Siri, rank my business high in voice searches
How to optimize your website with the power of speech

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on July 29, 2022

The future is searching by speaking. By 2020, experts predict more than half of all online searches will be spoken instead of typed. And not just on mobile devices. Most people are talking to their laptops and smart home devices. Already, there are one billion voice searches every month, according to Forbes. Because it’s so widely used, search engines like Google are placing a higher emphasis on voice search optimization. That’s why it’s important to optimize your website with this in mind to capitalize on the growing number of vocal customers.

Optimize For Voice Search

There are several steps you can take to make your website rank high on voice searches.

- Say hello to natural language – When it comes to keywords, write like you talk. Typed queries are often short and specific. When people speak, their searches are longer and conversational. So, use long-tail keywords that reflect the way people speak.
  For example, if you want to make pizza at home and type in the search bar, you might use short keywords like ‘Pizza recipe.’ But when you search with your voice, your query is different. You’ll use longer, more conversational phrases such as ‘I need a great recipe to make pizza at home’.
  
  Trends suggest that natural sounding keywords will get a big boost in search volume as voice search grows. If your keywords sound robotic, expect fewer people to search for that specific term in years to come.

- Answer your customers’ most asked questions – Answer them on your website, a blog, or an FAQ page, again, using conversational tones and phrases to rank higher in voice searches. According to a research by Backlinko, an average voice search answer is about 29 words long. So, you need content to answer queries in 30 words or fewer.
  You can also create H2 headers using those common questions and answer them in the body text to increase your SEO.

- Localize your SEO – Google reports that searches with the phrase ‘near me’ have grown more than 500% in the last two years. People are using the phrase on the go in their cars and in public places. So, make sure to include your town, city and state when you optimize your keywords.
  Since most search robots pull your information from Business Listings, keep them current. Go to your ‘Google My Business’ page and include your brand, products and services, address and hours. Listing your business there will help you rank better in voice queries.

- Improve your site speed – Since 70% of web traffic happens on mobile devices, according to CIODive 2018, ensure that your site loads quickly and works well on phones and tablets. Also make sure that image files are compressed and optimized, and that you use website caching to improve page-loading speeds. If your site’s pages are loading faster, you’ll get better rankings.

Implement these advanced strategies
- Include filler words: The use of articles, prepositions and conjunctions in your content and keywords can improve your voice search rankings.
- Write for a 9th grade reading level: Most of the voice searches are spoken at a 9th grade reading level. This means you should avoid using fancy words and complex jargon.
- Longer Content: Google voice search algorithm has a sweet spot for longer content. You should aim to write at least 1500 words or more to get better rankings on voice search.

The Bottom Line

Speaking and searching is here to stay because it’s convenient and fast. As technology advances, people are getting equipped with voice-first devices. It’s estimated that more than half of all internet searches will with voice by 2020.

If you need help making your website voice–search friendly, let us know. We’d love to discuss your needs and help you reach your ranking goals.

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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