If you're not sure whether your marketing campaigns need optimizing for voice search, just ask Siri, Alexa or Cortana. They assist us with our hands-free browsing and shopping on a daily basis, thanks to voice recognition and interpretation. If you want your product or service to be found, optimize for voice search.
Why Is Voice Search Important?
It's easier for us to ask our smart devices a question than try to type into a tiny search box. Since it's predicted that 50% of all searches will come from voice and images by 2020, it's worth knowing how to make business information found when a user speaks.
At 2017's Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West Conference, digital marketing expert Benu Aggarwal revealed that 82 percent of mobile users search for local businesses, and 18 percent of local searches lead to a sale within 24 hours. This means SMBs should take voice search seriously to compete in the expanding online marketplace.
How to Optimize for Voice Search
If you want a digital voice assistant to surface your content for searchers who are on the go, you must have: structured website data, conversational content, and local business listings.
Structured data marks up your website and content so that it's easy for search engines to understand. There are a number of markups you can use to identify your address, products and services, phone number, and more. The more information you define via structured data, the easier it is for search engines to find your content for search.
When it comes to the actual text on the page, HubSpot states that natural language at a 9th-grade reading level that can be searched in snippets is the goal. Short, helpful phrases of 29 words or less typically dominate voice search results. Keep sentences succinct and meaty with information. Subheadings should also provide value by answering a question or stating a fact.
Of course, managing local business listings on site like Google My Business and Facebook also play a part in voice search success. The more robust and consistent your business information is on third-party sites, the more likely your business will appear when a consumer performs a search.
Does your agency need assistance creating content that voice recognition software can identify easily? Reach out to a marketing professional for ideas for your campaigns.
