In 2020, 50% of internet searches were performed with a voice command. Beyond this, 3 out of 4 users said voice search has become part of their everyday routine.
This rise of voice command popularity is largely due to the convenience of home assistants such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa. These systems along with mobile voice features have enhanced the voice command functions. Thanks to this, they are now more accurate and usable than ever before.
Voice search has now become as simple as speaking to your virtual assistant and asking for help. The virtual assistant then navigates the internet with the help of search engines to answer your questions in mere seconds.
As you can imagine, these voice searches have greatly impacted SEO practices and guidelines. Search engine optimisation aims to gain favourability in search engine algorithms. One of the most popular ways to do this is utilising keywords to show up in relevant searches.
Keywords allow voice search engines to identify what your content is about and present it in the relevant queries.
So how does the rise of this hands-free searching impact your SEO approach? Follow along to discover how voice search is changing SEO and what you can do to keep up with the advancement.
1. Adopting Long Tail Keywords
Keywords come in three forms, short-tail, mid-tail, and long-tail. The primary difference between each of these forms is the length and competition each one possesses.
Using long-tail keywords reduces the number of search results that will match the query. This enables you to rank higher for these specific phrases and gain more visibility than generic short-tail keywords.
These long-tail keywords are essential for voice searches because of the phrasing people use when they speak instead of type.
For example, instead of typing in searches like ‘rib seasoning’, the user may say ‘how do I season ribs?’ The voice search engine then finds an answer that contains the long-tail keywords that are the closest match.
This means that your answer with the keyword ‘rib seasoning’ is unlikely to make it into the top result. Instead, you’ll have to accommodate these long-tail searches. For voice search SEO, adjusting your keyword approach to target longer tail keywords will help you rank higher. This high ranking will be the determining factor for your visibility and voice search success.
2. Using Question Phrases
When it comes to voice searches, queries are often presented in the form of a question. This is because users are using a more conversational approach when they ask their virtual assistants for help.
When typing in search bars, we have become accustomed to shortening questions and dropping words such as who, what, where, when, and how. However, when it comes to voice search, these phrases become much more popular due to the natural flow of speech.
Typed searches that once used keywords like ‘Beatles album release date’ become more detailed phrases. One example of this change could be: ‘When did the Beatles release their first album’. As mentioned above, this now leaves behind any relevant results that do not include question-type keywords.
This change will significantly impact how content is written and presented. To keep up with the question-style searches, businesses will have to create content with specific answers to these queries. This may include writing detailed FAQ articles that feature question keywords.
3. Conversational Language in Content
Now that searches will be performed with a more conversational tone, the content and keywords that businesses use will need to match. This means marketers will have to adopt an informal language.
The primary difference between a conversational tone and a formal language lies in the casual and spontaneous flow of a sentence. This even includes using more conjunctions such as ‘don’t’ instead of ‘do not’.
Essentially, your keywords will have to feature these casual phrases to show up in conversational searches.
Of course, Google is already on top of this changing market. With the new keyword usage and conversational approach, a new update has been released to stay current. This new update called the BERT update serves to better recognise how words relate to one another in a conversational tone.
Artificial intelligence is now able to pick up on how words such as ‘to’ or ‘for’ can change the intent of a search. This allows the search engine to provide more relevant and helpful answers.
This update will result in content being depicted more accurately by Google and voice search engines. Instead of stop words in keywords being skimmed over, the system will now take these subtle cues into account.
This new knowledge helps when determining how well your content answers the proposed question. You’ll now need to be more deliberate with your keywords and consider the conversational SEO voice phrases.
Mastering Voice Search SEO
The popularity of searching by voice will continue to grow with the development of the innovative system. Voice search is changing SEO by including the use of long-tail keywords, informal tone, and conversational queries.
As a growing business, your digital marketing efficiency relies on the integration of these factors. Your SEO experts will have to understand how voice search is changing SEO and create an outstanding blog and FAQ content to get ahead.
Here at Springboard Digital, we’ve made these vital changes to deliver our clients the best possible results. Our ‘ahead of the game’ SEO techniques work to enhance your content and set you apart from the competition.
Are you ready to get started on your voice search SEO approach and master this new element? Get in touch with us today to discover how we can optimise your digital presence to achieve a higher rank, more visibility, and increased sales using SEO.