SEO or Search Engine Optimisation refers to the process of improving a website’s content in order to get better search engine results and attract more users. In the last several years, SEO has been at the forefront of brands trying to establish their online identity and garner huge traffic. While for a long time, SEO was solely for text searches and queries, the trends are now changing.
In this article, we will learn all about voice SEO, its importance, and much more. So, keep scrolling!
What is Voice SEO?
To demystify Voice SEO, first, let’s understand what exactly voice search is. Simply put, voice search refers to the technology that allows users to search for whatever they want using voice commands. Interestingly, while voice search was first launched by Google in 2011, in today’s time, a wide majority of tech giants work with voice-activated systems.
Now, voice SEO is the form of search engine optimisation that will allow websites to appear in search results controlled by voice assistant devices. With Voice SEO, information on a website can be streamlined and upgraded to ensure that the website gets picked as the top search result when a user is voice searching.
While smartphones continue to be the most commonly used voice search devices, the tech industry has been constantly expanding in this regard. Therefore, the tech market now boasts of speakers, smart TVs, smartwatches, and so on that can be operated using voice commands.
Voice SEO: How It Works
If you are curious about how voice search and voice SEO work, here’s how it functions:
- The first step is for the voice-activated devices to filter out any unnecessary background noise and simply focus on the query.
- Next, it captures the sound data and converts it into digital data.
- Subsequently, the device processes the data and analyses the voice.
- Once the device has understood what the query is, it connects to external sources such as Google to find the most appropriate result.
- Lastly, the voice search program compares existing patterns in the information online to deliver the most relevant website as the top search result. This is where voice SEO becomes helpful.
Benefits of Voice SEO
Voice search engine optimisation is slowly but surely becoming the new normal. Let us now dive into its major benefits:
- Ability to Reach a Wider Audience: Needless to say, this is one of the primary benefits of voice SEO. By employing the right SEO strategy relevant to voice searches, your website will most definitely reach a large number of people as compared to otherwise.
- Improved Website Traffic: Many internet users are now actively utilising voice search for obtaining search results. Consequently, if your web pages are optimised to achieve higher rankings in voice search, just as they are for conventional searches, you can expect to attract a larger volume of traffic.
- Better User Experience: When you create content that matches the way users look for information, you make sure that your results are very fitting for those users. This will result in better experiences for them and make them more loyal to your brand.
- Enhanced Local SEO: When users search for businesses near them using voice search, the results generated are based on location. Therefore, by strategically including the location details in their website SEO, businesses can expect the top result for such queries and get more in-person clients.
Best Practices for Voice SEO
Voice SEO should be approached in a different way than traditional SEO. The following are the best practices for voice search engine optimisation:
-
Stick to Simplified Content:
When people are voice searching, they generally use a conversational tone and language to put forth their query. Therefore, your content must include simple English phrases that are commonly spoken, as opposed to fancy and difficult words. Since voice-activated devices work with natural language processing, sticking to natural and simplified content is in your best interest.
-
Take Advantage of Local Search:
A lot of voice search queries are for local businesses. Therefore, ensure your voice SEO gets you the best result for such local queries. You can do so by creating a Google Business Profile. This is because voice search engines often extract information from such profiles. Hence, if you have a complete and informative listing, your business has a higher chance of getting a better rank.
-
Use Long-Tail Keywords and Question Keywords:
As opposed to traditional searches, voice searches tend to have longer sentences and are usually questions rather than statements. Therefore, the best way to get such users to visit your website is by using long-tail keywords in your content. Long-tail keywords contain more than three words and can be made more specific for your business.
For question keywords, you must incorporate ‘what,’ ‘why,’ ‘how,’ ‘who,’ ‘when,’ and ‘where’ statements to garner more traffic. You should also consider including an extensive FAQ section in order to include more relevant phrases and keywords.
-
Make Use of Schema Markup:
Websites with schema markup and structured data have higher chances of ranking better in search engine results. Essentially, schema markup is the code that you add to your website’s HTML script in order to provide search engines with more details about your website. Whether a user is conducting regular search or voice search, a schema markup goes a long way in helping websites reach the top spot.
-
Mobile Optimisation:
Since most people use mobile phones for voice searches, it’s extremely important to make sure your website works well on mobile devices. This means having a design that adjusts to different screen sizes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, voice search is continually advancing in sophistication. Therefore, it has become essential for businesses to enhance their content for improved rankings in voice search results. Voice SEO is the key to helping businesses achieve this objective.
Therefore, if you want to establish your expertise in this field, why not sign up for Eduonix’s SEO course? This course includes several valuable modules such as Google Algorithms, Tools for SEO, Technical SEO, and so on. You will also benefit from SEO case studies that will help you track the real-world implications of SEO in the market. So, get yourself enrolled today without much ado!