Voice search technology is the next biggest thing in SEO. With the growing popularity of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Nest, it is likely to become an important consideration in the optimization of websites. With prominent search engines racing to develop their protocols to understand more complex queries, voice SEO is not something you will be able to ignore forever. 

The origins of voice search

Companies have been developing voice search and voice command technology for years, but it is only recently that it has gained a huge following. As Siri grew to great prominence among apple users, so followed the popularity of the Google Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, and Microsoft’s Cortana. 

It has even gone beyond phones and mobile technologies. As smart homes become more popular, so too do digital assistant-controlled devices. More and more users are now speaking search queries aloud, rather than typing them into a device or computer.

How voice search has affected SEO

Search engine optimization techniques are constantly evolving. Gone are the days when it was all about keyword repetition. Now, for a website’s SEO and voice SEO to be considered top-tier, it must bear the following qualities

  • It should load quickly. The result shown in voice search results often loads 52% faster than the average page. 
  • It should have a social media presence. The more shares a page has on social media, the more likely it is to be the top voice search result. 
  • It offers short and concise answers. The average query result (and inquiry) is about 29 words long. Simpler answers are also more likely to be chosen.

The challenges in Voice SEO

What web designers and SEO specialists alike have noticed is that using structured data or schema has no bearing on your site’s rankings. Current search protocols also prioritize regular pages, making it impossible to create pages specifically made for voice search queries. 

That being said, it is still fully possible to optimize your site according to search queries. Voice search queries, for instance, follow more colloquial language. Users are more likely to formulate queries in complete sentences and questions rather than just stringing words together. 

The average inquiry, as we’ve mentioned before, is about 29 words in length. This is a far cry from the average Google search, which is about four words long. That means it might be better to use long-tail keywords in your SEO. 

Answering questions instead of connecting keywords

Whether this is a side effect of the popularity of digital assistants is moot. More and more search engines are using complex advances in technology, such as machine learning and AI, to give users a better experience when making inquiries. It is going far beyond keyword repetition now, with Google, Bing, and Amazon alike redesigning their protocols to understand complex inquiries.

Essentially, search engines are trying to create ways for their protocols to understand language. This is an important element of Voice SEO that you must definitely account for. You must figure out whether your content and your website is the answer to the questions your users are asking. 

Final thoughts

The leaps and bounds in technology have forced many businesses to evolve and adapt their marketing strategies. As user habits change, so too must the average business. Voice SEO is just one of the ways we can adapt to all these trends. After all, it is important to ride the waves for better conversions and profits. 

If you’re looking for an agency to help with your voice SEO, send us at Local SEO Pro a message. We can prepare your website for the next big wave in search engine optimization.