Optimizing Content for Voice Search Is the New SEO
Voice Search is getting so popular among Internet users. More than 40% of adults and above 50% of teens are using voice search more than once a day when they’re on mobile devices.
While you’re optimizing your website for search results done on desktop, you should also optimize it for Internet users asking help from Siri or Google Assistant. Take note that most searches done on Google show up results from Google Knowledge Graph, a knowledge base used by Google and its services to enhance its search engine’s results with information gathered from a variety of sources.
Google makes changes in the algorithm once or twice a day, and there are more than 500 algorithmic rules getting launched each year in addition to the major algorithm factors such as Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, etc.
Voice Search or Voice Queries on Mobile
With the constant development of smartphones and other mobile devices with personal assistants, voice queries began to shape the world of SEO.
Google now has Google Assistant. Apple has Siri. Microsoft has Cortana. Amazon has Alexa. Samsung has Bixby. Yandex has Alice.
Voice queries are two-way conversations with an aim at helping the user to complete tasks in real time such as finding directions while driving, making a purchase from an ecommerce website, or even booking tickets.
Internet users today prefer direct answers whenever they do a voice search. Examples are below:
How far away is Makati to Subic, Pampanga?
What time is it in Scotland?
What’s the total population of the world in 2018?
Rather than showing up links of the websites where information or answers to these questions are found, Google only picks one result it thinks the most authoritative source of information before AI-powered assistant speaks and tells the user.
That’s how voice search is done.
How to Optimize Website Content to Get Selected by Google Voice Search Result
Even though most of the time there’s only answer to a voice inquiry being spoken and told to the user, the information that Google picks come from a well-optimized website.
At IMARK, we focus on 4 different proven SEO tactics that make content easily picked by Google search voice results.
First, the website needs to be mobile-friendly with passing scores on Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and Pingdom.
Second, the content needs to be structured in detail based on Advanced SEO Guide for Content Writers and Link Builders.
Third, the website needs to be super-fast by hosting it with content distribution network (CDN), a geographically distributed network of proxy servers and their data centers.
Fourth, the website needs to use long-tail keywords because most people using voice search are known for asking long questions, according to Google data.
Contact our SEO team to learn more about Voice Search and how we can help you rank on top and get chosen by Google as an answer to a user’s voice search inquiry.