Businesses need online presence to capture their target market’s attention, especially during this pandemic. People rarely go out these days, so traditional advertising methods, like billboards and posters, aren’t going to do you any good.
Over 22.31 million people active internet users in Australia, and they spend an average of five hours and 41 minutes on the web, according to We Are Social’s Digital 2020 report on the country. That’s over 88 percent of the population consistently going online! Their most visited site, according to the report, is Google.
The search engine giant gets over 1.2 million monthly traffic in the country, which is significantly higher than any other site. If you want your business to be noticed online, it has to be at the top of Google’s search results. One of the surefire ways you can achieve this is through search engine optimization or SEO.
The Importance of Voice Search to SEO
If you’ve had SEO services done to your site before, you know that it’s a process that constantly evolves and changes as search engine algorithms get revised and new features get added. One of the newest shakeups in the industry is the introduction of voice search.
Voice search involves using a voice assistant, like iPhone’s Siri, Android’s Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa, to search for information online. Almost 50 percent of people use voice search, according to a recent survey by Adobe. Another study by Perficient Digital found that voice is now the second choice for mobile searches, just behind the browser app.
Voice search is also the most popular use of voice assistants, a survey by The Manifest found. Over 60 percent use their assistants to search for products, services and information on the web. More specifically, they use it to look for facts like a business’s opening hours or directions to its location.
How to Optimize for Voice
More and more people are using their voice assistants to look for information about companies like yours. How can you optimize your website for voice searches?
Improve Your Google My Business Listing
When customers use voice search to get business information, they often look for NAP information. This stands for name, address and phone number. Google uses these pieces of information to direct customers to your business, whether it’s by showing directions through Google Maps or showing your full contact details on your Google My Business (GMB) page.
Your GMB page appears at the very top of the results, even above organic entries. However, if it has outdated details, it may not even show up on your customers’ searches.
Here are ways to improve it.
- Claim and verify it – If your GMB page appears on Google even though you haven’t made one yourself, it just means that Google made it for you. You can claim this for yourself by clicking on “Claim this business.” If you’re creating your own, you also need to verify it so it appears on search results. This involves signing up, adding your details and clicking on “verify now” on your dashboard. Google will provide instructions you need to do so. This usually involves a PIN being sent to your email, SMS, or post.
- Complete and update your information – Ensure consistency with your name, address and phone number for your e-commerce website. They should also be updated immediately if your business moves locations or changes contact details.
Speed Up Your Site
Most voice search users are on mobile. Siri, Alexa and even the Google Assistant are all used on mobile devices that bring up results that open up mobile browsers. When your site loads slowly, around 15 seconds or more, you’ll lose the attention of your customers. This is why Google ranks faster sites higher on search results.
Speed up your site by adjusting your photos using TinyJPG or TinyPNG, asking your web design and development specialists to make your site mobile-friendly and using a content delivery network or CDN to deliver content faster to customers across the country or globe.
Fulfill Consumer Concerns
About 41 percent of voice searchers say that they talk to their voice assistants like their friends. This means they take on a more conversational tone when using voice search instead of the usual short keywords they use for typed searches.
For example, if they’re looking for a vegan restaurant near their home, they’d ask “Where are vegan restaurants in Melbourne?” instead of the usual “vegan restaurants in Melbourne.”
Use tools like Answer the Public to find out what customers ask about your products, services, or brands. Insert these questions in your copy and content and resolve them. Customers asking the same thing will surely click on your result.
Voice search is starting to become more popular, as voice assistants get smarter and more convenient to use. Implement these suggestions to improve the online visibility of your business. When you have an updated GMB page, when address; your customers’ questions and have a fast website, you’ll make your way to the top of the voice search results in no time.