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How to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search

Voice search's popularity is on the rise and now is the time to update your website.

woman using a laptop and speaking a voice command into her phone

Whether it’s with Alexa, Cortana, Siri or some other virtual assistant boasting an avant-garde name, many of us have utilized voice search and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. According to the GlobalWebIndex Voice Search Report, 27 percent of web users have implemented voice search on mobile and 34 percent of internet users say they’re interested in buying a voice-controlled smart assistant. With the continued focus on this field, it makes sense for websites to work on optimizing for the latest voice search technology.

Currently, makers of popular voice search devices — including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple — have not publicly revealed how to optimize your website for voice search. But, according to Entrepreneur, there were a few educated guesses thrown around during VoiceCon (a conference about the union of audio and digital media) that can lend some clues on how to optimize your site. Below is our list of a few easy suggestions that might make your website more voice search-friendly:

Consider Phrasing

Most voice searches are action-based instead of research-based, which means that when optimizing website content it’s important to use phrasing such as “How do I…?” or “Where can I order…?” instead of more passive phrasing. Making key text areas, such as the page’s name or headers, more action-oriented means they’re more likely to be picked up during a voice search for the same phrase.

Keep It Consistent

When using voice search you only get one result read aloud, as opposed to a more traditional desktop or mobile search which returns a plethora of results. That’s why it’s important to keep all of your business’s information consistent around the web. If you have varying listings for your location, opening hours or other important information, there’s no guarantee the voice search will bring up the correct one. Double check this information on your website, social media pages, Google Business listing and any other platforms you may be present on.

Go After Google Answer Boxes

If you want to be a go-to information source for voice searches, it’s a good idea to do some preliminary research. Google’s “answer boxes” are a great place to start. If you search a question, sometimes Google will pull out a paragraph from a website to give you a more direct answer. These are also what voice search software will often use to answer questions. When you’re writing content, try and emulate the structure of popular Google Answers for a better chance of being picked up during a voice search.

Hayley

About Hayley

When Hayley isn’t knocking out website copy behind her laptop, she’s in the kitchen — a (non-snobby) foodie and committed vegan, she brings her passion for cooking into the office with pies and treats she’s made herself. Hayley polished her skills, both culinary and literary, at Cooking Light digital and MyRecipes.com, where she worked as a food writer before joining us here at Infomedia. She’s great at writing SEO-rich copy, drafting a catchy headline and utilizing digital tools to give her writing serious online impact. To unwind, Hayley likes watching horror movies, sweating the day away in hot yoga, traveling with her husband, Peter, and coming home to their two cats, Momo and Otto.

See more articles from Hayley Sugg

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