The response used to be ‘look it up’ if there was a question that needed to be answered with authority and accuracy.
Now, that response has changed to ‘Google it’!
Today, we look to robots like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant to answer our burning questions.
These automated associates provide you immediate answers. But what does this lack of internet browsing time mean for our SEO strategies, web design, and PPC’s?
Is Google Voice Search posing a threat to your online marketing campaigns?
Human SEO vs Google Voice Search SEO
Round 1: Type Search vs Voice Search
Google has always been the popular go-to for type searching.
If we had a question, we followed the same protocol:
- Go to Google.com
- Type in our question
- Sift through millions of results until we find our perfect answer
Now, Google has opened up a new world of answering our questions. We can just ask.
The problem for our SEO strategies and web designs?
Most of our site material and marketing ploys are geared towards desktop searches instead of mobile searches.
The Fix
Ensure your sites are mobile-friendly and:
- Use crawlable resources
- Avoid Flash
- Optimize load time
Need to check your site’s mobile-friendly status? Here’s a free resource called WebSiteAuditor.
Don’t be surprised if you find that you may need to rethink SEO with a different approach and possibly tweak your websites.
Round 2: Voice vs Text Keyword Search
Turns out, the things we type into a Google search tend to be a bit different than the things we say for a Google voice search.
When we speak our questions versus typing them, we use a different tone and choice of vocabulary. To keep up with Google, we need to change our keywords.
A great place to check which keywords are highest in voice query rankings is RankTracker.
Round 3: Written vs. Conversational
When we’re choosing our keywords, we usually think about things that we’d type into a search engine.
If you wanted to find a local online marketing company you may type:
Best local online marketing company in Raleigh.
That’s great if your keywords were:
- online marketing
- online marketing company
- marketing in Raleigh
- marketing in North Carolina
However, with Google voice search, someone may say something along the lines of:
Okay, Google, who can do some awesome online marketing for me in Raleigh?
Only one of our four keyword searches is in this sentence, so you’ve immediately lost 3/4 of our potential searchers.
The Fix
Some great places to spur ideas on how to change your keywords to more conversational options.
Check your FAQ section for questions that have already been asked by your past/present customers. Also, check out your blog feed on your websites. What types of questions, comments, or concerns are being asked in your comments section?
Look at your social media. What questions/suggestions are trending with your customers?
Have an old-school sit-down with other humans. Have everyone ask a question about your products/services and see if you notice any conversational patterns. Of course, you may also want to call in a professional.
Okay, Google!
Make a few changes to the keywords and thought processes surrounding our SEO strategies. That way, you can contend with Google voice search.
Intimidated by the automated army of voice search options?
Consider consulting with an SEO expert! This will ensure your website designs are mobile-friendly. Make your SEO ironclad.
