With AI constantly improving, more devices offer voice assistance that work well, resulting in voice search growing in popularity amongst internet users. According to Statista, the number of digital voice assistants in use worldwide will be 8.4 billion by 2024. This means that brands or businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve must, therefore, move quickly to optimise their content for voice search devices – be that Siri on smartphones, Alexa on Echoes, Cortana on laptops or any other. By following a few simple rules, you can ensure that your content is optimised for voice, so here are my top tips to get your started.
Voice search users often ask questions to conduct their searches, as they’re essentially questioning an assistant. This means that for your website’s content to be relevant to these users, you will need to include question-based content and titles through your written copy, ensuring at least some titles are questions and that key landing pages include them. FAQ pages present fantastic opportunities for such optimisation, and to ensure they match your users queries, conduct a brainstorm or survey with your sales or customer services teams to find the most common and frequent questions asked by your customers or other prospects. It also helps to conduct a keyword analysis using Google’s Keyword Tool, as it will allow you to discover the most relevant questions with the highest number of searches. Once you have identified these, they can be included in your content to help your users solve their problems or fulfil their needs, as well as have the chance to be featured in voice search results.
Voice search users speak naturally, so content should be written in a conversational tone. While industry jargon, acronyms and technical terms all have their place, these should not be used exclusively as they may exclude voice search users. Focusing on writing in a way that is easy to understand, not too formal, and sounds as though it could be spoken will help pick up on voice search traffic.
Depending on the device, voice search results are often read aloud to the user up to a certain word count. This means that the answers to questioning content should be kept brief and to the point; ideally giving the impetus to read on further so that the user clicks through and accesses further information on your website.
Mobile responsiveness is a must-have now that it is an important ranking factor for Google, but it’s also worth noting that most voice searches happen on mobile devices; not least because most voice assistants work on smartphones. If the answer a user receives to their search query then leads them to click through to your website, you need to ensure that it will format and work properly on their screen – or they’ll head off elsewhere to find the same information.
Statistics on voice search varies, but it’s estimated that around 77% of those aged 18-34 use voice search and 63% of those 35 to 54. People are also much more likely to use voice search when alone than when they are in company. This means that questions could potentially be more intimate or sensitive than when typed, and that younger users are more likely to ask questions than older. Shaping content to fit how your target audience is likely to search will help fit their needs and answer their queries.
Schema markup is a type of code that you can add to your website to help search engines understand and display your content better. This can help your content to appear in featured snippets and other types of rich results, which can improve your click-through rate from voice search and other search methods. Schema markup is a standardised code that’s recognised by all major search engines, so including it adequately has the benefit of communicating effectively with and boosting rankings for a variety of sites and not just Google.
Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords, tending to form phrases rather than individual words. This means that you are more likely to rank for long-tail keywords, and they can help attract users who are interested in what you have to offer, as it’s easier to understand their search intent. Examples of long-tail keywords include ‘ethical coffee shop near me’ or ‘Where to buy a monstera houseplant with next day delivery’.
It’s important to check what is currently showing in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for your target queries. This will allow you to understand the type of content that ranks well, and especially the content that has made it into the SERP features. Why is this important? Because SERP features are the main source of voice search results on every device it is available on. So, let’s deep dive into what they are - SERP features add to the standard text-based listings your business might get on the search results, and they come in various formats such as:
- ‘People also ask’ blocks: quick questions and answers to your related query so you can refine your search and find an answer quickly.
- Featured snippets: a text preview of the landing page’s content (these fuel over 40% of voice search results).
- Local pack: show the most local top business listings with a map.
- Rich snippets: show more information to users such as event dates, review ratings, etc.
By following these tips, you can optimize your content for voice search and reach a wider audience of potential customers. However, once you have optimised your content for voice search, it's important to monitor your progress and results on different devices, as the various voice assistants available use different search engines to generate their information.
For more information on voice search, other SEO tactics, or to make a start on optimising your site, get in touch with the Clickjump team!
I am a digital marketing professional with over 25 years’ experience in the sector and a passion for the internet industry. I build and implement online marketing strategies and campaigns to achieve my clients’ goals across a wide variety of sectors. As a marketing leader, I use my expertise in search, content, social and lead generation strategies to consistently improve and shape commercial success that drive growth, engagement and business development.
