Digital marketing trends are always changing and SEO is no exception. The method of pandering to search engines has come a long way since its roots of keyword stuffing and link spam.
Today we’re seeing another shift in the SEO world with the growing popularity of voice search. Consumers are moving towards vocalizing their queries instead of typing.
An astounding 20 percent of all mobile queriesnow come from voice search, while 41 percent of adults use the feature at least once a day.
Capitalizing on this growth is vital to keeping your company’s SEO strategy viable. To help keep your SEO strong, we’re explaining how voice search is affecting SEO and how you can adapt.
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Location Matters
Voice search is catching on thanks in part to the popularity of smartphones. The convenience of multitasking while dictating with your voice pushes people to adopt Siri, Google Assistant, etc.
That’s all great news until you get into the mechanics behind mobile voice search. Certain aspects of mobile search make it difficult to capitalize on SEO opportunities.
Last year’s Possum update focused heavily on local search. Google especially placed emphasis on user GPS location.
People conducting voice searches now see results based on their physical location. This means your business could lose SEO juice based solely on its address.
Combatting this is only so effective. After all, it’s hard to compete if the user is simply closer to another business.
What you can do, however, is update your Google My Business profile. Add your address, phone number, description, hours, etc.
Google pulls data from these listings during searches and gives priority to businesses with detailed profiles. It’s also how Google knows your businesses’ location.
Accurate map data on My Business ensures only users who’re actually close to your store see your listing.
Your business could also outrank those in your vicinity (even when they’re closer to the user) if your Google My Business profile is complete and theirs isn’t.
Changing Keywords
The way people speak and the way they talk is fundamentally different. You probably wouldn’t say that first sentence the way we just wrote it.
This same idea applies to voice search’s affect on SEO. Keywords and phrases differ from text to voice search.
For example, a text search might be something like, “shoes in Boulder Colorado,” while the voice equivalent would look like, “Help me find somewhere to buy shoes.”
Voice search is forcing businesses to focus their keywords on long-tail phrases. To stand out, you’ll need to get specific.
Think of it this way. Voice search only returns one response, so the keyword “buy shoes” won’t stand out from the competition.
But, “Where can I buy the best Nike tennis shoes,” is specific enough to capture traffic. Not to mention it’s also more in line with how someone would verbalize a search.
Tailored Content
While voice searches are usually geared towards finding a store, restaurant, etc., or, they’re also used to answer questions.
“Who invented soap” or “How do you make shrimp cocktail” are the kinds of questions your blog content can answer.
Voice search pulls answers to these questions from regular websites across the Internet. Some assistants like Siri, even link back to the page where they found the answer.
Now, we’re not advising you write blog articles about random content. However, you should produce content that stays within your niche.
Not only your content inform your readers, but if a voice search returns the article your SEO will soar.
Voice search is changing the way Google handles SEO. Companies need to utilize Google My Business, focus on long-tail keywords, and produce tailored content in order to stay relevant.
Users are increasingly embracing voice search, so it’s time you start thinking about your SEO strategies of the future.
Author Bio
Nick Rojas is a self-taught, serial entrepreneur who’s enjoyed success working with and consulting for startups. He concentrates on teaching small and medium sized enterprises how best to manage their social media marketing and define their branding objectives.
Twitter: @NickARojas
