The Importance of SEO Voice Search Tactics in 2019
As we grow more and more technologically advanced as a society every single year, businesses and websites are constantly searching for innovative and new techniques to place their products, articles, and offerings as the number one hit in search Engine optimization (SEO). As more companies and businesses race and claw their way to find new ways to affect SEO moving forward, voice search is quietly emerging as a consistent trend in the world of search.
If we are being completely honest, whether you are personally using voice search or not, it is already becoming a future tactic in optimizing search engines. As of 2017, eighty-five percent of smartphone users have admitted to using voice search at least once. Twenty to twenty-five percent of all search queries are currently being performed by voice search as of 2018. If we place that in perspective, that means one in every four users search for everyday tasks, functions, and products all based on voice assistance instead of typing in the search bar on a computer browser or phone application. Without a doubt, these are huge numbers! If a company can focus their optimization to adapt to voice search, their trafficking and hit rates would increase by almost twenty percent in theory!
Adapting to the trend of voice searching in 2019 can be challenging, but achievable if done properly. As of 2018, Apple’s Siri and Google dominate the voice search market due to the insane amount of devices they are available on. Their volume alone runs a hefty chunk of the search market. Moving forward, semantic searching will be increasingly important. Since Google’s search engine relies on a variety of factors besides keywords – such as the user’s previous searches or patterns in the algorithm, you will have to use a variety of related, long-tail keywords to enjoy optimal results in this new age. Speaking of content, voice searching is more optimized for the customers and users at hand, rather than the search engine. Ten years ago, the blueprint in search engine success relied on keywords. Nowadays, businesses and websites cater to their customers and audience instead of focusing solely on hitting certain keywords. Focus on tone and function of your customers – engage with them on social media; address frequently asked questions; create content that uses normal language that resonates with the customers. The goal is to stand out from your industry counterparts when all is said and done.
Although the content and ranking of your website are extremely important to gaining incoming traffic, if your site does not load quickly or looks sketchy on a mobile device, people will be turned off incredibly quick. We all have done this as it is human nature. With so many different options and webpages to explore, there is no point waiting on a single page to load when there are other similar sites just one click away. Half the battle is done through the content. The other half is based on whether or not you have a mobile-friendly site rendered for voice search recognition. Imagine this: you use voice search recognition to look up the most endangered species in the world. The voice application recognizes the search and attempts to pull up your page to no avail. We all know what happens next. The user will either search for something different, thus dropping your hit rates, or, do a manual search and your page will not be displayed at all. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate to avoid these lose-lose situations moving forward.
A substantial amount of voice searches are basic questions and can be answered through what is known as “position zero” on any given engine search. This position is generally located on the top of any search result and provides public domain information such as the number of ounces in a pound, or the translation of a word from one language to another. However, voice searches often credit websites for snippets and attainable information in your content. If you cater to a specific audience or core fanbase, make sure to answer long-tail keyword research questions on your website as it will make your content easier for search engines to frame and answer questions. This is a great and simple technique to build and capitalize on SEO voice searching for companies and websites with a particular niche.
All this information is good to know, however, if not applied properly, attempting to follow these tips and tricks can clutter your webpage and hinder your incoming traffic even more. Voice search optimization is a dauntingly real thing. And if you haven’t caught on by now, it’s moving increasingly fast. With Virtual Surge’s knowledge and expertise on voice search recognition and search engine optimization, I take pride in ensuring all my clients leave satisfied and confident in their abilities to join the voice search race in the upcoming years. Let me help you with this rise – it is the least you deserve after all your hard work.
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