The digital age is advancing. Optimising your SEO strategy for voice search is not just an enhancement; it’s a necessity.
With the increasing popularity of virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, voice search is changing how users interact with search engines. From finding local businesses to answering quick queries, voice commands are becoming a common method for online searches. The shift presents a unique opportunity to refine your SEO approach and capture a new segment of search traffic.
In this article, our experts at Digital Eagles explore five compelling reasons why voice search is a key point of modern, custom SEO services, and how it can significantly impact your online presence.
What is Voice Search Optimisation?
Voice search optimisation involves implementing custom on-page SEO services to enhance your content’s visibility in voice search queries. The primary objective of voice search SEO is to craft content that answers the types of questions typically asked through voice commands, making it more accessible for virtual assistants and voice search technologies to recommend your page in their responses.
Typically, a voice search begins when a user activates their device with a wake word like “Alexa” or “Hey Siri,” followed by a query or command, such as “What are some good restaurants nearby?” or “When is Mother’s Day?”
Depending on the device, it may deliver the information audibly or display the leading results on a search engine results page. Effective voice search marketing focuses on optimising your content to be among the top choices for these spoken queries, enhancing both visibility and user interaction.
Reasons to optimise for search by voice
Why integrate voice search marketing into your SEO implementation? Here are five compelling reasons to focus on voice search SEO:
1. Expanding Your Customer Base
Voice searches are not just a passing trend, with over one billion such queries conducted monthly through mobile and smart devices. If your content isn’t optimised for these searches, you’re missing out on significant leads and sales opportunities.
Implementing voice search optimisation is essential to harness your online potential, as this technology currently facilitates more than $2 billion in sales annually. Such a massive scale of engagement shows how optimising for voice can substantially increase your reach and elevate your revenue.
2. Anticipating Market Evolution
While every business must try to keep pace with emerging trends, investing in custom SEO services around voice search is not just about following the crowd—it’s about future-proofing your marketing strategy.
As devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa improve their response accuracy, the user base for voice search is expected to grow, with predictions indicating that voice-activated shopping could generate upwards of $40 billion in a matter of years. Brands that adapt to include voice and visual search capabilities will likely see a 30% increase in digital commerce revenue, highlighting the significant growth potential for businesses investing in voice search technologies.
3. Enhancing Customer Satisfaction
Customers are the lifeblood of any business, and ensuring they have a stellar experience is key to fostering loyalty, preference and advocacy for your brand.
Implementing voice search optimisation can significantly elevate the user experience. The technology allows users to access information quickly and effortlessly without even having a device in their hand—a critical advantage in our fast-paced world. Instead of navigating keyboards and screens, users can simply speak their queries and receive answers instantly from their well-informed, digital assistant. Hands-free capabilities are especially valuable for users engaged in other activities, allowing them to gather information without pausing their tasks.
Providing prompt, accurate responses via voice search enhances user satisfaction and encourages positive interactions with your brand.
4. Boosting Website and Business Traffic
Voice search is an effective tool for driving traffic—not just to your website but also to your physical business. When a user queries information relevant to your services, smart devices often respond with a direct link to your site if your content matches the search criteria.
For example, a query about fixing a plumbing issue might result in a brief answer from a device like Google Home, which then offers a link to your website for detailed guidance. This feature not only boosts your site’s traffic but also supports greater foot traffic to your location, particularly for local searches.
From places to eat to professional service providers, statistics indicate that more than half of voice search users look for local business information through this medium. By optimising voice search, you can tap into this trend and drive substantial local and online traffic to your business.
5. Influencing Your SEO Strategy
The advent of voice search has altered the way people search for information online, which, in turn, affects how they discover your business. As such, voice search is reshaping on-page SEO services, and their influence on your wider digital marketing efforts cannot be overstated. After all, devices conducting voice searches often fetch data from the featured snippet at the top of search results. A significant 50% of answers provided through voice searches are derived from these featured snippets.
What does this mean for your SEO efforts?
It emphasises the need to develop content that is eligible to be prominently featured on SERPs. While there is no guaranteed method to secure a place in the featured snippets—these positions cannot be purchased—you can increase your odds by meticulously crafting content that addresses specific queries concisely and directly.
For instance, imagine you manage a gardening supply store and have written an article about organic pest control methods. If a voice search query is made such as, “What is a natural way to repel pests in a vegetable garden?”, your content might include a direct and actionable response like:
“To naturally repel pests in your vegetable garden, consider using neem oil. Mix one teaspoon of neem oil with a quart of water and a few drops of dish soap to create an effective spray. Apply this mixture to your plants once every week to help keep pests at bay.”
The precise and informative response is structured to directly answer the query, making it more likely to be featured in a snippet and read by voice search devices. Such content, tailored to specific user questions, enhances your chances of appearing in featured snippets, thereby improving your site’s visibility and SEO effectiveness.
Custom SEO Strategy Services for Voice Search
Now that you understand the benefits of voice search optimisation, let’s explore actionable steps to enhance your site’s visibility in voice search results.
Here are four effective strategies to consider:
Target Long-Tail Keywords
Similar to traditional on-page SEO services, voice search optimisation requires focusing on long-tail keywords. These phrases contain three or more words and have an educational rather than commercial or transactional search intent. These keywords reflect the specific and detailed queries users tend to ask through voice search devices.
For instance, instead of a general search, a user might ask, “Where can I find artisanal bread near me?” If you have a bakery that sells artisanal bread, targeting such precise queries can significantly increase your visibility in voice search results. Crafting content incorporating these long-tail phrases is essential to capture relevant search traffic.
Create Question-Based Content or FAQs with Professional SEO Copywriting Services
Voice search often involves direct questions as users look for quick answers. By developing engaging content that addresses common questions or setting up comprehensive FAQ pages through professional SEO copywriting services, you can effectively meet your audience’s needs. Consider the queries your target audience might have.
Answering these enquiries helps you reach more users via voice search and positions your content as a potential source for featured snippets, which are pivotal in voice search results.
Incorporate Slang and Regional Vernacular
People often use casual language or regional terms in voice searches, which can differ significantly from the formal keywords they type. To optimise effectively for voice search, it helps to position your SEO copywriting services to include slang and local dialects relevant to your audience. For instance, Australians searching for barbeque supplies may include voice requests that say ‘barbie’.
Enhance Local SEO
Many voice searches are location-based as users search for services or products nearby. Strengthening your local SEO can significantly impact your visibility in voice searches. Make sure your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online platforms and directories. Utilise location-based keywords and phrases in your content, and keep your Google My Business profile up-to-date.
Improve Website Loading Speed
Voice search devices often pull information from websites that load quickly. Ensuring your website is optimised for speed can, therefore, improve your chances of being selected for a voice search response. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you analyse your site’s performance and recommend improvements.
Use Structured Data
Structured data helps search engines understand your website’s content, making matching queries with accurate information easier. Implementing schema markup for your products, FAQs, and events can help your website stand out in both traditional and voice search results.
Monitor and Adapt
Voice search trends and technologies evolve rapidly. Regularly monitoring how your content performs in voice search and adapting based on what you learn is crucial. Analyse which queries bring visitors to your site, and adjust your content and SEO strategies accordingly.
Ready to Take Advantage of Voice Search Marketing & Custom SEO Services?
Optimising for voice search is more than just following a trend—it’s about preparing your business for the future of search and ensuring you’re not left behind. Whether it’s enhancing user experience, driving more traffic, or improving your SEO performance, the benefits of voice search optimisation can transform your digital strategy. Ready to start optimising your website for voice search and gain a competitive edge? Contact our team for expert SEO copywriting services, custom SEO strategies and more at Digital Eagles.
