How Voice Search Will Change SEO
The future is changing for SEO as voice search continues to garner popularity with the masses while the current type search SEO is dwindling into obscurity with every waking day. Voice search is spreading it roots faster because of the numerous advantages that come with it. First, it’s quicker than pain stacking type searching where you have to key in each word letter by letter. Moreover, it’s convenient and simply downright cool.
Therefore, if you are looking to stay relevant in this cut-throat world of unrelenting technological revolution, it is paramount that you adjust your approaches to SEO accordingly lest you get left behind. Before delving into the nitty-gritty of voice search, let’s first take at the current strategies in place. This is essential as they will form the anchor upon which to mould your new SEO methods.
Type search SEO techniques are founded on a trio of search query approaches as follows:
1) Navigational search queries
This is geared towards picking out a unique website or web page on the basis of name or title associated with it. If say you want to get to Facebook, you just type in said name and not the URL in its entirety.
2) Informational search queries
Informational search queries tap into the rich and vast array of knowledge available across the far reaches of the internet without targeting a particular URL or website. The user simply keys in a phrase pointing out what he or she seeks to know, then search results are displayed each giving insight into that particular topic.
3) Transactional search queries
As evident from its name, it involves a transition from one page to another. It is synonymous with users seeking to buy products online who look up words like “order”, “buy” and whatnot accompanied by the name of the item.
As you must have noticed by now, the methods one through three all involve typing in keywords. Voice search, on the other hand, alleviates the need for a keyboard as it is solely speech initiated thereby revolutionizing the use of keywords as we know it.
All is not lost if your SEO strategies rely on type based searches, as is the case with most if not all other SEO optimizers. With a little bit of tweaking, you can still get it working for you by falling in line with the demands of voice searches. Here are few pointers on how to do so:
Go for long-tailed keywords
When we’re looking up something, we just type in essential words on what we want to know. Say if you’re looking for a shoe store in Chicago you just type in “best shoe store Chicago”. However, this is not the case in voice based searches as people are bound to use sentences in full. In this case, most people are more likely to say “Which is the best she store in Chicago?”.
Therefore, your SEO strategies need to incorporate not only longer but also very specific keywords exactly the way people are bound to use them. You have to anticipate the possible keywords perfectly.
Optimize keywords for natural speech
Voice searches are getting more accurate by the day as evidenced by the fact that the word error rate dropped by a staggering 12% in the past five years; now it’s only at 8%. This means that voice search is getting good at picking out the wide array of unique speech quirks in the human voice.
Therefore, mould your content along the basic speech patterns that govern human verbal communication. Adopt a conversational tone keeping this in mind; you could even spice it up a tad by adding a local slang here and there.
Not to worry if you haven’t the slightest clue on where to start, Rank Tracker, a software well versed in voice query research, has got your back. Simply type in the keyword, and let this tool do the hard work for you. It will come up with a customized language that takes into account speech nuances.
Prioritize mobile
It’s no secret that the use of smart is popular not only in the United States or Europe but the whole world at large. Desktops, however, aren’t as popular; therefore, prioritize the mobile platform before all others. Moreover, voice searches are predominantly done on a Smartphone meaning you are likely to stay head and shoulders above the rest on voice search rankings.
Tailor your content to be as mobile friendly as possible; the entire content should fit perfectly within a mobile without the need of constant zooming and navigation. The mobile friendly test by Google can help you verify if your SEO content truly works within the confines of the mobile platform.
One way to ensure compliance is by steering clear of the Flash software implored by most pc web browsers as it does not bode too well with its mobile equivalents. Moreover, compress images and you’ll find yourself at the top of voice search results because of the reduced loading time.
Final Verdict
It’s only a matter of time before type based searches become a thing of the past, therefore embrace the changes in techniques of search engine optimization that come with voice searches. The latter affords plenty of advantages; learn how to navigate the rough murky waters of voice searching lest you drown into anonymity.
