrates the importance of voice search SEO:

• In the US, voice assistants are frequently used by 123.5 million people.
• In the US, 32% of consumers own smart speakers.
• Every day, 27% of smartphone users worldwide utilize voice search.

You may anticipate that number to keep rising year as technology develops. What now? Does your SEO approach need to be changed? In actuality, voice search users differ slightly from those who use traditional methods when they look for information.

What precisely is voice search, then? What search engine optimization tactics should you use to guarantee voice search optimization and make it profitable for you, and how do you gauge the effectiveness of your tactics? These questions will be addressed in this post.

Voice Search: What Is It?

As the name implies, a voice search is an online search conducted by speaking instead of typing a question on a keyboard. The most widely used voice search platforms are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant. There are two main distinctions between voice and standard searches that you should be aware of.

A voice search SEO is typically more specific than a regular search, using longer terms like “Italian food” or “Boston” instead of just “Where will I find the best gnocchi in Boston?”  Another similar distinction is that people anticipate a more accurate response from voice searches than from regular searches.

Voice Search Has Four (4) Benefits

As you can see, voice search is becoming more and more popular. But what benefits can voice search SEO provide for your marketing strategy?

1. Voice Search Increases Brand Recognition

“Similar to how you may improve your traditional SEO strategy, voice search optimization can help you build your brand. Increasing the discoverability of your content will always result in more people visiting your website and giving it a greater voice. More people will learn about you if they anticipate more accurate responses and those replies lead to your business.” – Shannon Coventry, Marketing Manager at First Vehicle Leasing  

2. Voice Enhances Your Visibility Locally

Locating a nearby service is one of the reasons people use voice search. Voice searches on mobile devices are three times more likely to be local than text searches, according to Search Engine Watch. They can search for services in their city or even a specific district thanks to the enhanced precision of voice search SEO. In addition to being more practical than a standard search, voice searches can reveal more localized traffic.

3. Using Your Voice Can Help You Become More Powerful

“You can reach more individuals using voice search optimization. Your authority ranking will increase if more people are finding your website using voice search. Your website will rank higher if you make sure that both your voice search optimization approach and your overall SEO strategy are optimized to the fullest extent possible.” – Mark McShane, Digital PR Agency Owner, Cupid PR

4. Voice Offers Prompt Responses

Similar to interactive voice texting, voice search users anticipate prompt, straightforward responses. They anticipate the same in return, so they ask more focused questions. You can be confident that the responses you get from voice search will be both timely and educational if you know how to optimize for it. Individuals want prompt responses and the precise information they need.

Six (6) Techniques for a Successful Voice Search SEO

It will require different tactics than standard SEO to accomplish voice search optimization. The way you utilize the terms and phrases varies even if many of them may be similar.

1. Make Use of Conversational Terms

Whole sentences are not used in typical searches; instead, users use phrases that are broken apart. It sounds more like they are questioning a human when using a voice search. The terms or phrases you choose to employ as part of your SEO strategy need to represent that. You can increase your chances of getting good results by choosing keywords and phrases that are specifically related to your good or service.

Where are those words and phrases going to be found? You can review previous customer support or social media query data. In what manner are inquiries being made there? AnswerThePublic is an effective search listening tool that reveals the terminology used by people in your target market. The software allows you to enter a search query and displays a list of conversational terms broken down by subjects. Additionally, review your earlier writing to see if you can turn any existing keywords into whole sentences. For instance, you may substitute “What is the best enterprise phone system?” for the crucial phrase “enterprise telephone.”

2. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

“It’s critical that your strategy takes this into account and is mobile-friendly since a large portion of voice searches originate from mobile devices. Nowadays, Google’s web crawlers evaluate your site’s mobile version before indexing it, so having a mobile-responsive website is essential if you want to rank well.  Therefore, you should make sure that your site’s mobile version functions well on the most common devices before developing voice search SEO strategy. If someone searches and discovers your website, they will likely go on to the next result if they discover it is not very mobile-friendly.” – Billy Webb, Managing Director at vapejuice

3. Make Use of Schema Markup

Schema is a type of microdata that makes it easier for search engine bots to locate the most crucial information on your website, such as your phone number or location. The way your current schema is set up may make it compatible only with conventional searches. You must therefore modify it for voice searches as well.

“Any voice search should be able to comprehend your data and information. For instance, if you offer QA outsourcing services, you want all the important information that a potential customer could want to know to be easily found by any search engine. This can include standard information like your address and phone number, as well as more specific information like a description of your services or linked social network accounts. “- Daniel Foley, Founder of Daniel Foley SEO Consultancy

The most widely used vocabulary that works with several encoding methods is Schema.org. The website lets you validate your markup and offers the most popular kinds of schema markups.

4. Use the Listing on Google My Business

“Establishing a local presence is one of the benefits of voice search optimization, therefore you must maintain an updated Google My Business profile in addition to listings on other major search engines like Bing. Even if they don’t wish to visit your website, they will still need relevant information like your address and business hours. Remember that adding information to as many categories as you can will help direct customers to your website or real store. When someone inquires about the best video conference headset, they want to know everything there is to know, including your URL and your hours of operation. You may assist in giving them all the information they might require by using My Business listings.” – Tim Parker, Director at Syntax Integration

5. Use the FAQ as a Model for Content Creation

“Voice search is more conversational than standard search, as we have already discussed. Your content writers are more likely to concentrate on certain terms or phrases when using traditional SEO. They have to adjust their thinking a little to incorporate complete sentences while doing a voice search. It’s also important to keep in mind that the terms “what,” “where,” “how,” “who,” “where,” and “when” typically come first in those sentences. Conversational keywords can be found in plenty in your FAQ area, both currently and in the works. For instance, you might already have a question like “What are the benefits of cloud computing to remote workers?” that gives you a term to use in fresh material. If you have any, you can also view the queries and remarks others have posted in your blogs and forums. ” – Adam Crossling, Marketing & New Business Director at zenzero

6. Make Use of Question and Long Tail Keywords

“As you are already aware, longer queries will be used in voice searches than in text searches. Long tail keywords should be the main emphasis of your voice search optimization approach in addition to the previously mentioned query terms. When utilizing voice search, people inadvertently type out more complex search terms. This could have a favorable effect on your conversion rate. Long tail keywords and conversion rates are correlated, according to recent data by Semrush. Consider your offerings and the questions that clients might have. The longer the queries themselves are, the more long tail keywords you will need to add in the more specialized the query. ” – Holly Cooper, Marketing Manager at LUCAS PRODUCTS & SERVICES

“What are the best ways to leverage emotional intelligence when communicating with colleagues?” is one question that someone might ask. You can see that’s a highly specific question, thus you should employ long tail words appropriately.

Protip

Researching keywords for voice search SEO is truly an art form. This is not where keyword tools can be of assistance. You won’t get any assistance from SEMrush or any of their closest rivals, even though they have the largest keyword database and are generally regarded as the greatest keyword research tool. Rather, you need to imagine what a possible searcher could be thinking and what questions they might have since the tools are completely oblivious to them. You’ll get better with practice, but it will feel strange at first.