Voice Search Optimization: 5 Best Practices to Improve Your Result

As the world becomes increasingly centered around convenience, voice search is a convenient tool that has recently started gaining popularity. Whether we're asking Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant which coffee shop to visit next or providing answers to a trivia question, using our voice search has become deeply ingrained in daily life. As this technology continues to rise, it will be suitable for your website to listen up and optimize its voice search experiences.

So, what is voice search optimization, and why does it matter? This post looks into SEO for voice search and provides steps to plan a successful voice search SEO strategy.

What Is Voice Search Optimization?

Voice search optimization is a modern process that makes it easier for people to search for your content and find it easily in voice-search results. In a voice search, users express the query verbally, listen to an audible response, or see relevant points on a screen returned by their assistant.

Voice Search Optimization Examples

Here are some voice search optimization examples:

• "Where can I find affordable bike insurance?"-Question-based content.
• "The best time to visit New Delhi is between October and March."-Concise answers 
• "Best pizza delivery near me"-Local queries

By crafting your content around these natural queries, you're making it easier for voice search engines to find and prioritize your website.

Why Is Voice Search Optimization Important?

As voice search becomes more popular, optimizing for it can determine whether people find and visit your site. Here are some facts to explain why you need voice search optimization for website:

1. Rising Demand for Voice Search: Voice search use is at an all-time high. We execute over 50% of our daily search results with voice, and the number of smart speakers in homes is skyrocketing. With no signs of this trend slowing, companies must prepare and evolve to keep pace.

2. Different Query Form: Voice queries are longer and more conversational compared to text-based searches. In other words, businesses need to improve their content for these written questions before they start stealing traffic.

3. Local Search Optimization: Many voice searches are local, like "restaurants near me" or the classic version of "best plumber in New York." This way, you are better positioned to tap into this voice-activated, high-intent traffic with local SEO optimization.

4. High Placements Competition: Voice search devices often return only the top one or two results. You need to optimize your content well to rank highly in voice search. 

What are the Benefits of Voice Search Optimization?

Optimizing for voice search comes with several advantages:

• Better ranking: If you get ranked in the top voice search results, siloing can help your site be more visible overall.
• Better UX: The whole point of voice search is to serve users the answer they are looking for quickly and clearly. Designing your content to meet this demand improves the experience for all users, voice only or not.
• Traffic: Increased visibility leads to increased clicks. Voice search is much more often mobile and local, which is good if you are in the map section.

Are There Any Differences Between Voice and Text Search

SEO for voice search does have a few similarities with traditional SEO, but some crucial differences set it apart:

1. Natural Language Queries

Voice search queries are conversational. So instead of typing in "weather New York," a user might say, "What's the weather like in New York City today?" You must look for long-tail and natural language.

2. Mobile-Focused

Voice search is predominantly mobile-based. To rank well in voice search, a quick, mobile-friendly website is also required.

3. Local SEO Emphasis

Voice searches are usually more local, driving the need to optimize your content and Google Business Profile for local results. 

Best Practices for Voice Search Optimization

Having established what is voice search optimization and why it matters, let's discuss some ways to undertake voice search optimization for websites: 

1. Target Long-Tail and Conversational Keywords

A voice search query is typically longer and more conversational than a standard text-based search. Make sure to find long-tail keywords—the more specific phrases, generally longer than three words. These keywords are closer to natural, spoken language.

Example:

Instead of focusing on "best restaurants," target "What are the best restaurants near me?"

Actionable Tip:

Use tools like Ubersuggest or Google's "People also Ask" section to find conversational queries and incorporate them into your content.

2. Optimize for Local SEO

Since voice searches generally have a local focus (e.g., "find a cafe near me"), optimizing your content for local SEO is critical. Update your Google Business Profile with accurate contact information, operating hours, and high-quality photos to increase the likelihood of being found in local voice search results.

Actionable Tip:

Include your location and contact information on your website's homepage and in relevant meta tags. Use phrases like "near me" in your content to capture location-based searches.

3. Provide Direct Answers to Common Questions

Voice search users look for quick, easy answers to specific questions. Form your content to answer common questions clearly and concisely to meet this demand. Add an FAQ section to capture question-based searches.

Example:

If someone asks, "How do I make paneer tikka?" you want your content to provide a step-by-step guide to answer this query.

Actionable Tip:

Use headings and subheadings with question-based keywords.

4. Focus on Featured Snippets

Many voice search results come from Google's featured snippets or "position zero." To capture these, structure your content to provide clear, concise answers to common questions.