According to the survey, more than 67 million voice-assisted devices will be in use in the U.S. by 2019. It creates more challenges as you look for ways to ensure that your content pulls through these voice searches and gets the views you need to justify its existence.
If you are a communication professional, you need to segregate your current way of situation, thinking and employ new techniques that allow voice search to command your content results. Only when you have mastered the technology will you fully understand the advantages it can offer and how to match your content to its use.
To help, 15 members of the Forbes Communications Council share the ways in which they optimize their content for voice search. Here’s what they recommend:
- Create content that talks back.
Based on an online search, we have to maintain some slew of otherwise random words yields a narrowed list of final results: like we say “non-slip stair covering beige.” With voice search, Although a query or command gets a response: “Alexa, order more ice cream” “Siri, where is the nearest hospital?” Create content that keeps the conversation going, rather than ends it. – Betsy Rohtbart, Vonage
- Focus on mobile search.
Firstly, we need to find out better ways to meet consumer demand and query intent based on context. Some keywords will be more helpful often via voice search than traditional. It’s worth it to find these keywords. You must remember that most of them will be used in mobile searches. Mostly we have to create keywords built around the following: “when,” “how,” “what,” “who,” etc. – Pawel Kijko, TimeCamp
- Add FAQs.
Although, we need to Expand FAQ content on your website/blog to capture both long-tail and voice search traffic. Your website/blog should be more flexible enough to grow when needed for search optimization purposes. Where we can’t answer a question on our website, we will build that phrase into a blog post or seek a byline opportunity. We also closely observe search results for additional content opportunities. – Jennifer Best, ConnectYourCare
- Stop thinking like a marketer.
As marketers, we are hardwired to share our news far and wide. Still, voice engagement is the exact opposite to these kinds of interruptive, overt push messages. Before, optimize your brand for voice search, you should think like the customer. What provides value? What do they need? Customers don’t speak to their devices for marketing messages. Think service first and optimization will naturally follow. – Jennifer Kyriakakis, MATRIXX Software
- Remember, SEO for voice is just SEO.
You have to clear to incorporate long-tail and contextual keywords in your content and metadata rather than focusing on a single head term. Also, use structured markup to help Google better understand your content. – Jim Kensicki, Catalyst
- Consider the context.
As we saw with the emergence of mobile search, people search slightly differently depending on the device they are using. You have to make Queries like “nearby” created a whole new set of phrases to optimize for. Content should be optimized by context. Voice search is most likely to be used while on the move when a text-based search is inconvenient, and for topics that are OK to say out loud. Framing your strategy around these types of searches is a good place to start. – Courtney Dale, ICM Consulting and Media Corporation
- Identify your long-tail search queries.
We are seeing that text search mostly includes one to three words, voice search mostly it is longer and more conversational. Forward-thinking communicators will optimize their content by recognizing the long-tail search queries that will drive more voice traffic to their sites. Businesses can uncover these voice queries by analyzing customer phone calls to look for patterns, and by testing the content with new web titles and FAQs. – Maria Sotra, GEOTAB
- Provide true value.
Strong voice search skills should focus on one of three things: 1) Delivering utility, 2) simplifying commerce, or 3) providing a level of entertainment that other channels cannot. You must deliver a unique value proposition that only voice can deliver to be successful. – Keith, Float Hybrid
- Optimize for all types of searches.
Optimizing existing content with relevant search terms and writing in a language that is similar to how people converse and search is easier than creating all new voice-optimized content. Ultimately, we want to make sure our content is optimized for all kinds of searches, whether that’s desktop, mobile or voice. – G’Nai Blakemore, Mattress Firm
- Take accessibility standards seriously.
Whether it’s out of personal preference or necessity, people need to be able to access online information in various ways. The best way to ensure that your content is optimized for voice technology is to follow web content accessibility guidelines. This includes making sure that your content is machine readable so that search engines can properly index it, thus making it easy for users to find. – Christina Crawley, Forum One
- Cool it with the buzzwords.
The rise of natural language processing means that your content should use more, well, natural language. As marketers, we often feel the need to coin new terms or overload copy with buzzwords that we love but real people don’t use. – Brandon Ortiz, Salesforce.org
- Ask questions.
Practically we can observe most of the people use search to answer questions, so your content must aim to do that. I mean mostly relates to asking questions. When using text to search, people generally leave off the “how to do I,” but when they ask Google, Siri or Alexa, they don’t – Megan Murray, The Conference Board
- Keep it simple.
The expression “keep it simple” applies now more than ever before. Companies mostly can optimize both content and connection by maintaining things simple. Skip the jargon. Use clear, succinct verbiage to improve your efficacy and amplify your message. – Robyn Hannah, Dynamic Signal
- Consider cadence and colloquialisms.
It’s hard to say that much change will be needed, as most changes with search algorithms and platforms favor good content. If I had to put my finger on one change to consider, it’s that people speak differently than they write. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on. – Ryan Miller, Flash Global
- Ask yourself how searchers ask questions.
What are the words you would use out loud, which are different than the ones you would type into a search engine, to ask a question? Start with questions related to factual things about your business or what you do or know, like where you are located, what your hours are, etc., and build from there. – Alina Morkin, Voices.com
