Voice search is touted as “The Next Big Thing” as the sales of voice-enabled devices increase and machines learn more languages. According to Invoca, 75% of households will have smart speakers by 2025. Aside from the increase in demand for smart speakers, voice search has become part of smartphone users’ lives, as 59% of them rely on voice search to find information about brands.
With this new trend in search engine optimisation, you, as a digital marketer or a brand owner, must start paying attention to voice search and consider optimising your content to maximise reach. This piece will guide you through the following:
- Understanding Voice Search and User Behaviour
- 9 Proven Ways for Search Optimisation
- Case Studies
What is Voice Search?
Voice search allows users to input inquiries into search engines on the internet by speaking aloud instead of typing. Virtual assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana made voice search possible. These virtual assistants use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand spoken languages or words, interpret the search intent, and provide relevant responses.
Advancements in artificial intelligence, such as speech recognition and machine learning, are the impetus for the rise of voice search technology. Along with these advancements, the sales increase of smart speakers and even smart TVs has made voice search more accessible.
Additionally, voice search fits the increasing preference for hands-free, fast, and convenient information access, which is particularly helpful in situations where typing is impractical (such as when cooking, driving, or multitasking).
Why is Voice Search Optimisation Important?
Voice search is still in its infancy stages. Users can expect more technological advancements in the coming years. As user behaviour regarding search continues to evolve, brands must look into voice search optimisation.
Voice queries tend to be longer and more conversational than typed ones. For instance, instead of typing “weather and temperature,” users may ask, “What’s the weather like today?” or “How hot will it be today?” This change necessitates different keyword strategies and content formats to match the natural phrasing used in voice searches.
Key Statistics on Voice Search and Its Impact on User Behaviour
Image source: Yaguara
Voice search has seen exponential growth in recent years, and statistics indicate its importance:
- Rising Adoption: According to Yaguara, over 50% of smartphone users use voice search technology. The convenience of simply speaking a query has contributed significantly to its widespread adoption, particularly among younger demographics who are comfortable with digital assistants.
- Voice Search for Local Queries: Voice search is particularly popular for local queries. PR Newswire reports that approximately 46% of voice search users seek local information, such as nearby restaurants or stores. This trend highlights the need for businesses to focus on local SEO to ensure they appear in voice search results for nearby users.
- Growth of Smart Speaker Usage: The number of households with smart speakers, such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, has also increased substantially. Invoca says, “75% of households are expected to own smart speaker devices by 2025. Marketers must prepare for a future where voice commerce plays a larger role in consumer buying journeys.”
- Shift in User Behavior: Voice search has also changed user expectations. Users expect fast, accurate, and conversational responses. As a result, websites need to adapt their content to be more conversational and answer specific user questions directly. Using long-tail keywords and FAQs is becoming essential for businesses that want to succeed in voice search.
The growing usage of voice search means businesses must adjust their content strategies to meet user demands. Optimising for voice search helps improve visibility on search engines and enhances the overall user experience by providing clear, concise, and conversational answers to voice-based queries.
How Users Interact with Voice Search
Unlike text-based searches, where users often type in short, fragmented phrases, voice search queries are more conversational and question-based, being people speaking differently from how they type.
For example, instead of typing “best restaurants,” a user might ask, “What are the best restaurants near me?” This more natural phrasing highlights how users engage with voice search more intuitively and directly, mimicking human conversation.
The differences in how users interact with voice search versus text search often relate to convenience and specificity. Voice searches are typically used when users multitask—like cooking, driving, or exercising—meaning they want quick, accurate answers without needing to scroll through multiple links. This change necessitates a different approach to SEO because it favours content that provides immediate, to-the-point answers to common questions.
Common Voice Search Queries
Voice search queries tend to be longer and in question form. Most users use words like “what,” “who,” “when,” “why,” and “how.” This user behaviour means long-tail keywords are more important in optimising content for voice search. Here are some examples of common voice search queries compared to typed queries.
Text-Based Query | Voice Query |
“Best cafes Singapore” | “What are the best breakfast cafes in Singapore?” |
“Weather Philippines” | “What’s the weather like today in the Philippines?” |
“Cheap flight to Paris” | “How can I book a cheap flight to Paris?” |
“SEO strategy 2024” | “What are the best SEO strategies for 2024?” |
These examples illustrate how voice searches are more conversational and often take the form of complete questions or commands. The phrasing in voice search is also usually longer, meaning businesses must create content that matches these queries to be more discoverable.
Key Factors for Voice Search Optimisation
Brands must understand and apply key optimisation factors to improve a website’s ability to appear in voice-driven queries. Here are some critical aspects of voice search optimisation:
Keyword Research for Voice Search
Voice search queries are usually different from text-based searches. They tend to be longer, conversational and question-formatted. They typically include questions such as “how,” “what,” “where,” “when,” and “why.” Therefore, keyword research for voice search should focus on capturing these conversational long-tail keywords.
- Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on longer, conversational phrases instead of short, generic terms. For example, instead of targeting “best coffee shops,” use “What are the best coffee shops near me?”
- Question-Based Keywords: Identify keywords that reflect how people naturally ask questions, such as “How do I bake a chocolate cake?” instead of simply “chocolate cake recipe.”
- Focus on User Intent: Understanding user intent is crucial. Whether the intent is informational, transactional, or navigational, keyword selection should align with the user’s purpose behind the search.
9 Proven Ways for Voice Search Optimisation
Voice search is fundamentally changing the landscape of SEO. To effectively capture this traffic, it’s essential to create voice search-friendly content. The best practices for doing so focus on understanding how users speak and interact with their devices and adjusting content accordingly. Here, we’ll discuss three crucial components: crafting conversational content, using structured data, and optimising for featured snippets.
1. Crafting Conversational Content
Voice search users prefer natural and conversational responses, mirroring how they would communicate with another person. Writing content in a conversational tone involves understanding the nuances of how people speak when asking questions aloud:
- Use Natural Language: Unlike traditional SEO content that often focuses on keyword density, content for voice search should sound natural and flow as if spoken aloud. You must avoid overly technical jargon unless necessary and use everyday language that resonates with users.
- Refine Content with Conversational Phrases: Modify headings and subheadings to include conversational, natural language keywords. For example, change “Voice Search Optimisation Tips” to “What are the best ways to optimise for voice search?” This aligns with how users typically ask questions using voice search. This will help capture the more conversational tone that voice search queries tend to have.
- Incorporate Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on long-tail, conversational keywords that mimic how users might ask a question. For example, instead of “SEO trends,” use phrases like “What are the key SEO trends to focus on in 2024?” Long-tail keywords often reflect how people talk, which helps rank for voice queries.
- Answer Questions Clearly: Voice search users often frame their queries as questions, such as “How do I cook pasta?” or “What are the best productivity tools for small businesses?” Structuring content to answer these questions clearly and directly will increase the likelihood that voice assistants will pick it up.
2. Using Structured Data and Schema Markup
Schema markup is a form of microdata that helps search engines better understand the context of your content. It enhances search engine results by creating rich snippets often used in voice search answers.
- Schema Improves Context: By adding structured data to your content, you provide additional context that helps search engines understand what your content is about and how it can answer questions. For instance, adding FAQ schema or how-to schema can increase the chances of your content being a voice response.
- Boosting Click-Through Rates: Structured data allows your content to appear in enhanced forms, such as rich snippets, which often attract more clicks. For voice search, structured data makes it easier for voice assistants to pick your content as the best match for a user query, improving visibility.
How to Implement Structured Data for Better Visibility
- Use Tools to Add Schema: Implementing structured data can be done using tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or plugins if you’re using content management systems like WordPress. These tools make adding schema to your content easy without being highly technical.
- Focus on Voice-Specific Schemas: Certain types of schema markup, such as FAQ, How-To, and Local Business schemas, are precious for voice search. For example, the FAQ schema is ideal for answering common questions that voice search users may ask.
- Test Your Structured Data: Use Google’s Rich Results Test or Schema Markup Validator to implement the markup correctly. This step is crucial for ensuring the structured data is functional and will help your content get picked for voice search results.
3. Optimising for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets, or “position zero,” are concise answers at the top of search engine result pages (SERPs). Since voice assistants often pull information directly from featured snippets to answer user questions, optimising for these snippets is vital for voice search.
- Direct and Concise Answers: The content chosen for featured snippets is clear and direct, typically answering the user’s query in around 40-50 words. Structuring your content to provide concise answers increases the likelihood of being featured. Voice assistants prefer this type of straightforward information, as it is easy to deliver audibly.
- Using “People Also Ask” Data: Google’s “People Also Ask” section can provide insights into common questions related to your topic. You can use these questions to structure your content and directly address popular voice search queries, increasing your chances of appearing in a featured snippet.
How to Appear in Snippets
- Answer Questions Directly: Structure your content so that questions are posed and answered directly within your text. This format helps search engines quickly understand that your content responds best to a particular question. For example, headers like “What are the benefits of meditation?” followed by a direct answer help search engines identify the content suitable for snippets.
- Use Lists, Tables, and Bullet Points: Format answers as lists or bullet points when appropriate. Google often favours list formats for featured snippets, as they are easier to read and understand quickly. This formatting works well for “How to” or “Top 10” type queries that voice users ask.
- High-Quality Content: Your content should always provide high-quality, authoritative information. Google wants to give users the best possible answer, so ensuring your content is well-researched, detailed, and valuable will increase its chances of being chosen for featured snippets.
4. Mobile Optimisation
Mobile optimisation is crucial to voice search since most are on mobile devices. Ensuring your website is mobile-friendly means users can easily access information, regardless of their device.
- Responsive Design: A responsive website design ensures that content is automatically adjusted based on the device it is being viewed on, whether that’s a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. A responsive design provides a consistent user experience, critical for users engaging through voice search, especially on mobile devices. Google also uses mobile-first indexing, meaning a site’s mobile version is primarily used for ranking and indexing. A responsive website, therefore, increases the likelihood of ranking well in both voice and traditional searches.
- Fast Loading Times: Fast loading times are essential for mobile optimisation. Users engaging in voice searches expect immediate answers, and a slow website can result in a poor experience and a higher bounce rate. Studies have shown that even a one-second delay in page load time can reduce user satisfaction by 16%. Voice search users generally seek quick responses and may abandon a slow-loading website and try an alternative source, directly affecting your chances of ranking high in voice search.
5. Site Speed and Performance
Site speed is a critical factor in user experience and directly affects search engine rankings. Speed is even more crucial in a voice search context, as users expect immediate answers without delays.
- Improve Page Load Speed: Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix any speed issues on mobile devices. A faster-loading page is critical for voice search, as many voice search results are expected to be quick and responsive. Compress images, leverage browser caching, and minimise JavaScript to improve page speed.
- User Experience: A fast-loading site provides a better user experience, which increases user engagement and decreases bounce rates. Voice search users are generally looking for quick answers, so if your site is slow, it can lead to frustration, pushing users to leave and try a different site. Google considers user experience metrics when determining page rankings, and faster sites are rewarded with higher positions in search results.
- Search Rankings: Site speed is a confirmed ranking factor in Google’s algorithm, which means slow websites are disadvantaged in visibility in search results, including voice search. Google’s Core Web Vitals are metrics specifically designed to assess the user experience, and site speed plays a significant role in these metrics. By optimising site speed, you enhance the chances of appearing in both voice search and traditional search results.
6. Update Content with the Latest Trends in Voice Search
Include sections that discuss recent advancements in voice search technology, such as AI improvements in understanding natural language and changes in voice assistant usage patterns. Keeping the content current helps signal relevance to Google, boosting rankings.
When updating your content with the latest trends, consider integrating discussions about:
- Voice Search and Smart Home Devices: Voice assistants are increasingly used on smart home devices such as Amazon Echo, Google Nest, and Samsung SmartThings. Discuss how users interact with these devices for voice search purposes, like finding products, controlling home automation, or asking for local recommendations.
- The Role of AI and Machine Learning in Search: The impact of AI on search engines’ ability to interpret and respond to voice queries. Mention recent improvements in BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) and MUM (Multitask Unified Model) technologies, allowing Google better to understand natural language and context in voice searches.
- Voice Search and Privacy: As voice assistants gather more personal data to improve the user experience, privacy concerns have grown. Content that touches on how voice assistants handle data or how users can maintain their privacy can help build trust with your audience.
7. Add Local Voice Search Optimisation Tips
According to Synup, “More than 58% of users use voice search to find local businesses.” Voice search queries often include phrases like “near me,” which makes optimising for local searches an essential component of voice search success.
Since many voice searches are location-based (e.g., “find digital marketing agency near me”), including a section on optimising for local voice searches with local keywords and phrases like “voice search optimisation in Singapore.” Mentioning geographic specifics can make the content more relevant to local users, increasing the likelihood of appearing in local search results.
Google My Business (GMB) is critical for optimising local SEO and voice search. Voice searches often pull results from GMB listings, especially for location-based queries. The following are some steps on how to optimise your GMB for voice search:
- Claim and Verify Your GMB Listing: Make sure your business is listed on Google My Business and that all information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Fill in Key Details: Include your business name, address, phone number, website, and hours of operation. These details are often the first pieces of information from which voice search results pull.
- Use Local Keywords in Your GMB Description: Optimise your business description with relevant local keywords. For example, a Singapore-based digital marketing agency might use “voice search optimisation in Singapore” or “SEO services in Singapore.”
- Encourage Reviews: Positive reviews boost your chances of appearing in local voice search results. Voice assistants recommend businesses with high ratings and reviews when answering local queries.
8. Add Targeted FAQs with Long-Tail Keywords
Image source: MediaOne
According to Search Engine Journal, voice searches typically begin with adverbs like “What,” “Who,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” and “How.” You must create a FAQ section that answers these questions.
Integrate an FAQ section that addresses specific voice search queries like “How do I optimise my website for voice search?” and “What is the impact of voice search on SEO rankings?” Use structured data (FAQ schema) to increase the chances of appearing as a featured snippet, a common source for voice search results.
To help you create the FAQs that match the queries of your users, here are some tips:
- Conversational Tone: Write the questions and answers in a natural, conversational style, mirroring how users speak.
- Concise Responses: Answers should be straightforward and to the point, typically around 40-60 words, as this improves your chances of being selected for voice search results.
- Direct Answers: Ensure the answers directly address the question in the first few sentences since voice search devices often pull the initial text for spoken results.
9. Voice Search and HTTPS
Site security is increasingly important, not just for protecting user data but also for enhancing search engine visibility. For voice search optimisation, using HTTPS is a key ranking factor.
- HTTPS and User Trust: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) ensures that data between the user and the website is encrypted and secure. This is particularly important for e-commerce sites or websites with sensitive user data. Voice search users are often looking for information on the go, and Google prioritises secure websites in search results to ensure that users can trust the sites they’re directed to. A site without HTTPS may not be featured in voice search responses, as security is a primary concern.
- Google’s Ranking Preference for HTTPS: Google uses HTTPS as a ranking signal, which means that sites with HTTPS are given preference over those that are not secure. Since voice search assistants strive to provide users with the most secure and reliable information, a website not secured with HTTPS is less likely to be chosen as a response. This makes implementing HTTPS a best practice for protecting data and a critical element in improving visibility in voice searches.
Case Study: Brands That Are Succesful in Voice Search
Domino’s Pizza
Image source: Shorty Awards
Domino’s Pizza is a global fast-food brand that has embraced digital transformation to stay ahead of competitors. To enhance customer convenience and drive sales growth, Domino’s incorporated voice search technology into its ordering process.
Voice Search Strategy:
- Voice-Activated Ordering: Domino’s introduced a voice-activated assistant named “Dom” that allowed customers to place pizza orders through voice commands. This was initially available through Domino’s app but expanded to integrate with smart devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
- Optimised Conversational Content: Domino’s optimised its content to include conversational keywords and phrases that users might use to order pizza. They targeted common user questions like “Order pizza near me” or “Track my pizza delivery.”
- Local SEO Integration: They heavily invested in local SEO optimisation to ensure that users searching for nearby pizza options through voice would find the nearest Domino’s location.
Results:
- Domino’s voice search strategy significantly improved user engagement, particularly among users looking for convenience and a hands-free ordering experience.
- Integrating with smart assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant increased their reach, making ordering accessible to users in the kitchen, driving, or simply multitasking.
- Voice search ordering also became a significant differentiator for Domino’s, contributing to their digital sales growth and helping them capture a larger share of the fast-food delivery market.
Singtel
Singtel, one of Singapore’s largest telecommunications companies, successfully implemented a voice search strategy to improve customer service and experience. Singtel leveraged voice search to make information more accessible for customers and enhance their digital presence.
Voice Search Strategy:
- Voice-Activated Customer Support: Singtel incorporated voice search capabilities into its customer support services by optimising its help content and FAQ pages for voice assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It anticipated user questions by crafting conversational content that catered to common queries such as “How do I check my Singtel bill?” or “What are the latest mobile plans from Singtel?”
- Content Optimisation with Local SEO: Singtel focused on optimising local SEO to target Singapore customers searching for telecommunications services or support. They used structured data markup to ensure voice search algorithms could easily understand their content, increasing the chances of being featured in voice search results.
- Integration with Smart Devices: Singtel partnered with Google and Amazon to integrate their services into these ecosystems, allowing users to interact with Singtel through their smart devices. This included voice-enabled bill payments, checking account balances, and finding information on the latest promotions.
Results:
- Improved Customer Experience: By leveraging voice-activated customer support, Singtel reduced the need for customers to navigate complex menus on their websites or mobile apps. Users could ask questions through their smart assistants, making the customer journey smoother.
- Increased Engagement: The convenience offered by voice-enabled customer support increased engagement levels, particularly for customers who preferred to use smart speakers or mobile voice assistants for quick information.
- Enhanced Brand Positioning: Singtel positioned itself as an innovative company at the forefront of digital trends, enhancing its brand perception among tech-savvy consumers in Singapore.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key differences between voice search optimisation and traditional SEO?
Voice search optimisation focuses more on conversational, long-tail keywords and answering questions directly. It also emphasises local search and optimising for mobile and voice-enabled devices, whereas traditional SEO often focuses on shorter, more general keywords and written content.
How can I find the best keywords for voice search optimisation?
To find voice search keywords, focus on long-tail, conversational phrases that mimic how people speak. Tools like AnswerThePublic, Google Trends, and keyword research tools can help identify common questions and spoken queries relevant to your audience.
Why is local SEO important for voice search optimisation?
Voice search users often look for local information, such as “restaurants near me.” Optimising for local SEO, such as claiming your Google My Business listing and adding local keywords, helps ensure your business appears in voice search results for nearby customers.
How does structured data help with voice search optimisation?
Structured data helps search engines better understand the content on your site, increasing the chances of appearing in voice search responses. It provides context and ensures your content is eligible for rich results, often used as voice search answers.
What are the best practices for optimising content to appear in featured snippets for voice search?
To target featured snippets, create content that directly answers specific questions, use bullet points or numbered lists, and ensure your answers are concise and well-structured. Using FAQ sections and optimising your content with the right headers can also increase your chances of appearing in snippets.