We are living through an amazing time for search engine technology, with voice activation leading the pack in ways we never thought possible.
According to Review42, more than half of all internet search inquiries will be made via voice search by the end of 2020, which is something nobody could have predicted a few years back.
With millions of voice searches made daily and billions spent annually as a result, marketers should be gearing up for battle in the new arena: the voice search rankings on Google.
Let’s check out nine of the best ways to boost your brand’s voice search ranking in 2020, and help you dominate this new domain.
1. Check in On What the Competition is Doing
If you are brand new to the world of voice search SEO, you can catch up to the pack pretty quickly. Start by seeing how your competitors are performing first.
Run a ton of keywords in your niche and see how the featured snippets appear in position zero on the search engine results page.
These snippets are generally selected as the first result for voice queries, and many of them are not fully fleshed out, especially if your niche is narrow.
Do your market research and see how you can improve upon your competitors’ formula.
2. Update Your Pages with Structured Data Markup
Research from The Hoth Blog predicted years ago that rich snippets and schema markup would be a key factor for advanced ranking criteria, and they were right on the money.
By adjusting code from your site with the Google Structured Data Markup Tool, you can enhance your page’s presence on search engines in several cool ways.
Image slideshows, customer reviews, events, dates, and locations are just a few examples of what you can add.
Taking advantage of structured data markup has been an SEO hidden gem for a long time, and is going to help your brand make its way to the top of the voice search results.
3. Take your Frequently Asked Questions More Seriously
Too many brands are stuck thinking that the FAQ is a thing of the past, but we predict it will make a big comeback as voice search becomes bigger than ever.
The best FAQs on the web contain clear, concise answers to the most relevant topics of that niche, which makes them a goldmine for voice search SEO.
If you’re one of the many brands that haven’t revised their FAQ pages in years, the rise of voice search is the perfect occasion to make some updates.
Coordinate marketing, sales, and product teams to come up with some on-trend questions, answer them as clearly and succinctly as possible, then structure the FAQ page so that Google can easily draw from it and create useful answers for voice search audiences.
4. Keep Things Local, if Possible
If your business relies on converting organic search traffic to in-person foot traffic (restaurants, bars, auto shops, medical practices) then this should be your SEO focus for voice search.
According to Wordstream, people who use mobile voice search are 3x more likely to inquire about local businesses than those who type their questions into the search bar.
That means that voice searchers are out there, driving around, looking to find your business! Are you going to be there on the results page when they ask about local offerings?
5. Try Various Content Formats on for Size
Expanding your arsenal of content types should be a priority for all content marketers in 2020 since the written word can only go so far in a world of shortening attention spans.
If you can add images, videos, and interactive assets to the mix on your site and across social media, audiences everywhere – and the search engines – are going to love it.
Users who embrace voice search are usually younger and on the cutting edge of tech, meaning they’re way more likely to click through to a page with multimedia resources.
Think about ways to enrich your pages with fun and flashy content, but remember to keep it informative, as well.
6. Leverage Charts, Tables, and Lists at Every Opportunity
If there’s one thing voice search engines love more than anything else, it’s structured data that can easily be translated to featured snippets.
That includes charts containing original information, tables that are easy to read, and bullet-point lists that everyone understands.
If you’ve done your SEO homework, you already know that these are important factors to rank highly on Google, and this is doubly true when it comes to voice search.
Take the time to restructure your content to include more lists and charts if you want to earn those coveted position zero spots.
7. Choose Keywords Containing Natural Language
The way we use language in voice search is way different from how we type.
Our sentences are longer, we use different combinations of words, and we tend to ask questions instead of making statements.
To optimize your voice search ranking strategy, your keywords need to reflect this shift toward more natural language that sounds like a real conversation between people.
Don’t shy away from long-trail keywords and experiment with different speech patterns to cover all your bases.
8. Remember to Build Domain Authority and Engagement
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype surrounding voice search and dedicate a ton of time to mastering this area of SEO.
But remember, this is just one piece of the puzzle, and you don’t want to forget about the meat and potatoes of your SEO strategy, which should remain the top priority.
Dedicate some resources to voice search ranking, but keep your eyes on the prize. Build those backlinks, engage the audience, produce quality content and you’ll be golden.
9. Be Ready to Adjust Your Strategy Fast
Any SEO expert will tell you that the game is always changing, and voice search is absolutely no exception to this rule.
While we have a good idea about what works and what doesn’t, there is so much more to learn about what factors contribute to a high voice search ranking.
As you take steps to improve your voice search SEO strategy, just remember that things change constantly in this world of search, and you should be prepared to move with the trends as they happen.
Conclusion
We could not be more excited for the future of voice search, and all the opportunities it presents for up-and-coming brands to compete with the big dogs.
Don’t hesitate to take a chance with your voice search SEO game plan, because it’s still very much the wild west at this stage.
Use these suggested tips as a foundation and you’ll be well on your way to voice search success.
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