The worldwide smart speaker industry was worth $6.4 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a rate of 32.5% to hit $110 billion in the next ten years. There are a large number of potential customers waiting to be reached directly in their homes, ready to engage with your brand through natural conversation (Source: Fact.MR).
We’ve all experienced searching for something while multitasking, thanks to the rise of voice-based digital assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Alexa. When typing isn’t an option, the convenience of voice search becomes essential, making it frustrating when it’s not available. How people engage with voice actions varies based on their search intent. Whether users have transactional, navigational, or informational queries, their approach to voice search shifts accordingly. |
Let’s start with Local SEOLocal SEO is one of the first elements that you should take into consideration to answer the question on how to optimise your website for voice search. According to Learn.G2, one in five people (21%) use voice search regularly, making it a part of their weekly routine. Knowing that people use voice search for local information and tend to act quickly on those searches highlights the importance of local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) for voice search marketing. Often, people conducting voice search will likely use the phrase “near me”. For example, if I fancy treating myself and my friends to a proper afternoon tea, I’m more likely to say “Hey Siri, afternoon tea near me please,” than “afternoon tea in Hammersmith.”
|
To appear in the relevant results for such queries, though, you don’t add the actual phrase “near me” to your content, of course. In this case, Google will use my location to understand which bakeries are closest to where I am at the moment, which might be Hammersmith.
Google, as most search robots, use Business Listings information. To optimise for Business Listings information, make sure to claim or create your Google My Business page, Bing local business, Apple Maps etc. On there, make sure you’ve added all the necessary information, such as brand name, address, phone number, opening hours, etc. and make the data in the various citations always consistent. |
Also, make sure to add localised optimised on-site content and please do not ever forget the importance of customer reviews! Reviews will also help you in the case of the transactional queries (“I want to buy“, “I want to book“)
According to Narvar, up to 43% of voice-enabled device owners use their device to shop. The best tips on how to optimise your website for voice search in the case of e-commerce are:
|
Conversational language is another important factor to rank for voice search.The differences between spoken and typed queries may cause different SERP results. Therefore, if your competitors’ websites have been optimised for voice search, they have better chances of engaging your potential customers or subscribers! With the Hummingbird update in 2013, the concepts of typed and spoken search changed a lot. The updated algorithm helped Google process natural language to consider the users’ intent and the context of the query. Since that moment, search questions structured in sentences have returned more relevant answers. And with voice search, people typically ask a long question as they would normally speak. This makes long-tail keywords and questions more important. Indeed, when they are searching for information via voice assistant, people behave as if they’re talking to a human. Most of us don’t use short, choppy keywords. We ask questions and use long phrases. When it’s about informational queries, with voice search people search for a quick fact. One of the most significant concerns about voice search is that people using voice search on mobile will get only ONE top result. This one result is called “position zero,” and, obviously, everyone wants it. |
According to Search Engine Journal, 58% of consumers use voice search to find local business information. Voice searches are often used to research and locate local businesses because of their convenience for on-the-go customers.
Ranking well will be the main goal for every business owner. Page speed is another must in voice search optimisation.A person using a voice search is likely on the go and/or in a hurry! For this reason, to those searchers, page speed is a really high priority. As a first step, analyse your current website speed with Google’s PageSpeed Insights. You will want to consider mobile speed particularly, as it is more important than desktop for voice search optimisation. As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it’s essential to optimise your website for this emerging trend. At PinkSEO, we have extensive experience in ranking websites effectively across all search methods, including voice search. Our proven strategies have consistently delivered strong results for our clients. You can explore our case studies to see how we’ve successfully helped businesses improve their rankings and visibility Let us take a lookHave a question on how to optimise your website for voice search? Need our assistance to optimise your site for voice search? Contact us today! |
|