Photo by Benjamin Dada
Voice search has become a big player with search engine optimization, not only on phones but on desktops, too. It’s almost always done with a question with conversational language.
All of this underscores the importance of planning your SEO to leverage the potential of voice search. In other words, your SEO must anticipate the users’ questions to attract them as visitors.
Top-of-mind awareness
Typically, search engines are asked questions that lead to just one website. This means you have to take effective steps so that the search engines respond with your site instead of a competitor.
In addition, you should adjust for Featured snippets. Featured snippets are used for the top listing.
Increasingly popular, Amazon Echo and Google Home both respond with Featured snippets to voice questions.
Choose the Featured snippet you want to target. Research the keywords users typically use. Then, mimic the answer ranking in the Featured snippet whether it’s a table or list.
Find typically pertinent questions with these tools: AnswerthePublic and SEMrush.
(Note: The H1 tag should have your targeted keywords regarding your content. As a subheading, the H2 tag should have keywords that correspond to your H1 tag.)
Your H2s should be in the form of those questions. Next, briefly answer the questions in the ensuing paragraph.
Make certain your answer snippets are 29 words maximum.
Additional tips
Start with your Google My Business profile. Be sure you’re up-to-date with Google Maps. Why? Users often ask, “Near me?”
List your business with all local and industry directories. Double-check your listing for your name, address and telephone number.
Make sure your business name is consistent everywhere. Any deviation will adversely impact you on search engines.
Make certain your site loads as fast as possible. The typical voice search result loads in less than five seconds.
Sites that use HTTPS will do better in voice search results than those that don’t.
Contrary to what you’ve heard, Schema.org markup helps search engines understand your site’s content but not necessarily for voice search.
Trusted, authoritative sites are emphasized by Google’s voice search algorithm.
Highly shareable content improves your chances.
Most often, sites are successful in voice search if the content is written for the ninth-grade reading level.
Write longer content, as it provides more chances your will result well in a voice search.
FAQ pages do well in voice search.
The top-three ranked sites in desktops have a better odds in voice search results.
If your budget allows, consult an expert SEO firm to fully rank for voice search.
From the Coach’s Corner, editor’s picks:
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Avoiding Issues with Google, SEO Checklist for Safe Backlinks to Your Site — Google has been penalizing Web sites that might be unethical in link building for search-engine optimization. Why? Google wants authenticity and quality in its search results. It’s vital that you backlink with authoritative, credible sites. Some might be obvious to you, others might not. Here’s a safe list.
“Keyword research is a task often left to SEOs and content marketers. However, it can be a powerful tool for anyone in your organization who wants to learn what your target market wants to read, learn and buy.”
-John Rampton
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