How to Optimize A Website for Voice Search

Similar to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), voice SEO aims to optimize your content and website for vocal search queries so you can:

• Rank higher on results
• Earn top positions on Google
• Show up on local lists’ search results

By optimizing your small business website for voice search, you’ll have a chance of showing up in local and general SERPs. The three most famous and commonly used voice assistants are:

1. Siri
2. Google Assistant
3. Alexa

Because users find voice searching faster, more convenient, and (more often than not) accurate. In fact, data shows that voice search assistants like Alexa or Siri answer more than 93% of the search queries accurately.

It’s no wonder why people prefer it, and no wonder that the number of voice search users in 2023 amounted to more than 125.2 million. Would you not rather get a straightforward answer simply by voicing it after a short “Hey Google”?

Guessed so. 

Plus, by ranking high at Google and showing up on voice search results, you’ll:

1. Be in an even better position than rank 1 on Google
2. Get a much higher click-through rate (CTR)
3. Own a bigger piece of search real estate

So unless you want to lose on voice queries’ huge potential, you better pay attention to what the next section has to say about voice SEO for small businesses.

1. Adjust Your SEO Strategy

So do you need to plan a voice SEO strategy from scratch? Not if you already have a good SEO plan in place.

Your standard SEO strategy shouldn’t need that much tweaking if you’ve already spoken with an SEO expert. You just need to make room for a few voice-search-focused strategies to boost your performance and secure your future spot on top of the SERPs.

For example, recent years’ statistics show that 80% of voice searches will probably be conversational by 2024. That means you need to target:

• Long-term keywords
• User questions
• Conversational keywords

To be seen by voice searchers. So instead of “Mother’s Day gift ideas,” you should better focus on answering a query like “What do I get for Mother’s Day for my aunt and mom?”

You can also focus specifically on user questions and create FAQ pages to address them directly, which brings us to the next tip.

Create FAQ Pages

What better way to show voice assistants and smartphones results to their users’ questions than by creating a page dedicated to them?

FAQ pages can help you provide short, direct answers to each user question. This way, you’re creating content that’s valuable for both users and engines. For better results, focus on optimizing your content for Google’s featured snippets.

Optimize Your Content for Google’s Featured Snippets 

Similar to voice queries, Google’s featured snippets also crawl the web to find the answer that is best by assessing how accurate and understandable it is. 

There’s a many strategies and tips that can help you rank featured snippets, but the most important ones are:

• Creating valuable content
• Using clear language
• Establishing topical authority
• Implementing schema markups

Implement Schema Markups

The goal is showing voice assistants and search engines a clear structure to crawl and find whatever information they need. This is vital when you aim to optimize a website for voice search, because you’re providing an exact answer.

Plus, schema markups make your website stand out among other results in SERPs. This is because most schemas include visual elements (like images) and additional info (like ratings) to highlight your page.

Some of the most common types of schema markups include:

• How-to schema
• Recipe schema
• Article schema
• Product schema
• FAQ schema
• Book schema

Remember that you can only get your desired rich results if you’re adding relevant schemas to relevant pages. Otherwise, search engines will flag your content as spam and you won’t rank.

Local SEO = Voice SEO

If you’re a small business, and especially one that is brick-and-mortar, Local SEO is your best friend.

By optimizing your website for local SEO by following the tips given in our blog about Local SEO Tips for Small Businesses, you’ll be on your way to showing up on Google’s local lists.

Showing up on those lists means you’ll also show up on voice searchers’ local queries. For example, if I ask Siri “What are some good pasta places near me?” or “Best pizza places in Queens,” your business will be seen on result lists.

Bonus tip: use location tags and mention your business, industry, and location in your keywords list. That way, you’ll be targeting people who use those words in their local queries.

Incorporating these tactics will help Optimize A Website for Voice Search. By focusing on conversational long-tail keywords and user questions, and creating content optimized for featured snippets, you can position your business for the growing voice search market.

Remember, the key to voice SEO is making it easy for search engines to understand your website and identify it as the best answer to users’ questions.

Are you ready to use voice search to your advantage and be seen by more customers? Schedule a free Demo with Momentum to learn how our team of SEO experts can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.