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Sep 18, 2019
Remember back in the day when you’d watch Star Trek as a kid, wishing you can also have a conversation with a computer? Perhaps you were even begging your folks to buy you one, only for them to kill your hopes by telling you that it only happens in movies.
Fast forward to the present: People are now talking to their smartphones as if they’re their personal assistants. Most of them perform voice search to look for answers, while others use voice-activated apps to track their exercise. Then, we have the loyal Apple users relying on Siri to help out with their daily tasks.
You might agree with our internet marketing experts when we say, voice search has become one of the fastest-growing types of search in the World Wide Web.
In fact, eMarketer predicts that there will be 122.7 million voice search users in the US by 2021. Microsoft reveals that 72% of American consumers are engaging with voice search through digital assistants like Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google Assistant.
One might even be surprised to learn that approximately 71% of consumers prefer to conduct queries by voice instead of the traditional method we know as typing. What’s more, a 2019 survey by ComScore found that 51% of all online shoppers in the US use voice assistance to help them research products.
Indeed, the age of voice technology has arrived - and it’s here to stay. What everyone thought decades ago was fiction has finally turned into reality.
For eCommerce companies and digital marketers such as yourself, this can only mean one thing - it’s time to implement voice engine optimization (VEO) into your marketing strategy.
Like SEO, voice engine optimization plays a critical role in the success of eCommerce businesses. The only difference is, it has a refined focus, making it more strenuous to execute.
You’re going to have to put a lot of effort and spend a lot of time mastering the optimization process. However, once you get the hang of it, you’ll realize that it’s actually not as complicated as you initially thought.
Besides, it’s all gonna pay off when your brand becomes the top dog in the voice search playing field.
Let’s not make you wait any longer. Here are six of the most useful strategies for voice engine optimization:
What’s better than long-tail keywords? Conversational long-tail keywords!
These days, short-tail keywords are becoming less and less relevant. People want to be as specific as they can when looking for something online. That’s where long-tail keywords come in extremely handy.
When you extend the length of your keyword/s, you increase your chances of getting into a situation in which a voice search like “Where can I find the nearest gym?” directs users straight to your website.
Remember, people talk to their smart devices as if they’re real humans. They’ll ask longer questions rather than mentioning a few words or incoherent phrases. This is why it’s important to study the most common conversational search terms people use.
What do you get when you mix relevance, brevity, and context together? A recipe for an optimized voice search!
Everybody loves good content - and by that, we mean a content that answers simple questions clearly and concisely.
If you want Google to recognize your webpage (of course you do!), here’s a three-step strategy that should do the trick:
Websites that have adopted this tactic so far were able to appeal to Google’s ranking algorithm. Yours might be next.
Also worth noting is the fact that your concise details at the top will get your page optimized for voice search. Plus, there’s the possibility of it becoming a featured snippet!
If you’re not familiar with schema markup yet, allow us to enlighten you.
Schema markup is basically a code that you put on your site to tell search engine what you’re all about. Once you add it to your webpage, it automatically creates an enhanced description which later on appears in search results.
Does it help you rank better in typical searches? Yes!
Does it increase your website’s CTR and improve brand recognition? Without a doubt!
Does it place your website for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa’s voice search? You know it!
For those in the internet marketing industry who've found success in voice engine optimization, one strategy that made a huge difference was customer research.
By understanding your audience better, you’ll be able to identify what they want and need. In your case, it’s all about learning why they use voice-activated search, how often they use it, and the type of voice-enabled device they use.
It goes deeper than that, however. You’ll need to know what questions people are asking nowadays, what their frequent expressions are, and how they construct language in relation to what your site offers.
While this may sound like a daunting task, it doesn’t have to be - if you have the right tools, that is.
One of the best ways to gauge your consumers is through none other than social media. It provides a direct link between customers and eCommerce companies by replacing the in-store conversations that take place in physical stores.
Customer service portals, such as a chatbot or a Twitter account, can also give you a picture of how customers feel about your company.
In a world where people spend most of their days getting their eyes glued to their phones, it only makes sense that you’d want to prioritize mobile optimization as well.
If you’re not aware, users may now perform on-the-go local queries using their mobile devices, allowing them to ask hyper-local questions in voice search.
Come up with different experiences for mobile and desktop users. For instance, you can optimize for “Near Me” searches on mobile.
See to it that things like XML sitemaps and directions to certain locations are readable to visitors and search engines on your engine. Pay attention to improving load times and page speed to provide high-quality user experience.
Not a fan of making FAQ pages? Well, what if we told you that it can help build your brand’s credibility, increase your online visibility, and drive new customers?
Betcha just changed your mind, huh?
People asking online want answers that fulfill an immediate need - and that’s exactly what you’re gonna hand them.
Your FAQ page should address the most common questions about your products and services. Always start your questions with the five important adverbs: “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” and “How.”
Don’t forget to include plenty of keywords naturally. Be straightforward in your responses. And, to appeal to voice search, use a conversational tone.
Our gut tells us it’s a resounding yes!
We at Digital Resource would love nothing more than to make that possible. We’ll gladly team up with you to ensure that you tailor a strategy to optimize your business for voice searches, which in turn, can give you the results you’ve hoped for.
Get in touch with us today for a free internet marketing consultation!
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