Be it Google Home, Cortana, Alexa, Siri, the truth is one: voice search is already a reality today and voice marketing represents a change in digital marketing.
By voice assistant we mean those technological devices based on artificial intelligence that can converse with a person and answer their search requests.
In addition, voice search devices are equipped with learning capabilities and gradually learn useful information about the user to provide more accurate search results.
Mobile phones and tablets are already equipped with basic internal technologies that can be activated simply with the device’s speaker.
The functions of voice assistants are many: informative searches, searching for places or locations, shopping, reading books, playing music, ordering food, and in the case of domestic voice assistants, turning on/off and controlling any compatible appliance.
Without a doubt, it is faster and more comfortable to speak than to write and it is thus understandable why the statistics estimate a great increase in the use of voice search devices in the coming years.
So it is necessary to have a Voice Search Optimization strategy.
SEO in Voice Search: strategies to apply to your brand
1. Local SEO
Optimizing local SEO is a main point for SEO in voice marketing.
The type of information most sought after by users is commercial information, so it is essential to have a complete profile on Google My Business .
It is very important that the information is completely completed: address, mobile number, categories, schedules, prices, etc. And that this is also fully inserted and well organized on the website.
This allows, at the time of a voice search, to be in the first results if the user formulates a query (question) about a certain activity.
2. Rich Snippet
It is essential to spend some time to create a snippet that is clear and complete, not only for the user but also for the devices themselves.
Google Assistants (Google Home and Google Assistant) read featured snippets when they answer a query.
Creating a rich snippet will make it clear to search engines what the content and information on the page is and how it can address search intent.
3. Reduced charging time
Another relevant aspect for Voice Marketing is the loading time of the web page, which should be less than 3 seconds.
4. Legibility
When writing, you have to imagine what a voice snippet would be like.
Reading is not the same as listening.
You have to think like the user; think about questions and possible answers, keeping in mind that a question can be formulated in many different ways and that vocal queries are generally longer than the written version.
To do voice marketing correctly, we must write in a simple way, using natural language and opting for long tail keywords is the best option.
To optimize the texts it is useful to divide them into paragraphs, using clear and simple sentences and choosing words of common use.
Keep in mind that if a written text has a spelling error it could perhaps go missing, in voice search these would result in pronunciation errors and would hardly go missing to the user’s ear.
5. Structure the information
Using the 5Ws as part of the main information is a key step for a good voice marketing strategy.
Users often seek concrete and precise information.
Who, what, when, where, why provide a direct solution to user queries.
After completing the main information, you can include details that complement the information and add additional value.
6. Optimize for mobile
A successful voice marketing strategy cannot do without optimizing the website for mobile.
The number of mobile users is higher than that of Internet users.
In fact, in general, the development philosophy should be that of “mobile first”.
In many cases, voice search is usually accompanied by the web page to which it refers and for this reason it is essential that it be responsive.
It is important that the user is provided with useful, complete information that is easy to consult.
7. Search intent
To successfully apply voice marketing, you have to ask yourself about the user’s search intentions and present yourself as a solution to them.
By search intention we mean the real and final objective of a user who performs a search on Google (or any other search engine).
Search intents can be:
- Know: it is an informational search
- Do: express the intention of doing some type of action through the mobile
- WebSite: the user searches for a specific web page
- Visit in person: it is a search for specific locations or sites such as “pharmacies near my house”
8. Target Featured Snippet
Getting position 0, a Featured Snippet , that is, a featured snippet, is not easy and depends on many factors.
There is no one and only way to achieve it.
It can help to have a complete and well-structured FAQ section that provides a direct solution to the user’s queries and that would be suitable for ranking for their long tail keywords.
Voice Search, does it have a future?
According to Google, 20% of mobile searches are performed with voice and in the near future it is estimated that this percentage will grow to 50%.
The nature of search is changing and we are in the midst of a true revolution that is further transforming the way in which people relate to technology.
- Will voice search succeed in replacing the keyboard?
- Will we stop writing permanently?
- Won’t we need more screens?
We can’t predict it, but probably yes.
What is clear is that voice search is changing the world of marketing and that brands will have to be ready to build their voice marketing strategy if they want to keep their audience in the future.
Also Read: Chat And Voice Bots For A Digital Customer Experience