Have you optimised your site for voice search?

Voice search has become important in SEO as the use of smart devices has grown. Rather than type in queries, users can simply speak to the search engine. It’s quicker and easier for them and they can be specific at the same time. The search engine will use natural language processing to understand these queries and gradually recognise your voice and how you speak.

You need to keep in mind this when considering the SEO of your website. If you’ve not already optimised your website for voice search, here’s how you can go about doing it:

Think about user intent

People are likely to be searching for something specific about your business, whether it’s a price, some opening hours, the types of product or service you offer or other information. When you structure your site and content, think about what questions people might have about your business. Then try to answer them preemptively by creating content and structuring your website in a way that responds to them. Any information they’d use to make an informed decision about your business, you should provide.

Create a Google My Business listing

This type of listing is superb for ‘near me’ type searches, such as ‘Italian restaurants near me’ or ‘hairdressers near me’, in which people are looking for a specific type of business in their physical location. You should provide as much information as you can about your business and keep the profile up to date. Imagery is powerful as well, so upload some images of your business to your profile. They’ll appear on Google Maps, too, and may persuade a customer to visit your business.

Use long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer than your average search query and are less competitive, but they’re just as important. Often, they’re more specific, which is why you should target them when optimising your website for voice search. Remember that voice searches reflect how we speak, so the more conversational and long tail your keywords and phrases are, the better. Between targeting these and answering your customers’ questions with your content, you can optimise better for voice search.

The use of smart devices has made voice search an important part of SEO and if you’re not applying any of the tactics above, you could be falling behind. It’s not too late to make changes, though, and the sooner you start, the sooner you can compete with the rest of the web for voice search.