How Voice Search is Changing SEO Marketing
Voice search is becoming more and more popular. In fact, a recent study found that 67% of people aged between 25-29 use voice assistants every day. Moreover, 31% of the world’s mobile users use voice search at least once a week. These trends have caused many SEO marketers to question how they should change their marketing strategies in order to stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends. The most important thing you can do is understand what your customers are searching for, and then optimize your content accordingly.
With this in mind, how is voice search changing SEO marketing? Read on to find out!
Voice Commands Help Users Find Content Faster
Voice search has made it significantly easier for users to find content. How? Well, before voice search was popularized, the most common way people would find information on a website was through text navigation and search bars. However, voice commands allow people to navigate more swiftly by simply saying what they’re looking for (i.e., “find articles about SEO”). Voice commands are a great way to make your content easier for users to find. This has made SEO more about making your content readily accessible, rather than focusing on keywords.
Voice Search has projected the Need for Better Logos
Whenever you’re working on SEO, it’s always a good idea to keep your brand logo in mind. Your logo is the first thing people will see when they visit your website and can make or break their impression of what you have to offer. So, how does voice search change this? Well, now logos need to be more visible than ever before so that users who don’t use sound-enabled devices can still recognize them. This means making sure text isn’t too small and that the font color contrasts with the background color (i.e., black letters against white).
Something worth noting is that you don’t have to spend hundreds of bucks on a logo design. As long as you have the perfect plan and you work with a great designer, you can get the best at a small cost, or at no cost at all. Look – Coca-Cola which is one of the biggest brands in the world with a brand value of over $840 billion spent $0 on their company logo. You, therefore, don’t have to break your bank to get the perfect logo that will complement your voice search efforts.
Voice Searches Are More Intent-Driven
Another change that voice search has brought about is the intent of the person who’s doing the searching. If someone types something into their browser, they’re more likely just looking up general information on a topic (e.g., “sales”). However, if someone uses voice commands, it’s usually because they have a specific question or idea in mind (i.e., “how do I sell more online?”). This means that SEO marketers need to be able to answer these questions with high-quality and relevant content! It can also mean changing your keyword strategy for voice search: depending on what you want people to know when they ask this question, you may need to use different keywords.
Voice Searches Lead to More Conversational Websites
Voice search has also led to more conversational websites. One of the most popular voice commands is “how do I?” This means that content creators need to be able to answer these questions in a clear and concise way. It can also mean rethinking your use of language. You may want some phrases or sentences on one page, but others on different pages based upon how many people are using them when they conduct their searches.
Voice Searches Are Changing How SEO Marketers Optimize Content
This one might be a bit more obvious, but it’s still an important point! If you want to be successful in voice search marketing, then you need to optimize your content for voice commands. This means creating keyword-rich titles and meta descriptions that are understandable by the software (i.e., “How Voice Assistants Can Transform SEO”). It also means reworking how you write blog posts. Instead of numbers or bullets points, posts are written with headings and subheadings so that readers can hear what they’re reading while browsing through their mobile devices.
If you’re Not Optimizing for Voice Search–You Could be Losing Customers
It is now more important than ever that SEO marketers start optimizing their content for voice search. If they don’t, then chances are they’ll lose customers! For example, if your keyword strategy revolves around the word “sale” and a customer searches with this in mind but doesn’t find anything relevant on your site or comes up empty when using an online store’s voice command feature–they might just leave without buying anything at all.
If you’re not optimizing for voice search, then it might be time to rethink your SEO marketing strategy.
How to Optimize For Voice Search
When users are looking for something on your site, they need to be able to find it quickly and easily. This means optimizing for voice commands early in the writing process (i.e., before you start brainstorming). It also means creating a more conversational tone within your content so that it’s easy for people using voice search features to understand what they’re reading or hearing when browsing through their mobile devices. Below are some tips to help you optimize for voice search:
- Ensure your site loads quickly: This will help make your site easier to find when people are using voice search
- Create more conversational content: This will also be easier for people using voice commands to understand what they’re reading or listening to.
- Optimize for long-form writing: It’s best if you can optimize the whole page in order to ensure that it’ll rank higher on a SERP.
- Use keywords within headings and subheadings so readers/listeners know where they are at all times: Using numbers, bullets points, or any other textual markers won’t work as well with text-to-speech software–and might even confuse them!
- Don’t worry about keyword density: When people are using a voice search, they might not be looking for an exact keyword. They may instead say something like “voice assistant” or “how do I?” as their query–so overthinking your use of keywords is counterproductive.
In conclusion, voice search is a big deal in the SEO world because it serves as a challenge to content creators. It forces them to rethink how they write, optimize for voice search early in the writing process (i.e., before you start brainstorming), and create more conversational content that’s easy for people using voice commands to understand what they’re reading or listening to–especially if your site is mobile-friendly! It is critical to optimize for voice search if you want your business to thrive in this current digital age, and gain an edge over the competition.