Why SEO for voice search is crucial for digital marketing?
According to Google, over 50 percent of people in the US use voice search services on a daily basis. Of these people, 71 percent of them say they prefer reaching by voice rather than text. Those statistics point to one important consideration for business websites — it’s time to optimize your website for voice search.
Why is voice search suddenly so popular?
Understanding why voice search is trending big-time isn’t difficult. For one, it’s faster than typing, especially on mobile devices, and more convenient. Searching by voice allows users to speak in a more conversational manner than with text queries.
For example, for a text search you might type, “Atlanta digital marketing,” but with a voice search, you might say, “Find a digital marketing agency in Atlanta?”
The rapid improvement in voice recognition technology coupled with the greatly increased use of mobile devices and smart speakers has also played a large role in the increased — and rapidly growing — use of voice search. According to Statista, over one-third of American households had at least one smart speaker in 2022. Smart speakers run on voice commands!
What’s required for effective SEO for voice search?
SEO for voice search isn’t the same as typical website SEO, which will always remain important for any business website. At RTL Digital Media, we have extensive experience developing and implementing voice search optimization on client websites. Early on, we researched and tested voice search SEO strategies, so we’d be ready when the trend hit.
Since voice searches allow for a more conversational query, keyword research and strategies must reflect this in several ways, including:
Target natural sounding keywords and phrases. As voice search grows in popularity, natural sounding keyword phrases will provide a huge boost in search volumes.
Focus on long-tail keywords. Focusing on long-tail keywords will automatically have a more natural and conversational feel.
Include question-related keywords. Keyword phrases which begin with words, such as can, what, who, how, and others will boost voice search volume. Check out this too: a website called Answer The Public that can help you get started.
Local SEO. People often frame their voice queries with a “near me” criterion, so businesses must ensure that their My Business Google page is updated and provides accurate information about location, hours of operation, and contact details.
Other voice search optimization considerations:
Based on trends and predictions for 2023 and beyond, business owners with a web presence will need to conduct a number of activities to optimize their websites for voice search, including:
- An SEO audit specifically focused on site speed
- Content optimization
- Link building
- Schema markup
These represent only a few of the requirements necessary for voice search SEO effectiveness. We’ll discuss each of these as they relate to voice search in a future post. In summary, businesses must consider the rapid and continuing rise of voice search and take steps to adapt SEO strategies for this trend.
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