Voice searches: web search becomes conversational

Did you know that 25% of people use voice search at least once a day?

It’s clear now, the trend of voice searches is destined to grow. Between smart speakers and voice assistants, we are increasingly accustomed to interacting with technology.

So how do we make our website responsive to this new way of browsing?

In the digital age we live in, our relationship with technology is constantly evolving. What once required the use of a mouse and keyboard has transformed into a tactile experience through touch devices. From PINs to facial recognition, we’ve experienced a significant change in how we interact with our devices. But the evolution hasn’t stopped there.

Today, voice searches are opening new doors to interacting with technology. We no longer need to type the topics we’re interested in, but can speak directly to smart speakers or the voice assistant on our smartphone while we’re busy doing something else. This intuitive and direct approach is revolutionizing our way of conducting online searches. It’s noteworthy that in the West, over 25% of people now conduct their online searches using voice commands. Among the most used smart speakers today are Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant.

When we use voice search, we tend to make longer and more specific queries compared to when we type our searches. With written search, we often limit ourselves to entering keywords into the search engine. Voice search, on the other hand, is based on conversational-type questions and uses so-called “long-tail keywords.” This change in how we formulate our searches has a significant impact on the indexing of websites.

When the way we conduct searches changes, it’s essential to adapt our SEO strategy to stay relevant and competitive. In this article, we’ll explore how to optimize your website for voice searches, allowing you to reach a broader audience and improve your online visibility.

SEO and Voice Searches: 10 Immediate Actions for Your Website

Voice Search Optimization is an extension of SEO that focuses on optimizing content to turn it into voice responses. With the proliferation of smart speakers and mobile devices, voice searches are becoming increasingly significant in web navigation. Therefore, if you have a business, especially a local one, you should not overlook a Voice Search Optimization strategy for your operation. Below are 10 best practices to follow to optimize your digital presence for voice searches:

Clean, structured code and high-quality, relevant content.

First and foremost, ensure that your site’s code is clean and well-structured, and that the content is high quality and relevant to the topic. This will help improve your position in voice searches.

Structured data.

Use structured data on your web pages to specify to search engines the type of content on the page. Structured data acts as a bridge between voice search and a conversational experience, making user navigation interactive.

Featured snippets.

Voice assistants often generate responses from featured snippets, or so-called “featured snippets.” Structure this content to directly answer the most frequently asked questions by users. This way, you will increase your chances of being found in searches.

FAQ/Blog section.

Web users are looking for solutions and answers. Create an FAQ section or a blog on your website to provide content specifically designed to answer user questions. The responses should be concise, clear, and comprehensive.

Conversational keywords.

Include in your website content long-tail keywords used in everyday language to match the voice search criteria of users.

Chatbots.

Chatbots are virtual assistants powered by artificial intelligence that offer users the opportunity to leave feedback. This feedback can improve the searches of subsequent users (with a significant and exponential impact on e-commerce).

An internal search engine on the website that supports voice search.

Implement an internal search engine on your website that allows users to perform voice searches. This will improve the usability of your website and facilitate navigation for users using voice search.

Google My Business.

Create a profile on Google My Business, which will be distributed across all Google platforms and be highly visible in voice searches.

YouTube.

On screen-enabled devices, YouTube video formats are preferred when performing a “how-to” search. Leverage YouTube to create video tutorials and guides that can be viewed by users using voice search. Therefore, having an optimized website.

Mobile-friendly website.

Although it’s obvious, we can never say it enough: mobile first! Today, most searches are performed from mobile devices, and for voice searches, this data is even more overwhelming. A mobile-friendly website offers the user a positive navigation experience and is always rewarded in the Google SERP ranking.

By following these ten actions, you will be able to optimize your website for voice searches and enhance its visibility in the context of voice searches.

Invest in Voice Search Optimization and Increase Your Site’s Voice Searches

The trend of voice searches is continuously growing. It is estimated that by 2028, the market for voice assistants will reach 270 million units. Moreover, voice searches are not only conducted through smart speakers. From smartphones to smart bands, from home appliances to cars, the use of voice for our online searches is set to increase.

Users love voice searches because they offer a quick and easy way to obtain desired information, allowing them to perform other tasks without needing to use their hands to type queries: it is the freedom to communicate with technology in a natural and intuitive way. Additionally, voice search stands out from text search in another crucial aspect: when we type our query, the search engine returns a list of results from which we must choose. In voice search, a source is selected and the speaker responds with a unique result. This is also why voice search provides a more direct way to quickly obtain the answers we seek. Voice search has now become a part of the touchpoints in a user’s conversion journey and a website not optimized for voice searches risks losing visits, contacts, and consequently profits.

Do you want your website to be easily found by your potential customers? It’s time to optimize it for voice searches too. Contact us now for a comprehensive SEO review of your site, to maximize its visibility and reach an increasingly wider audience. Invest in Voice Search Optimization today and fully leverage the potential of voice searches. Success is just a voice command away!