Voice search has been spoken about for a number of years now with many waiting patiently for the revolution to begin. Though this has taken longer to arrive then some professionals first thought, it is suggested that over 50% of searches will be by voice search in 2020. Whether you enlist the help of a digital marketing agency such as absolute digital or begin the optimization process in house, we have compiled a list to help you achieve your goals and be prepared for voice search.
Focus On Longtail Keywords Or Phrases
When writing content specifically tailored to voice search, it is important to be looking at the way people talk as well as the slang that is used in speech. In order to perfectly combat this, it is important to focus on longtail keywords or phrases that you are ranking for. This will help you to rank in voice search results as Google will identify this phrase and rank your page higher for the relevant keywords and phrases.
Optimize For Local SEO
In addition to optimizing for specific keywords and phrases, it may also be beneficial to opt for Local SEO terms such as near me and in my area. This will then help your business to appear on Google maps when Google Assistant sets about answering a specific question.
This is crucial, particularly for smaller businesses as this can help to place you above your competitors if optimized properly and help to increase footfall. When using Google My Business and other Google integrated tools it is important to look at the content as well as the contact information you are using to ensure you are directing the traffic in the right direction.
Anticipate Questions That May Be Asked
By including an FAQ on your website for specific questions that are tailored to your business you are then encouraging your webpage to rank for voice search as this is successfully anticipating any questions that your target audience may ask. Though there may not be any immediate results in terms of rankings from this, this will help to optimize your webpage for voice search as well as provide desktop users with additional information that they may need and help to reach featured snippets within Googles SERP Results.
Aim For Featured Snippets
Aiming for featured snippets can be challenging, particularly as reaching position zero can be particularly competitive. However, with the use of tools such as SEMrush, internal Google searches and Answer the Public you can begin to target specific questions and aim for a featured snippet.
This is particularly beneficial for generic topics or recipes, as voice search results are tailored to select the highest-ranking pieces of content at first. Though it can take time to reach the featured snippet position, this can then be maintained and replicated for a number of other questions surrounding the industry you are operating in.
Whether you are looking to optimize the site yourself or you are selecting a specialist team to help you achieve your goals, you can begin to optimize your content and get ahead of the voice search revolution. Where will you start?