Your customers are talking. Are you listening and translating what they are saying? Voice search is changing the search engine marketing game. This year, almost 50% of all browsing sessions include voice search and this percentage will likely only grow larger. People do not search the same via a keyboard as they do with their mouths, so you need to ensure that your search engine marketing campaign is optimized for voice search.
Let’s think about this. When you type a search into a search browser, do you phrase it differently than when you use Alexa or other voice activated devices? For example, a person looking for the nearest Mexican restaurant might type “Mexican restaurant Cleveland” into their search browser, but might ask a voice activated device, “where is the closest Mexican restaurant?”. Because of this shift in keywords and phrases, due to voice search; when writing content, it is imperative that you choose your keywords based on the questions people may ask when using a voice activated device. This will increase your visibility and help you be found by more of your ideal audience.
50% of Americans have made a purchase using their voice assistant, and an additional 25% would consider doing so in the future (pwc). This is a trend that can not be ignored, and as people continue to use voice searches for their buying decisions, your digital marketing campaign needs to be smart enough to show up to those people vocally searching for you. Your potential customers are asking their devices about your business and you need to control that conversation and make sure your business can be found.
58% of searchers use voice to find local business information (Search Engine Land). The connection between mobile and local search is direct. While Google has said in the past that 30% of mobile searches are related to location, there are plenty of indications that the figure is actually higher and closer to 50%. Asking for driving directions is not always an indication of someone going somewhere to buy something; however, studies indicate, it’s a primary virtual assistant/voice search use case. If consumers are asking about the nearest stationary store, it is likely because they intend to buy stationary and they are not just searching for a fun fact.
To optimize your website and search engine marketing campaigns for voice search, you need to change the marketing strategy and keywords that you have become accustomed to. To accommodate for voice search you should use natural language, and phrase things in ways that people speak using multiple-word keyword phrases. Remember the Mexican restaurant scenario above? People verbally look for places differently than they do in a normal search browser.
Adding questions and answers to your website will help you to appear in voice searches. If a person asks their voice assistant a question and your website has an answer for it, you will be found. This is a great way to ensure that your business adapts to the increase in voice searches.
We have said it before, and we will say again, perhaps one of the most important ways to ensure your website converts searchers into customers, is by having your contact information readily available on your website. 51% of people think “thorough contact information” is the most important element missing from many company websites (KoMarketing). This holds true with voice search as well. If someone were to search “hardware store open until 9:00 PM” and you didn’t have your hours on your website, you could easily be overlooked. The same holds true for if you didn’t have your location listed and a person were to search “Mexican restaurant near me”. What would ensure that you would come back in their search (voice or not)?
It is no secret, your customers are using voice to search for you. Are you sure that you are being found? Water Bear Marketing can help you ensure your search engine marketing campaign is optimized for voice searches. Contact us today for a free consultation