Voice Search
Voice search is the practice of using voice commands to search for something online without needing to use a keyboard. Smartphones, tablets, virtual assistants like SIRI, Alexa or Google Assistant and browsers like Chrome are some of the most used to perform voice searches.
In recent years it has become an increasingly common practice with the advancement of technology and it is estimated that half of the searches are carried out through voice.
With this feature you don’t need to type and with your voice you can quickly access what you are looking for.
Voice search is not only useful for those who are in a hurry or doing some activity like driving or cooking. It is also a help for people who cannot read or write, children or people with a disability. Voice search becomes a very important tool for these users.
How it works?
Voice search analyzes and processes our voice and turns it into text. It then connects to the search engine and provides the results that match what we are looking for.
The user simply asks a question or mentions a word or set of words using the existing microphone and the device will search online for the results. Of course, there are several speech recognition algorithms in this technology and we have to ensure that what we say is well interpreted by the device.
What are the advantages of voice search?
In traditional search users have to type what they are looking for. If the person is driving or even walking in a hurry on the street, they will not be able to type their search. But if you use voice search, just activate the microphone and speak. Your search will appear quickly and you didn’t have to waste time typing. It’s quite practical.
Voice search also offers much faster responses without users needing to click through to different sites to find what they were looking for.
Another advantage, and very important for anyone who has a business, is the fact that voice search improves brand image. This is because people will use voice search already with accurate, reliable and fast answers. The advanced algorithm will then present the most accurate results that match our needs as a consumer. So, if a user searches on a certain topic in which our company is inserted, and sees our brand in the results, they will automatically think that it is a safe result and, therefore, a reliable company.
Thus, the company will be more visible to your target audience and will generate more traffic to your website.
Another important advantage is that by optimizing our website for voice search, it will be more likely that the website will be recognized by search engines and therefore improve the position and ranking of our digital presence.
How to optimize your WordPress site for voice search?
– Use conversational language
Voice search is very close to the language used by humans on a daily basis. In other words, use language that is understandable and similar to that used in your daily life. Voice searches are usually in the form of a question: “How do know if…”, “When to…”, “What are…” “What to…”, “Where can…”, etc. You must then find out which keywords are most used by your target audience, which are the questions that customers ask the most and which are the answers with the best results in the search results.
– Add keyword phrases to your content
By this we mean that you should know which keywords are most used by your target audience and what they will look for when searching for content like yours. If you include these key phrases in your content, your business will be much more likely to appear in the first results. Create content by answering your customers’ questions. In a normal search, the customer types, for example, “Restaurant near me”, but if it is a voice search, it will then say “Which restaurant is closest to you?” Long tail keywords have greater relevance in voice search and we need to know how to choose them according to our business, our area of activity and our target audience. Study what are the most used words when customers talk about your business. With these words you can create content based on the most common responses.
– Optimize your content for snippets
Google snippet or zero position is the results box that appears before any of the pages when performing a search. That is, a featured snippet is a search result displayed at the top of all responses. According to Google, this result represents the ideal answer for the search that the user performed. Therefore, it is essential that you do some research and know which are the most common asked questions in voice search by users of your target audience. If you include these words in your content, you are increasing your chances of appearing at the top of the results.
– Have short and understandable answers
Voice searchers don’t want to waste time reading long texts or complicated answers. The user wants a short, precise answer that meets what he is looking for. Therefore, try to have content with phrases that correspond to the answers that your target audience is looking for and remember that these phrases should not be too long or difficult to use. Opt for good content, with keywords, but don’t go overboard with the size of the answers.
– Make sure your site has a good load time
Your page speed is extremely important. No user likes to wait too long for the site to open. Time is a key factor in the digital world. In addition to there are many tools that you can use to optimize the loading time of your website, you should also pay attention to the WordPress template. If it’s a heavy template that takes a long time to load, it’s not ideal. The theme must be SEO friendly and the page speed must be good.
– Optimize the site for local search
We have already talked about the importance of optimizing content for local searches before.
Google My Business | Marketing Local Searches | Faro Algarve Portugal (webfarus.com)
Many users perform voice search, through their mobile phone, when looking for a certain company in a certain place. Make sure you have your data, schedule and your My Business account always up to date. Also, if you have a good Google ranking and positive reviews, your brand will be well regarded. If you gather the characteristics of what the user searched for by voice, in location x, you have a better chance of appearing.
– Your website must be mobile friendly
As many voice searches are done through mobile phones, it is essential that your website is well prepared, with a responsive and fast web design. Some websites even have a normal speed when we access them from the computer, but when we try to access them through the mobile phone we notice that there are many failures and that the loading time is longer.
Having content optimized for voice search is essential to stand out from the competition and improve your brand’s performance.
Voice search has been growing exponentially in recent times and if we don’t adapt and keep up with the development of technology, our business will not excel.
Work on SEO for voice search and increase the chances of becoming a frequent answer in your target audience’s searches.
About Luís Horta
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