Voice Search Optimization: 5 Handy Strategies for Ranking Better

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Voice search has now gained much prominence and a sizable volume of searches take place through it. There are times when you don’t like to type on Google or your hands are not clean; so, very simply you can say what you need to the voice assistants on various devices. The notion of voice search first started with smartphones, but soon became popular on every device. Amazon Echo/Alexa, Google Assistant, iPhone Siri, and Microsoft Cortana are the best-known voice assistants today.

Voice Search is a Dialogue System

A dialogue system is a computer-based speech system intended to communicate with humans. It employs different ways of communication such as text, speech, gestures, etc. Dialogue systems may differ in terms of their components, but they have one thing in common and it is the dialogue manager. It analyzes the semantics of human speech and keeps the conversation going.  Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is used as a tool for helping the speech manager understand the meaning of the sentences.

Why are Voice Searches Becoming So Popular?

Imagine you are cooking in the kitchen and need to review the recipe. With not-so-clean hands, you probably don’t like to type on your phone. It is when a voice assistant comes to your help and can read the entire recipe for you. There are a lot of situations like this in which you will be in need of a voice assistant. Some prominent reasons why voice search is slowly becoming prevalent are:

Voice Search is Fast and Easy

There is no doubt that voice search is more speedy and more convenient than the traditional searches on search engines. When users can simply say what they are looking for, why type? According to research, the majority of users believed voice search is quicker and more convenient.

Voice Search is Suitable for Cellphones

Maybe the most important reason behind the popularity of voice search is its compatibility with mobile phones. According to Bright Local, 56% of voice searches take place on smartphones. Also, most regular searches are made on mobile phones and this indicates the dominance of smartphones in searches.

How is Voice Search Different from Traditional Search?

There are a couple of differences between typing a query in Google and saying it:

Keywords Used in Voice Searches are Long and Conversational

We tend to use shorter sentences and a more casual language when we type a query in Google. However, when we search through speech, we say the complete questions and sentences. It is an important fact to consider for keyword research. If you are optimizing your content for voice search, opt for longer keywords.

Voice Search Results are Concise and to the Point

Usually, when people vocalize a search, they look for short and exact answers. Google understands this and as a result, a great number of voice searches lead to Featured Snippets. Featured Snippets are boxes appearing at the top of search results and provide a short answer to questions.

How to Optimize Your Content for Voice Search

We are now in the era of voice search and only the contents that are fully optimized for it can compete. This can increase your organic reach. Here are a few tips for voice search optimization:

1. Restructure Your Content

For winning the competition of organic reach, you’d better reconsider your content. Short questions and answers can draw more attention to your pages. Put yourself in the place of a searcher and think about how they would ask a question and what the best answer would be. You can also include Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) in the pages of your products or blog. The FAQ format makes it easy for Google to show brief and related results to the users. Consulting with SEO experts like Web Design Services Australia can be a good option for those who don’t know where to start.

2. Use Conversational Language

Make your language as natural as possible. Because this is the way users talk when they voice search. The use of very formal and unnatural language would ruin your chance of getting ranked. You need to anticipate how people would ask questions. Researches with empirical evidence in this regard can come to your help.

3. Use Long-Tail Keywords

As mentioned before, people use longer sentences when they talk and it goes without saying that voice searches contain longer keywords. Then it would be wise to use long-tail keywords in your titles as well as the content.

4. Improve Your Site’s Loading Time

So far, you may have realized that by voice search, users need immediate results. If the loading time of your website is higher than usual and gets the viewers disappointed, they will most likely leave without even spending a short time on it.

5. Pay Attention to Mobile

As we explained above, the majority of usual searches and voice searches happen on cell phones. Therefore, you need to build a mobile-friendly site and run tests frequently in order to ensure permanence. Use large fonts, fit images, and also space out the clickable elements.

The tech giants like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft have already started optimization for voice search and it is definitely becoming more and more popular. It is imperative for online businesses to pay more attention to this emerging sphere if they wish to produce competitive content online.

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