If given an option to be lazy or active, both providing the same results, what would you choose? Most of us would opt to be Lazy! That is us! When we can just ask and get results, why waste energy in typing it, right? This trend started in 2011 by Google when they added “voice search” as a novel feature.
Fast forward to 2021, now more than 41% of adults rely on voice search. Google reports say that 27% of the online global population is using voice search on mobile.
Would you also like to be the answer to your customers’ questions (in other words show up on search results for voice search)? Did you say “Yes”? Perfect!
Now is the time to make a few but extremely important changes to your website and it is definitely not as complicated as it sounds.
Below is the list of doable tasks that will help you optimize your content for voice search:
- Use long-tail keywords: Voice search works very similarly to our conversations. If you are talking to a chef, and want to know the recipe of Choco Lava Cake, would you go in front of her and say “Choco Lava Cake”? You would actually ask it in a sentence like “What is the recipe of Choco Lava Cake?” Right? That is exactly how even people interact with voice responder machines. They ask questions in sentences that are long‑tail keywords and so use them.
- Start with WH questions: Keywords mostly used in voice search start with WH questions. It is how people speak in general. People would not come and ask “Choco Lava Cake Recipe”, they start their sentence with WH questions like “What is the recipe of Choco Lava Cake?” because it is more conversational. They speak exactly the same language while doing the voice search. So, it is important to learn the language of your user.
- Crisp Answers first and then elaborate: People use voice search because they want immediate and quick answers, they want to-the-point crisp answers. Imagine you have asked the recipe of Choco Lava Cake and the result that shows up is “detailed step-by-step instructions on how to prepare a Choco Lava Cake”. It is not totally irrelevant but is it answering the question? To show up as a result in voice search, it is important to be as crisp and accurate as possible.
- High-quality content: You have only a few words to make sure you are answering your user the right way. It should be of high quality, on-point content. It should not have any extra words. It should be written in the most effective and efficient way possible. For example, provide the recipe for Choco Lava Cake with quantity details.
- Create User Persona: User persona will help you understand who your target audience is. It includes their personal information like age, gender, etc., their preferences, occupation, etc. You will also know location of search, occasions or events during which they search for Choco Lava Cake, etc. You can customize your content appropriately.
In conclusion, use long-tail keywords, use WH questions in articles, provide crisp answers, high-quality content, and create a user persona. Select the sequence as per the status of the website and start rocking!
