How To Use Voice Search Optimization To Get More Traffic (2024)

Successful businesses make it easy for customers to find them. For your ecommerce business, that means paying close attention to how audiences engage with the internet and studying trends that impact the way people search online. One trend in search behavior: the rise of voice search.

By implementing a few voice search optimization techniques, you can optimize your content for the search landscape of the future. Learn more about how to make your website more easily searchable with voice search optimization.

What is voice search optimization?

Voice search optimization is the process of improving your site’s performance for search queries initiated by voice command, also known as voice searches. Voice search optimization strategies include traditional search engine optimization (SEO) best practices—like creating valuable content, indexing your site, and improving page speed—and tactics that target voice search user behaviors and ranking factors. Voice search SEO can boost total traffic to your site, help local and mobile users find you, and increase the likelihood that smart devices will refer users to your company.

How does voice search work?

Many voice search users run queries through digital voice assistants like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, which use artificial intelligence and natural language processing technology to respond to natural language queries. Users can access digital voice assistants through voice-activated devices (like Amazon Echo Speakers) or AI-powered apps (like Google Assistant or ChatGPT).

Users can also use voice-to-text technology to search on traditional search engines like Google, Yahoo!, or Bing. Voice search result formats depend on the device and can include search engine results pages or spoken responses to user questions.

Why optimize for voice search?

Voice search is popular with consumers. One study found that nearly 60% of consumers between the ages of 25 and 34 use voice search every day. As of 2024, voice assistants are the most popular AI-powered smartphone feature among US adults.

Voice queries are poised to represent an increasingly large share of search volumes in the future. Analysts expect the voice assistant market to add more than 20 million users by 2028 and reach a value of nearly $32 billion by 2033. AI adoption rates and connected device sales are also increasing, meaning consumers are becoming more familiar with voice search technology and have more access to it.

Businesses can gain a competitive edge by optimizing their sites to join the voice search revolution. This can help you drive more traffic to your site, and it goes hand-in-hand with voice shopping capabilities.

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How to optimize for voice search

Voice search optimization can help you increase brand awareness, boost sales, and outpace the competition by meeting your target audiences where they already are. Here are a few best practices to help you optimize your website for voice search.

Use a conversational tone

Voice searches tend to use more conversational language than traditional text-based search queries. Instead of typing “best outdoor activities Santa Fe,” a user might say, “Hey Siri, what are some fun things to do outside in Santa Fe?”

You can improve search engine visibility for these requests by creating clear content, avoiding overly formal or technical language, and incorporating conversational keywords. These use natural speech patterns and are often complete sentences or familiar sentence fragments.

Pay particular attention to question keywords like “What’s the best Vietnamese fish sauce brand?” or “Where can I find comfortable heels for wide feet?” For a more natural content flow, you can include question keywords and their concise answers in an FAQ section.

Include more long-tail keywords

Voice searches are typically longer than traditional text-based searches. Most users speak faster than they type and include more information and a higher number of words in each query. Instead of “men’s loafers,” for example, a user might say “Find burgundy men’s loafers for sale size 10 under $50.”

Your business can optimize for this type of search by including highly specific phrases. These long-tail keywords represent the far end (or “tail”) of the search demand curve, have lower search volumes than traditional keywords, and are often less competitive. They typically have at least three words and may use natural speech patterns—although they don’t need to qualify as conversational keywords to provide voice search value.

You can use keyword research tools to identify long-tail voice search keywords for your brand. You’ll enter a broad keyword, and the tool will provide related keywords along with information about monthly search volumes and competition.

Target local searches

Local search queries help users find businesses in a specific geographic location. Examples include “mattress store in Raleigh” or “ebikes near me.”

Research shows that local queries are one of the most popular types of voice search. They can also signal strong intent to buy, making them particularly valuable for your business. You can use local SEO tactics to optimize your content for local voice search queries. Here are four strategies to try:

• Set up a Google Business profile. A Google Business profile can help you appear on Google Maps and in location-based Google searches. If you have a pop-up shop, physical store, or retail partner to stock your products, include up-to-date contact details, hours, and website links.

• Add your location to your site. Create a dedicated webpage or include location information on your Contact and About pages. Many local businesses also include street addresses in site footers.

• Join other directories and listings. Add your company to other search engine directories (like Bing Places and Apple Maps) and local business listings (like Yelp and the Yellow Pages). Include a link to your site, and keep your information up to date.

• Earn more reviews. Positive reviews in search engine business listings can also boost performance. Solicit reviews by sending post-interaction emails to customers, starting a loyalty program, and responding to customer feedback online.

Optimize your site for mobile search

Over half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, so mobile-friendly site design is critical to any SEO strategy. It’s particularly important for voice search because many voice searches come from mobile devices.

Use responsive site design to optimize display and minimize copy on product pages and homepages. Users may expect a text-heavy page on your blog but may not scroll past a wall of written content to view product images or locate the Add to Cart button.

Earn featured snippets

Google featured snippets are short content excerpts that appear above other links on Google’s search engine results pages. Voice assistants rely heavily on featured snippets, so if your content is featured there, it’s more likely to be used in voice search answers.

You can increase your likelihood of appearing in a featured snippet by:

• Providing direct, high-quality answers to common search questions

• Using keyword-rich headings and subheadings

• Using numbered steps to format answers when applicable

You can also use schema markup, which is machine-readable code that helps search engines find key information about your business. This can improve your site’s overall search performance, help search engines locate answers to common voice search queries, and increase your chance of earning featured snippet placement. It’s also invisible to human users, so you can use it to provide key data to search engines without worrying about how it affects site design.