With the vast improvements on voice-enabled digital assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, people are starting to use voice search over manually typing down search entries. After all, it takes more time to type keywords on your phone or computer compared to just asking your digital assistant to search it for you.

While this allows users more convenience in searching, this may mean more things to consider, from the end of online businesses and the teams running websites.

If your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) does not take voice search into account, you may be losing out on an opportunity to reach more people. In this article, we will run you through everything you need to know about voice search and how you can optimize your website for it.

The Growth of Voice Search over the Years

People use voice search for all sorts of queries, from simple questions and local weather to sports scores and recipes. 

According to statistics, 72% of people with voice-activated speakers use these devices as part of their daily routine. As of 2018, 58% of consumers have found local businesses through voice search alone. 

The use of voice search for queries is foreseen to continue growing as the years go by and the technology continues to improve.

How Voice Search Affects PPC Campaigns 

Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, and websites in general, rely on keywords to reach their target audience. These keywords are based on the terms users may use to look for a product or service.

These keywords used to be short phrases or words related to the product or service they offer. They may include abbreviations and shortcuts, as people often prefer to type shorter terms.

With the improvements in voice search, users can now search for longer and more specific queries. Instead of typing down queries manually, they can just ask their digital assistants in the form of entire sentences or questions.

PPC campaigns and websites now need to integrate conversational and question-oriented keywords instead of the usual short keywords. For instance, instead of simply including keywords like “restaurants in _,” they may need to have queries like “what are the best restaurants in _ for happy hour.”

Integrating Voice Search SEO 

If your site has not been optimized for voice search, it may have difficulty reaching people interested in it. Even if your site has a good ranking, it may not appear at the top of the search results when people are searching through voice search.

Here are some tips to help you improve your site’s ranking in search results.

  • Keyword Research: Consider question-answer intent keywords and conversational queries. 
  • Better Ad Copy: Integrate conversational keywords into your ad copy.
  • Intent Phrases: You can target people who are likely to purchase by integrating high intent phrases like “nearby,” “local,” and “near me.”

Conclusion

Since most people prefer to use voice search over typing down search queries, it only makes sense to integrate it into your online marketing efforts. It is an excellent way to reach more people and convert them into customers.

Not integrating voice search SEO into your website may mean missing out on several users that use the voice search feature when looking for businesses.

Do you need help with voice search optimization for your business? Check out the Local SEO Pro platform today! This platform can help your business get found by your potential customers.