We are living in a fast-paced world, and it’s getting faster by the moment. The digitisation of everyday life has caused this hyper speed in our lifestyles. A classic example is the smartphone. Our phones have evolved from it being an instrument for communication to it becoming our pocket-sized personal assistants.
Concepts like the touch screen and voice command used to only exist in SciFi films and literature. Now, it’s a reality we all can’t live without. We all thought that the ability to Google search everything from our smartphones was the peak of convenience. Today, all we have to do is to literally ask our phones a question in order to be provided with the answers we need.
The development of voice recognition technology has made it possible for us to run searches using only our voices. When you’re busy driving (like the 58% of smart device users are), and you need to book some tickets for, say, a show that’s happening tonight, you can simply use voice search to reserve your seats, all without taking your eyes away from the road.
It’s a web search option that’s great for people on the go, and for brands that are ready to provide the necessary services that said users are looking for. For users, it’s a more convenient way of browsing the web. For brands and businesses, it’s a great way to rake in more conversions and sales.
What Is Voice Search Optimisation (VSO)?
Much like the classic approach to SEO, optimisation for voice searches uses key terms and phrases that your customers use when searching for brands like yours. When your content contains these keywords or phrases, people are more likely to find you and opt for your brand.
There are millions of searches every day, and more than 18% lead to conversions. When you optimise your brand’s products and/or services using the right keywords, you can enjoy some of these conversions yourself.
Optimising your websites for local searches can give your brand that extra boost. Most smartphones that sync automatically with one’s car usually go ahead and link with the phone’s location services. So whenever they do a voice search, the first results that come up display establishments around their location.
All the “Near Me” searches work with Google’s location services and geotags that is incorporated with your web content. Whenever somebody around your area searches for a “the best pizza place near me”, for example, Google can then pull up results according to location.
87% of mobile searches are queries regarding local establishments. As more users utilise voice search in your area, optimising your local SEO terms can help drive in more customers into your shop.
What Do I Need to Do to Optimise Voice Searches?
Behind every voice search is urgency. Voice searches are rarely done out of being lazy or the keyboard is too tiny. Most of them are done while users are multitasking.
So instead of the normal SEO methods where keywords are placed like “best pizza place Brisbane”, you put in keywords as questions, as if you’re playing SEO Jeopardy. Your keywords can be phrased like “What’s the best pizza place in Brisbane?”
Voice search optimisation is not only applicable to restaurants or businesses that serve urgent needs. It can also be useful for all kinds of business. As most searches are happening in the spur of the moment, your customers may be thinking of switching to another fitness gym while on their way out of the house or were reminded to call someone to get their trees pruned while on the way home from work.
If you’re already putting in effort for your website’s SEO, it is a great idea to speak with your SEO consultant about Voice Search Optimisation.
Why Do I Need to Optimise FOR Voice Searches?
Voice search optimisation can do a lot of good for your business. To get started, speak with an SEO specialist around your area. Arrange a meeting and talk to them about your goals. Your web content moving forward can be optimised both for SEO and VSO.
Finally, seal the deal with good website design. When your visitors find your website, you’ll want to make sure they have an equally efficient browsing experience. Responsive web design smoothens the user experience. When you’ve optimised your content to support voice searches, you’re more likely to drive more conversions and close more sales.
Conclusion
Voice Searches are helping users narrow down their purchase decisions to the products and services near them. Optimising for voice searches can be very helpful for small businesses with physical stores that customers can visit. If you’re a Solopreneur, working your way to local relevance doesn’t have to be a challenge. You just have to know what to do to drive in more conversions.
Get in touch today and let’s see how we can work together to achieve this for your small business.