How to optimize your site for voice search

Do you want to learn how to optimize your website for voice search? If so, don't click away because I want to share several actionable strategies that have helped us skyrocket engagement from voice search over the last several years.

But first, let's define the term voice search. Your voice search strategy is anything you do to increase the odds that information from your site will be spoken back to someone using a smart speaker or phone.

If done correctly, voice search optimization can enhance brand awareness, engagement, and sales.

Before we dive in and explore the tips, let's look at a few statistics that illustrate why optimizing your site for voice may be one of the most important things you do going into 2024.

• About 30% of all searches are conducted without a screen

• 59.6% of shoppers in the U.S. report using voice chat

• It's estimated that 1 in 6 households own a smart speaker device

• There are 5.48 billion smartphone users today -- and most have access to voice search technology.

So, now that you have a better idea of the scope and importance of voice search let's dive in and start discussing some actionable ways you can improve the odds that someone will discover your site the next time they say, "Okay, Google."

Conversational Content is Crucial

First, let's talk about the power of conversational content. Back in the early days of marketing, many of us were taught to follow strict grammar rules and formatting, even if it turned our post into the most robotic, boring article on earth.

Those days are gone. Now, the focus is on conversational language. In other words, your blog posts should sound like a casual conversation between friends, not an uptight essay. Basically, the rules of grammar still apply, but they are just a bit more flexible.

Since 43% of all traffic to online stores comes from organic search, it's easy to see why optimizing your on-site content in this way is a priority. You could miss out on significant traffic because your site isn't ranking high in the search engine results pages (SERPs), which also means there is a slim chance a smart assistant will offer your website as an answer.

I recommend coming up with a style guide that reflects the conversational content you would like to see from future blog posts and sales pages. One thing I recommend doing, regardless of your industry, is adding FAQ sections to the bottom of key pages. FAQs are naturally conversational and can improve your ranking.

Target Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are vital for improving your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. The truth is, you will have a tough time growing your brand and rising to the top of the list if you choose short, basic keywords.

Over 50% of all searches contain 4 words or more, which means people are getting more detailed in their queries. Targeting the right long-tail keywords will help your site appear in the traditional search results as well as voice search.

For example, instead of "email marketing," you might want to target "best email marketing tips for new businesses."

Google's Keyword Planner is a free resource you can use to find words or phrases that resonate with your audience. When using this tool, you're looking for keywords that have a medium to high search volume and a medium to low competition. This setup makes it more likely that you'll appear in both sets of search results.

Secure Your Google Business Profile

Have you ever used Google to find out when a restaurant or store closes? If so, you've interacted with a Google business profile. This handy marketing tool is something you need to grab right now if you haven't already.

A complete profile is a great way to get recognized, generate leads, and help new customers get in touch.

From a voice search perspective, your business profile will help people find you if they are looking for your company specifically or a general service for local search. For example, if you own a BBQ restaurant, you would want to have a complete profile so your local audience can find you the next time they ask their smart speaker, "What restaurants are open near me?"

It only takes a few minutes to secure your Google Business Profile, but I firmly believe this is one of the top things you can do to optimize your site for voice search.

Optimize for Mobile

Now, let's talk about optimizing for mobile devices. You may be shocked to learn that 27% of all smartphone owners claim to use voice search regularly. If your site is not optimized for these devices, your business will not rank on mobile -- including in the voice results.

With that in mind, here are a few rapid-fire tips for making sure your site is working its best on smartphone devices:

• Use a mobile template. Many page builders come with mobile templates; use these to save time and ensure your site looks good regardless of how people decide to visit.

• Reduce loading times. Long loading times can cause users to leave without taking action. On that note, Google admits that speed plays a significant ranking factor.

• Streamline navigation. You want to help people find what they need without going through a bunch of unnecessary steps. Improve your navigation menu and add a search bar for a boost in mobile-friendliness.

• Host videos off-site. Videos can slow down your site, which leads to a poor user experience. We like to host our videos on YouTube so we can grow an audience there and embed videos directly to our website.

• Test often. After every update, test your website on different mobile devices so you can be sure everything looks and functions as it should. Go through the steps a customer might go through, like completing forms and browsing blog posts.

If your site loads quickly and looks great, there's a good chance it will appear in the voice results.

Add Schema Markup

Schema markup is very important in making sure your site is ready for voice search. Essentially, it provides Google with additional information on any given page. This structured data helps search engines better understand the context behind what you're writing, which makes it easier for them to match the content to relevant voice searches.

Schema markup also enables search engines to display rich snippets. You're probably familiar with these. When you type in a word or phrase, you'll see a list of different boxes that include relevant questions, videos, and articles. The data you see on that page is there because of structured data.

This is important because rich snippets are highly visible in voice search results, which makes them vital for optimizing your site. The good news is adding schema markup to different parts of your site is fairly simple. Taking this step will help you offer a better user experience and improve the odds that your site will show up in the results

Final Thoughts

It's clear that optimizing your site for voice search is more important now than ever before. By implementing the tips I shared today, you'll be well on your way to capturing the attention of your audience regardless of how they prefer to search the internet.