Voice search has skyrocketed in recent years, with as many as 50% of searches being conducted through this method. Yet, less than 5% of businesses have implemented a search strategy. If you’ve ever had a fighting chance of getting a leg up on the competition in the saturated digital space, now is it. SonicSEO.com has the resources and know-how to design and implement effective voice search marketing strategies. Before we proceed, however, you may have a few questions. We have answers.
Voice search is exactly what it sounds like — a process by which people use a smart device to search for a particular result, and not by typing in the query, but by voicing it. You probably use voice search every day, when you talk to Siri, or when you ask Alexa to play your favorite song. Voice search can be conducted on a range of devices, including smartphones, desktops, laptops, Bluetooth speakers, home assistance devices and more. These devices are found throughout homes, cars and workspaces, making voice search more relevant than ever.
Everyone … Seriously. While not literally every person uses voice search, the technology does not discriminate by age or socioeconomic status. Two in five people say that voice is “essential” to their lives, 55% of teens use voice search on a daily basis, 44% of adults use voice search on a daily basis, and 19% of individuals talk to Siri daily. These numbers are significant, as they tell us that voice search is not just a passing trend. It’s becoming an integral part of most peoples’ lives, and marketers need to adopt it if they want to keep up.
The numbers don’t lie — voice search is on the rise and will only continue to grow in the coming years. Moreover, Google has switched to a mobile-first index, meaning it bases website rankings off the mobile version of a website rather than the desktop version. This tells us that Google, like its users, values speed and convenience over all else. Voice search is an extension of mobile, and one that is geared toward providing a better user experience and more accurate results.
All that said, businesses need to adapt to the changing digital landscape. However, only 4% of businesses currently use voice search. This means that if you begin to optimize this technology now, there is a high probability that your business will be the first one that Alexa or Siri or Cortana will suggest when it receives a query for your services.
The main distinction between voice search marketing optimization and standard search engine optimization is the use of conversational language. Before, your customers may have found you by typing in, say, “best landscaping company Albuquerque.” Today, however, someone interested in landscaping services is more likely to say, “Hey Alexa, what is the best landscaping company in Albuquerque?” Because conversation is the basis of search, your content needs to use more natural sounding words and keyword phrases.
In addition to using a conversational tone, there are other tactics we deploy to help clients rank for voice search queries:
Form search queries into naturally-worded questions
Provide concise answers to common questions
Create authoritative content
Target long-tail keywords
Focus on user intent
Use action words (Find, Look for, Search for…)
Optimize your website for speed and mobile
In addition to the above, you also need to hyper-focus on three main factors:
Voice search has paved the way for a more streamlined and personalized search experience. Now, searchers expect to find precisely what they’re looking for by doing little more than voicing a command. To meet this high expectation, businesses need to adapt their digital marketing strategies to include voice search marketing. Failure to do so now will mean a failure to get a leg up on the competition. Failure to do so eventually, however, could mean a failure to thrive in the ever-evolving digital space.
