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Features of optimizing site content for voice search

The emergence of the ability to send voice commands to your mobile gadget, in particular to search for information, provoked the allocation of a separate direction in SEO - site optimization for voice search.

Not everyone has taken this given seriously, but statistics stubbornly indicate that optimization of content for voice requests is necessary. After all, about 70 % users aged 18–29 prefer resort to Siri, Assistant, Alexa and to them like voice assistants instead of the classic set of text in the search bar. Older users are mostly more conservative, but among them voice assistants are also popular:

 

  • from 30 to 43 years old - 59 %;
  • 44–53 years old - 39 %;
  • 54 and older - 38 %.


If we talk about the total share of voice requests in mobile search, then according to Google at the moment it is 30 % (only two years ago it was 20 %). 

And this means that it is no longer possible to ignore voice search in SEO - today we need to take measures to optimize content for voice requests in order to start receiving more targeted visitors tomorrow, than your competitors.

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Basic Theory of Voice Search

An item on a site looking for search robots, to read aloud when requested, called Featured Snippets (Selected Snippets) or "Position 0. Selected snippets (or fragments) appear at the top of the search issue and contain a direct (according to the bot) answer to the question asked by the user, often along with a link to the source.

If the user gives the request in a voice and wants to receive the voiced response, then the extradition provided to him will primarily contain the results where there are selected snippets.

Therefore, if you have super-optimized for search engines of meta-tags, titles and headlines on your site, but there are no fragments that will fit the role of selected snippets, your content will almost certainly not be provided to users who use voice search.

How to optimize site content for voice search

In general, optimization of content for voice requests is possible conditionally break into 5 categories:

  1. One of the features of this type of search is use longer requests, than when manually typing. When a user writes a request, he subconsciously tries to reduce it. For example, if he is looking for an interesting place to drink coffee with friends, he will write something like “Kiev Coffee Shop” in the search bar. But if he asks a similar request to the voice assistant, then most likely he will pronounce a longer one “Where in Kiev can I drink coffee?”.

    Оптимизация под голосовой поиск - локальная выдача

    It turns out that in order to optimize the site for voice search, you need to work with similar low frequency queries. And in this point it is important not to make a private mistake - optimization for voice search does not imply the use of the NF request itself, but the placement of a response to it in the text! Rather, a request in the content may still be that it continues to be optimized for a classic search, but in the context, a clear answer to the user's alleged question must be traced.
     
  2. Structured data are a necessity both in the classic SEO and when optimizing the site for voice search. The code of your website must contain metadata on which search bots can understand what kind of content is contained on the pages.
     
  3. Local search covers most of the requests when sending voice commands to gadgets. Most often they are looking for the location of shops, restaurants, cinemas and other objects of mass visiting. If your site is related to something like that, then voice search optimization is required.

    In particular, it is necessary add company to Google maps (if you still haven't done it). When searching for local objects using voice, the search engine will not always offer the user selected snippets, but may well read out information from your profile in Google My business.
     
  4. Optimization for mobile devices also a priority when you want to make a voice search on the site an additional source of visitors. And this is logical, since voice requests in most cases are sent through gadgets.

    You can make sure that your site meets this condition using the Google-service page optimization check for mobile - just enter the address.

    Голосовой поиск и адаптивность сайта

    If the page does not pass the check, you will see a list of comments that will need to be eliminated.
     
  5. Keywords-friendly phrases - a relatively new concept, implying the inclusion in text content on the site pages of phrases that users can use when searching by voice.

    For example, the phrase “Where do delicious sushi cook in Nikolaev?” can be used both in whole and in part or with word permutation. In this case, it is good if phrases like “the most delicious sushi in Nikolaev” and the like will be found on the site (both in the text and in the headlines). If in addition to this, the content will mention the address and customer reviews, the probability of displaying your site in the results of local searches will significantly increase.

Also, to understand the principle by which robots are looking for information on voice requests, use this function yourself, asking your gadget questions on topics your web resource. When studying the issuance and the content contained on the web resources from it, it will be easier for you to understand how to optimize the site for voice search.

The future for voice search

To date, the percentage of seoshnikov who are engaged in the optimization of sites for voice search is still very small. In fact, the use of this opportunity to receive additional visitors is practically not used for commercial purposes.

But this is the direction of search promotion will definitely develop. Therefore, we advise you to dwell on the study of content optimization for voice requests very carefully. And remember that the main point in any type of search promotion remains unchanged - the content of the site should first be focused on satisfying the interests of users.