Voice search is perhaps one of the fastest-rising e-commerce trends these days. It has become so popular that nearly one-third of the US population uses voice search features. It is even more popular than typing that nearly 71% of all consumers prefer voice search over typing.

Going by these impressive numbers it is safe to say that voice engine optimization has become more important than ever before.

What is voice engine optimization?

Voice engine optimization is optimizing your website content to rank high on voice search results. Devices such as smartphones use Artificial Intelligence to recognize your voice and put your query into a search engine like Google. VEO has a smaller search window than SEO. You only get the Top 3 results for mobile and just one result for smart speakers.

Considering such a small search window, and the soaring popularity of voice searches, it has now become even more important to have a voice engine optimization strategy in place.

How to optimize for voice search?

Voice search has evolved from voice recognition to voice understanding. Voice search enabled devices can be found everywhere and the number of voice searches continues to grow each day.

You do not need to do away with your current SEO strategy to optimize for voice search. In fact, the strategies that you use to optimize for voice search can also benefit your overall SEO strategy.

The following tips can help you optimize for voice search:

  • Focus on local search results

    Most mobile and voice searches are for local information. If you want to look for a local restaurant while driving, it is a lot easier to ask than to type a question. Did you know 46% of all Google searches are for local information?

    Local people are usually extremely engaged buyers. They will drop into your store and make an instant purchase. If you need to reach your local customers, it is extremely important that you show up in local searches.

  • Use conversational language

    Voice searches are different from regular searches in that people talk in a more natural way in a voice search. Say, you want to know about the weather in Paris. If you are typing the query, you will probably write “weather Paris.” However, in a voice search, you may say, “What is the weather like in Paris today?”

    To optimize for voice search, your content should be in conversational language. It should match the way people talk to their voice assistants such as Siri and Alexa.

  • Be mobile-friendly

    20% of all mobile queries are all voice searches. More than 50% of all smartphone users are using voice search. Since most searches are happening on mobiles, you must ensure that you show up on mobile results. 80% of all the top-ranked websites in the world are optimized for mobiles.

    If your website is not yet optimized for mobile, it is time to give it some serious consideration. Did you know 61% of users do not return to a website if it is not mobile-friendly? If you want to increase site traffic Miami, making your website mobile-friendly is the way to go.

  • Identify important questions to optimize for

    When people do a voice search, it usually involves a question or query. You need to start by figuring out the questions that your users frequently ask. A simple Google search could help you identify the frequently asked questions. All you need to do is type a question in Google related to your website. Among the results, you will see a box titled “people also ask.” These are the questions that users are regularly asking.

    Once you have identified the questions, you need to include them in your content in natural language. When you know what information people are searching for, it will also help you create amazing content.

  • Use structured data

    Search engines look at several factors besides content to determine the position of a page in search results. Schema markup or structured data is one such factor. It may not affect your ranking directly, but it will definitely give you an edge when it comes to voice search.

    Google uses schema to understand language. It can be an excellent way to add more information to your website, answering your users’ questions.

Conclusion

If you want to grow your website traffic, you should be ranking high in voice searches too. Voice searches have changed the way people search for information. Optimizing for voice search can help you attract more users to your website.

If you are looking for more information on internet marketing Miami, contact Paton Marketing today. Paton Marketing has helped hundreds of businesses design and enhance their digital strategy to grow their business and customer base.