The purpose of ranking on SEO is to get visibility. Optimizing your content to match voice search is no different. Ongoing growth in Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and AI are shaping how search results are shared. However, your brand website is not showing up for rich long tail and conversational topics. To keep your brand up to date with all the voice search visibility, it’s advisable to follow these important voice search optimization tips for websites.
Tip #1: Use Conversational Language in Writing
Write your blogs like you are speaking in front of a large audience. Proofread your work and have someone else check your writing to reassure that your writing is easy to read. Readability is the hidden secret behind great conversational language content. Check SEO Yoast for readability scores and improve the score as you modify the writing. Keep the sentences concise with internal and external links for validation.
Tip #2: Write FAQs with Concise Answers
Schema markup FAQs are perfect to supplement the page because answers to questions are abundant in search results. Focus your writing with concise and structure answers to common questions. Once you directly answer the question, your odds of showing up on feature snippets improves. To find common questions in your business niche, you should use tools like SEMRush and Moz. Focus on low keyword difficulty filtered by high keyword search volume for immediate results. FAQs can be the foundation to voice search optimization for websites as long as you search for the right keywords.
Tip #3: Optimize for Local Search
Focus on adding local search content within your website. Adding blog articles like “best digital marketing agency in Chicago” can give you leverage with ranking on SERP. However, ranking for local SEO with blogs doesn’t always equate to immediate success. It’s especially true when your brand and website are new with no backlinks. In addition, you can optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) for local results. Many of voice searches include “near me” queries so optimizing your business profile with accurate name, address, phone, hours, and business categories is essential. Leverage the Q&A section found in GBP so your answers will be featured and regularly update the profile with accuracy.
Tip #4: Great Mobile Experience
Steve Jobs was an innovator and a visionary for creating a smart phone that combines music, communication, and internet together. Many companies are always tinkering with websites, so they are responsive on mobile screens. You want your mobile experience to be seamless for all the pages. The truth is that many websites are still behind the mobile experience curve with unnecessary and slow loading JavaScript. You always want to remove elements on mobile screens which don’t bring value to users. Keep in mind that your desktop doesn’t have to look the same as your mobile.
Tip #5: Improve Your Page Speed
The performance of your website starts and ends with front end coding (HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript). Improving the largest contentful paint (LCP) and cumulative layout shift (CLS) can help you with page experience and ranking. One of the free and quickest tools to use to find performance gaps is using Google Page Speed Insights. Always keep your tinkering with your website so you can improve the page speed and user experience. Look at GA4 and analyze the bounce rate after you make improvements to page speed. Lower bounce rate is a clear winning formula on mobile and desktop.
Tip #6: Implement Schema Markup
Schema markup is structured data which provides framework to search engines. Most content management systems come with an extension or plugin which automatically create schema markup for you once you publish your content. For example, WordPress uses Yoast SEO to add structure data automatically. Schema markup data like FAQs, videos, and breadcrumbs can help search engines understand your content better.
Reasons Why Voice Search is Difficult
Growing a garden takes time and effort. You need to water it, change soil, cut off the weeds, and nurture it every day. Similar logic is applied to voice search optimization for websites. The most important tips to make to help your website rank for voice search is consistency. Stay consistent with creating and updating your content with conversational and long tail keywords. Add FAQs and leverage schema markup so search engines can understand your content. Work with your developers to improve the page speed and performance for all devices. Regularly update your website so it becomes responsive and user friendly. Optimize your Google Business Profile with accuracy and information. Finally, stay patient as growing your brand will take time and effort for appearing on voice search optimization.
FAQs About Voice Search
- What industries benefit most from voice search optimization?
Local businesses, restaurants, healthcare, e-commerce, and service providers.
- Will AI change how voice search works?
AI will not change how voice search works as AI is already capable of using conversational language on a consistent basis.
- Is Voice Search Replacing Traditional Search?
No, it’s not replacing traditional search but it’s a supplement to how quickly information can be available.
Are You Looking to Optimize Voice Search?
As you can see, optimizing voice search is both technical and creative. There are certain thresholds that take time but it’s possible to rank for voice search. We want to know what CMS you are working with and where you want to rank for voice search. Next, we want to find out how often do you optimize and create new content. Do you need help with website performance? At My Digital Marketing Help, we help small and local businesses with SEO. Book your next appointment for a free consultation and come prepared with answers we may ask you and ask many questions you may have about us.
