How Voice Search Will Affect SEO

Studies show 40 percent of adults use voice search at least once a day to access applications on their devices. Very few people type the way they speak, which means voice search is changing the way people browse the internet. This also means businesses should change the way they conduct digital marketing. Here are some of the ways that voice search will affect search engine optimization (SEO).

Semantic Searches Will Become More Important

Google uses something called semantic search to optimize results along with keywords. Semantic search gives Google the ability to sort results based on what you are most likely looking to find. Essentially, Google uses common sense. Semantic search is prevalent in SEO, so you need to take into account the conversational way in which many people use voice search. Use long-tailed keywords that describe your offerings in more depth.

Content Needs to Cater to Customers Even More

A basic pillar of digital marketing has always been to cater to your customers. Voice search means this is becoming even more important. You need to adopt their tones and tendencies. Take note of how your customers talk about your business on social media, forums, or other online platforms. Try to use that style and tone in your content. Determine the questions people most frequently ask and write a blog post for each question, exploring the topic in depth. If your content reflects what people are asking and talking about, your website will become more relevant and higher up on search results.

Voice searches are three times more likely to prioritize local results. Make sure to accentuate location in your content, because it will increase your likelihood of showing up in voice search results.

Mobile Sites Will Be More Important

Having a functional mobile website has been an important part of businesses for years. With the emergence of voice searches, maintaining a great mobile site is vital. If your site takes a long time to load or looks odd on a mobile device, people are exponentially more likely to leave. Review your mobile site and look for any issues that are frequently causing problems. Voice searches will not work for your company if your website is not optimized for mobile devices.

You Will Need to Have a Brand Name That Is Easily Pronounceable

For every voice search, Google begins the response by stating, “We found this information on [website]” or “According to [website].” This is a great way to boost awareness about your brand name; however, the Google software can only pronounce so much. If your brand name is difficult to pronounce or overly complicated, Google will say it incorrectly and the user will not understand or remember from where the information came.

Local Businesses Will Need Directories

People rarely search for specific local businesses. They are more likely to search for “best [type of business],” especially when using voice search. Directories and review websites are significant in providing the results of these searches. If you are not listed in a directory, your chances of coming up for local business searches plummet. The more complete your information – including pictures, reviews, contact information, etc. – the more likely it is you will be one of the top results of voice searches.

Voice Search and FAQ Pages

FAQ pages are great opportunities to optimize for voice searches. Though many websites had FAQ pages prior to voice searches, they were not required and did not seem to have noticeable impacts. FAQ pages, however, are perfect places to insert the types of questions for which people use voice search. If your website lists the question the user asked the voice search, your chances of appearing at the top of the list is significantly larger.

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