Have you ever thought about what could happen to SEO if voice search technology didn’t exist? Take a second. Consider the benefits that voice search could bring to your optimization efforts. Whether you like it or not, the evolution of speech recognition could change SEO. Additionally, help you find a better rank.
Benefits of Voice Search Technology
Trends are important when it comes to optimization. You want to pay attention to things that are on the uprise. When you see something like Alexa, Google, Siri, or Cortana, and notice that they are changing things up, get in on the action! They could end up providing you with several benefits.
Speech recognition devices will pull the answers from the top-ranking positions on the search engine results page. Which means, the competition for top spots could be heavy. However, once that spot is yours, you’re more likely to stay there.
When implementing voice search technology, you’ll have a better chance to get noticed for a more direct niche. Due to an increase in voice searches over the past year, long-tail keywords are being implemented more and more. Adding long-tail keywords to your SEO efforts, you have an opportunity to get noticed for more direct searches. Voice searchers typically use long-tail keyword phrases. Usually someone who searches for something with long-tail keywords is more likely to purchase a product. After taking on this new strategy, you become more likely to sell a product or service.
Voice Search Strategies for SEO
After you know the benefits, it’s time to start using voice search in your SEO strategy.
- Start including long-tail keywords. Targeting phrases will be your best friend here. Add them to your content, headings, or even title tags.
- Pay close attention to user search intent. Know what your users are looking for. Try using a tool to get insights on the user search intent.
- Begin a local SEO plan. Many people use voice search while on the go. Searches that include “near me” are usually people who are ready to buy. Ensure your local SEO is all set, to gain extra business success.
- Make your site mobile-friendly. Most people who are using speech recognition to search for certain items are doing so from their mobile device. Making your site mobile friendly, gives you a better chance to rank. Update your structured data. Structured data helps search engines to know what the content on your site consists of. If your structured data is strong, and unique, you’ll stick out a bit more on websites.
The Future of Speech Recognition
We can never clearly determine what the future of SEO will look like. However, we do have a pretty good idea. Many tools, pages, and even Google itself, provide some updates or predictions ahead of time. A few of the biggest, or more noteworthy, are:
- Natural speech patterns will be a factor you will need to pay attention to. Users voice search differently than they search on a laptop or desktop. So speech patterns will become more relevant.
- More focus will be put on mobile-first indexing. This includes speed, compatibility, and design, all needing to be in tip-top shape, operating smoothly.
- Finally, customers, or users, will be happier. They will enjoy hearing or reading into more direct answers they searched for. Therefore, providing a better experience for them, and likely increasing your chance for them to revisit your page.
The possibilities are endless if you are effectively implementing speech recognition and voice search techniques. For more information on hiring SEO professionals that can help your transition into voice search strategies, give us a call today at (888)736-7766.
Sources:
https://kubix.digital/blog/how-to-optimize-for-voice-search
https://vtldesign.com/digital-marketing/search-engine-optimization/voice-search/
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
