Don’t Type It – Say It: Optimizing Online Content for Voice Search

The preferred method for searching out information on the internet is rapidly changing. Over the past few years, voice search has become more prevalent with the advent of digital assistants like Amazon Echo and Google Home. That’s not even taking into account mobile voice search utilities like Siri and Android’s Google Voice.

What does this mean for your digital marketing plan?

It means that the structure, style, and tone of your online content need to be adjusted to reflect how people are seeking information.

Here are three ideas on how to optimize your content to take advantage of the growing popularity of voice search:

1. Make It Conversational
Traditional text search queries are generally limited to one to three words, while voice searches usually run longer. That makes sense given the fact that when using voice search, queries are often phrased in the form of a question and are very detailed. In light of this, your keyword strategy must now be more conversational to reflect how people talk and ask questions in real life. If you’ve used the voice search function on your smart device, think about the kinds of questions you have asked. Adjust your content to reflect this, so the search engine spiders are more likely to pull your page(s) higher in organic rankings.

2. It’s Your Business – Claim It! 
If you haven’t already claimed your Google My Business listing – then do it now! A large portion of voice search queries are local in nature, so having your Google My Business listing claimed and optimized helps increase your chances of showing up in local searches. We’ve assisted many of our clients with this process and can do the same for you – just ask!

3. Just the FAQs
Creating FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) pages can also help improve your chances of showing up in voice search queries. Use conversational keyword phrases to structure the questions, and make sure to group similar subject questions together. Remember that voice searches tend to be much more detailed than text searches. That means your questions should be very specific in nature, e.g., “Where can I find the best deal on a certified pre-owned, three-row crossover near me?” Also, make sure that your answers to questions are succinct and to the point.

Voice Search Is Here to Stay 

Trends show that voice search will continue to gain popularity moving into the future. It’s important that your digital marketing efforts address this trend so that you can continue to grab your share of online prospects and help generate more traffic to your dealership.