Optimizing for Voice Search

With the rise of voice control operating systems such as Alexa and Siri, using voice search has become more popular than ever in recent years. This article will discuss how you can optimize your website for voice search and why it’s imperative these days. This is an important thing to learn, as using voice search is becoming more and more fashionable in technology. 

What is Voice Search?

Before we get into the voice search optimization part, we should first discuss what voice search is and why it is important. Voice search is simply the act of speaking into a device, such as a phone, computer, or speaker, and asking that device to run a search on something. Many devices already have built in voice search artificial intelligence, such as Siri on iPhones.

Voice search technology has been massively improved in the past couple of years, making voice search an effective way to conduct a search on the web. This is why optimizing for voice search has become critical for gaining more web traffic to your website. Over four billion voice searches were conducted in 2020, with that figure looking to rise each upcoming year. This shows why optimizing for voice search is incredibly important. This is also true in using search engine optimization for voice controlled searches, as this will gain your website more visitors

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Before we go any further, you should become familiar with search engine optimization, or SEO, if you are not already. Search engine optimization is the method of tailoring a website so that the most amount of searches will lead back to that website. This means using certain keywords and writing styles to make the pages on the website work with search engines algorithms. This is critical to actually your website displayed on the first page of a search, and having people then visit said website.

Search engine optimization also works for voice searches, and this article will explain how. Search engine optimization for voice is something you should be implementing immediately, in order to ensure you do not lose out on web traffic.

Methods of Voice Search SEO

Next, we are going to discuss a variety of methods to optimize your website for voice search SEO.

Choose the Right Keywords

One of the most important parts of voice search SEO is choosing the correct keywords to get results. Most voice searches are conducted in the form of a question, such as, “Siri, what is the capital of Alabama?” So, you need to make sure that question words are highlighted.

Emphasize Question Words

Emphasizing question words as your keywords (such as what or where) will lead more voice search users to your website. Also ensure that more conversational words are used as keywords, as people tend to talk to their voice searches in a more conversational manner. A simple way to do this is to include a frequently asked questions page to your website. This will allow you to enter phrases or questions that would most likely be used in a voice search, making it a simple but effective way of optimizing your website for voice search.

Keep it Conversational

A more difficult style change you may want to employ is trying to make the writing of your website more conversational in nature. This could mean using some common vernacular on your web pages, or writing in a simpler style. As stated before, people tend to talk to their voice assistants in a more conversational style, so implementing these changes is an effective manner of voice search SEO.

Use Long-Tail Keywords

Another method of optimizing your website for voice search is to use long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are a more specific search option. For example, instead of searching for apples, a long-tail keyword would be searching for red delicious apples grown in Illinois. This will give you a better return on investment for voice searches, as the most search engines emphasize long-tail keywords. Choosing the right keywords will be up to you, so conduct research to see which keywords you should be focusing on.

Make it Mobile-Friendly

An interesting method of voice search optimization is making sure you have a mobile-friendly version of your website. As many people use voice search on their mobile devices, this means they will be viewing your website in a mobile form. Making your website hard to read or slow to load on mobile will simply result in people choosing another site to use.

All of these tips can result in an improvement in search engine optimization voice searches if implemented correctly, which can result in a large increase of web traffic.

Why Voice Search Optimization is Important

Using search engine optimization should be something every website does, as it results in more people visiting your website. Search engine optimization for voice searches is hugely important. Did you know that almost two of every five people utilize voice search every day? Around half of all searches conducted online will be voice searches by the end of 2020. That is half the market of all online searches, a massive number.

People are also starting to utilize voice search to actually purchase products. This is quickly becoming a big market, and one that every company should be trying to get into. Almost three out of every four people who own voice-assisted speakers use them to conduct searches every day, and almost twenty percent of Americans own some form of smart speaker. This is a massive market for voice searches. That number should continue to increase each year, with it being over fifty percent by the year 2022. By missing out on voice search SEO, you would be left behind in a huge, and relatively untapped market as of now. All of these statistics demonstrate why voice search optimization for your website should be a huge focus for your company. 

Tools for Voice Search Optimization

We have been going over optimizing for voice search for your website. Now, we will discuss tools you can make for search engine optimization. These tools will help with both the search engine optimization voice side, and general SEO improvements.

First, are the tools used to find effective keywords for your web pages. As we have discussed, using the right long-tail keywords is very important for SEO voice searches, and gaining web traffic in general. Websites such as answer the public allow users to see what people are searching for, and tailor their keywords to match those results. Google Keyword Planner is another great tool for keywords, as it allows you to combine up to ten words and see how they would fare in a search result.

Sites such as Rank Math or downloading a search engine optimization toolbar give you immediate feedback on the search engine optimization of your website. This is critical for optimizing for voice search, as you can tweak and fix your website immediately to make it easier to use voice search for.

As previously stated, making your website mobile friendly is important for voice search SEO. Websites such as Google search console, Cloudflare, and Google’s mobile friendly test, can all make sure your website is running smoothly. They also can list out any search engine optimization problems you may have, allowing you to fix them. This is important, as a poorly ran website will also be ineffective in mobile form. 

Why You Should Be Optimizing for Voice Search

Voice search is quickly becoming the next big trend in the online community. More and more people every year are using it, and the technology for voice searches continually improves. If you are not optimizing for voice search, then you are missing out on a massive and growing market. What makes voice search appealing is the ease of which it can be used. You can use a voice assisted speaker when your hands are full. Or, when you may be too busy to type something out.

The evidence of voice controls increased popularity is shown by its use in millennials. More than thirty percent of them utilize it consistently. This figure will only increase with the upcoming generations, so it is important to use SEO voice search optimization now. This way, you will not get left behind in the new market.

Voice search SEO will also continue to evolve, with new strategies being created for it on a regular basis. It will be easier to learn and employ those new strategies if you already have been doing voice search optimization for your website. Building upon something is easier than starting from scratch. So now is a great time to start tailoring your website to support voice controlled searches. This is also true when it comes to voice controlled sales.

That’s because many people are now buying products by voice control instead of the standard website. To make sure your company does not become left behind by the rise of voice control, contact us at SEO Design Chicago for all of your search engine optimization needs. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What exactly is voice search and why should I care about optimizing for it?

Voice search is the act of speaking into a device (like a phone, computer, or smart speaker) and asking it to run a search, using AI assistants like Siri or Alexa. You should care because over four billion voice searches were conducted in 2020, with that figure rising each year. Almost two out of every five people use voice search daily, and it’s projected that half of all online searches will be voice searches. By not optimizing for voice search, you’re missing out on a massive and growing market that’s becoming increasingly important for web traffic and sales.

2. How is voice search different from regular text search when it comes to SEO?

Voice searches are fundamentally different because most are conducted as conversational questions rather than keyword phrases. For example, instead of typing “Alabama capital,” someone would ask “What is the capital of Alabama?” This means you need to optimize for question words (what, where, when, how), use more conversational language, and focus on long-tail keywords that match how people naturally speak. Voice search users tend to talk to their devices in a more casual, conversational manner, so your content should reflect this natural speech pattern.

3. What are the most effective methods for optimizing my website for voice search?

The key methods include: Choose question-based keywords since most voice searches are questions; emphasize question words like “what,” “where,” “when” in your content; keep your writing conversational using common vernacular and simpler language; use long-tail keywords that are more specific (like “red delicious apples grown in Illinois” instead of just “apples”); and ensure your website is mobile-friendly since many voice searches happen on mobile devices. A simple but effective strategy is adding a frequently asked questions page to naturally incorporate voice search phrases.

4. Why is mobile-friendliness so important for voice search optimization?

Many people use voice search on their mobile devices, which means they’ll be viewing your website on mobile after conducting their search. If your website is hard to read, slow to load, or not optimized for mobile viewing, users will simply choose another site instead. Since voice search and mobile usage go hand-in-hand, having a mobile-friendly website is crucial for capturing and retaining voice search traffic. A poorly performing mobile site will be ineffective regardless of how well you’ve optimized your content for voice search.

5. What tools can help me optimize my website for voice search?

Several tools can help with voice search SEO: For keyword research, use Answer The Public to see what people are searching for, and Google Keyword Planner to combine up to ten words and test search performance. For general SEO feedback, try Rank Math or SEO toolbars that provide immediate feedback on your website’s optimization. For mobile optimization, use Google Search Console, Cloudflare, and Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your site runs smoothly on mobile devices and identify any SEO problems that need fixing.

6. How significant is the voice search market really?

The voice search market is massive and rapidly growing. Almost 20% of Americans own smart speakers, and almost three out of every four people who own voice-assisted speakers use them to conduct searches daily. More than 30% of millennials use voice search consistently, and this figure will only increase with upcoming generations. People are also starting to use voice search to actually purchase products, creating a huge commercial opportunity. By 2022, it’s projected that over 50% of searches will be voice-based, making this an essential market to tap into.

7. When should I start optimizing for voice search, and will the strategies change over time?

You should start optimizing for voice search immediately to avoid getting left behind in this rapidly growing market. Voice search SEO will continue to evolve with new strategies being created regularly, but it’s much easier to build upon existing voice search optimization than to start from scratch later. Since voice search technology continues to improve and more people adopt it each year, early adoption gives you a competitive advantage. The longer you wait, the more you’ll miss out on this relatively untapped market that’s becoming increasingly mainstream.