How to optimize content for voice search | The Ultimate Guide

how to optimize content for voice search
Content Writing

How to optimize content for voice search | The Ultimate Guide

Voice Search has become the fastest novel trend in electronics and has left all business owners to ponder on “how to optimize content for voice search” and leverage this technology to their benefit. 

Today 41% of adults use voice search a minimum once a day!          

And this percentage is rising steadily! 

And to leverage this technology, businesses have begun jumping on the bandwagon of the marketing medium called voice search optimization and wish to understand how voice search works and utilize it best for the benefit of their business.

What Is Voice Search Optimization?

how to optimize content for voice search

Voice search optimization means tailoring web content in such a way that it is discoverable by search engines while finding answers to voice search queries. 

So what has made use of voice-activated search engines and smart speakers gain momentum?

Voice is opening doors for innovation. This is because  it is appealing and gives a personal feel to interaction.  Be it playing music—–ordering a pizza—-checking the news—-or even turning out the light in your room! Voice us definitely a massively growing market.

And two players- Google Home and Amazon Echo lead this show.

It began with Siri in 2010, and was followed by voice recognition systems like-

  • Amazon Alexa in 2014
  • Microsoft Cortana in 2015
  • Google Assistant in 2016
  • Amazon Echo in 2016
  • Alibaba AliGenie in 2017
  • Samsung Bixby in 2017

Each passing year got added features and improvements pusing ‘voice searching’ towards a bright future and success.

And TODAY, the only reason for increasing this trend of voice searches is an almost accurate  voice recognition system.

What Is Schema For Voice Search?

Schema is a structured data markup. It is a global standard vocabulary. It helps search engines to comprehend the contents of your website. It was invented about 10 years ago. It is a ‘universal language’ that helps search engines better comprehend the contents of a webpage.

Schema markup is also known as schema or structured data. It helps to adapt to the basic differences between a text search and voice search.

Schema helps your website to be easily discovered by search engines. It helps a search engine to understand what exactly your website is about and what it intends to achieve. It provides search engines with directions to best understand your website’s

  • Intent
  • Target audience
  • The value you are providing the search engine users

With Schema on your website, search engines automatically put up the marked-up information and make it searchable by voice assistants.

In short, schema markup is extremely vital for enhancing your business’s online presence. It helps to provide search engines with a road map that guides voice users to your website.

Reasons Contributing To The Rising Popularity Of Voice Search

how to optimize content for voice search

One of the most primary reasons for voice search becoming popular is that it is efficient, easy, and most importantly HANDS-FREE!

An average person types at a speed of 40 words per minute. Whereas he can speak about 150 words per minute.

Therefore voice search brings greater specificity with lower efforts. 

The Utility Of Voice Search For A Common Man 

When seeking answers for queries through a voice search, users can get instant access to information easily which makes them finish tasks efficiently and quickly, thus making daily routine easier. Also, results generated by a voice search are to the point and prompt.

how to optimize content for voice search

For Example- You are driving and are looking for a fuel bunk. Previously you had to stop driving, park, and search for the same. Now with voice search, you can continue driving and still get answers to queries like “Hey Siri, where is the nearest fuel bunk”. You can even send text messages, save reminders, and a whole bunch of things, without losing concentration or having to divert eyes from the road!

That’s about a common man.

The Utility Of Voice Search For Businesses In Marketing

Today everyone is running a race. They are looking to find information quickly and with ease. 

This is where local businesses can pitch themselves.

Ensuring they list well in voice searches can increase their chances of being visited!

For Example- A mother is driving around the city running errands and while attending extra classes for kids. She wishes to find an eatery for a quick bite. She can just ask her digital assistant on the phone “what’s the best snacking place near me”.

So, if your ‘eatery’ business is listed on a voice search, it has gained a sale!

Strategies To Optimize Content For Voice Search 

how to optimize content for voice search

2020 is the age of voice search. This segment is getting competitive and such a competition is only getting tougher each day.

You as a business owner should consider optimizing your content for voice search to rank better and surge up your organic reach by following certain voice search optimization tips. 

We at Towards90 take you through 5 such strategies of how to optimize content for voice search-

1.Nature Of Voice Search Language

Text search was about using short phrases (as it saved physical effort). Voice search is about speech, about complete sentences. 

So, the pattern of searching has shifted to conversational flow from awkward, terse keywords. How we talk to digital assistants is not the same as keying text in Google search.

For when you are looking to find out about any sale running in North Delhi, you would type- “Sale, North Delhi”. When you wish to get the same information from a digital assistant, you ask “Is there any sale running in North Delhi today? 

Therefore, the type of content that is optimized for voice SEO is different. So content needs to be restructured and reorganized to make it voice-search friendly to make the language conversational and not robotic.

2.Anticipation Of Queries

Keywords are quite specific and can easily be anticipated.

But this doesn’t mean, the anticipation of sentences is difficult. The key is, when talking with a digital assistant, people are likely to ask specific queries, not ramble.

As a business, you need to know what your targeted audience groups think about your business, the products you offer, or the services you provide.

So, a business owner selling ‘home furnishing’ products should look to optimize his content with intuitive but precise content created in queries format like 

  • “Home furnishing shop near me” 
  • “Shop selling home furnishing Delhi”
  • “Best quality bed sheets near me” etc.

So, having detailed blogs or FAQ pages on the website optimized for such long-tail keywords and conversational specific questions for each such queries can ensure your business’s name pops up when someone comes looking for the type of offerings you have!

Also, the FAQ format increases your chances of Google pulling content from your business’s website to display it like a rich snippet. This works as a primary solution for how to be found on voice search!

Ensure that your voice search answers are as concise as possible. This is because an average voice search answer is only 29 words.

So, content when presented in small fragments and pointers, it easier to pop up in voice search rankings.

3. Localization

Voice search is more about finding something local.

Business owners need to ensure they keep their contact information and profiles up to date. Information like business hours, their location, how to reach there- with easy to identify landmarks, common phrases to describe the neighborhood around their location, incorporating “Near me” in the meta description, title tags, internal links, etc. can help rank better in voice searches.

For a pizza joint owner, having long-tailed keywords like ‘best paneer pizza in Delhi’ or ‘best cheezy pizza in Delhi’ can go a long way when included in their content.

Therefore ensure you register your business in the “Google My Business listing.”

4. Ensuring your website is voice search ready

Today mobiles are the primary source of information. So, business owners must ensure their websites are mobile-friendly! 

A user would make a voice search when he is looking for immediate solutions. So as business owners need to optimize their content such that it is relevant, accessible, and usable instantly.

So, as a business, you need to ensure that your website is optimized for

  • Mobile, 
  • Local SEO, 
  • Voice search. 
how to optimize content for voice search

Also, a good website is one that is quick to load, presents the visitor with relevant information, has relevant local SEO information and can interpret the searched query, and present the right answers.

5. Website Loading Time

how to optimize content for voice search

Websites that load slower are abandoned quickly.

The loading speed of the website is directly related to its bounce rates.

The same is the case with voice search. Therefore ensure your website is quick to load as a slow website cannot get you placed to answer voice queries.  

Keeping the above-discussed voice search optimization tips, in mind can sure lead your business to rank on the top of voice searches.

Consult Specialists Offering Voice Search Optimization Services 

Until a decade and a half ago, voice search was a far-fetched concept, seen only in  Star Trek and sci-fi movies. Today, it is a digital-marketing tool.

When voice search first began with Google Voice Search in 2010, it was a pretty small concept.

how to optimize content for voice search

Today it is one of the most discussed topics in the SEO industry.

What began with smartphones, today has moved beyond voice assistants and smart speakers and has created a place for itself, across people of all generations.

And yet, the concept of voice search is still in a nascent stage. Also, its future cannot be precisely predicted. But one thing for sure is that it is here to stay and sore further heights. So, it is best marketers acknowledge this and work towards optimizing content for voice search.

how to optimize content for voice search

Hiring a voice search optimization specialist SEO agency, who understands how voice search works,  can help the boat of your business sail afloat the Voice Search Optimization boat. Voice search results have a smaller display window.

  • A mobile displays the top 3 results
  • A smart speaker only the top result

 Therefore, ranking good is not the aim, you need to rank top to be visible.

We at Towards90 offer voice search optimization services and very well understand how to optimize content for voice search. Our dedicated and expert team of voice search optimization specialists and their deep understanding of the concept and years of experience in the online world can ensure partnering with us can ensure successful voice search rankings!

Now, It is over to you!