Technology has changed how people search online, with many using voice search on their smartphones, tablets and through virtual assistant services such as Amazon Echo. Voice SEO (search engine optimization) involves optimizing your site to rank high on voice search results, which includes understanding how people via voice search, using frequently asked questions pages and planning to rank for “long-tail searches.”

Voice SEO is Trending

More people are using voice search because more people are using mobile. An estimated 60 percent of all searches are done using mobile phones. Many people find it far easier to speak their search engine request rather than type it in on small smartphone keyboards.

This means that smart website owners are tapping into voice SEO and making changes in how they display content. Some of those changes include the following.

Understanding Voice Search

Those using voice search are typically on a mobile device and are searching for something local. It’s also important to realize that because they are speaking, the searches tend to be longer and more conversational. The length of text searches is usually just one to three words, while a voice search averages around 10. These types of searches are called “long-tail” searches because they contain more words and more specific.

Make Keywords More Conversational

When putting keywords into content with voice SEO in mind, it’s important to think about how people talk. Typed queries are usually short: “British pub downtown St. Petersburg” or “movie times AMC Orlando.” Voice search allows users to be more conversational with their devices. So, the above searches might be:

  • “Where can I find a British pub in downtown St. Petersburg Florida?”
  • ”What time does Captain Marvel start on Saturday at the AMC in Orlando?”

Content should be planned around these longer, more detailed search requests.

FAQ Pages

The FAQ is often one of the most popular pages for a website. A smart move is to go back and tailor your FAQ page to answer the kind of longer, more conversational searches that come with virtual assistants and voice search.

Answer Detailed Questions

This also plays into the longer searches. Rather than searching for “the best” of something, users that employ voice will ask detailed questions on a topic. Or they may ask for a product that works well with another product, such as “what smartphone camera works best when uploading to Instagram?”

The key with all of this is to know your industry well and anticipate the type of questions people will ask. You might also want to consider consulting with professionals that specialize in voice SEO.

It’s important to start preparing now with voice SEO. Voice search is an area that consumers will increasingly take advantage of in the coming years.