Your internet marketing service might have talked to you about optimizing your web pages for voice search. But is this an effective use of your website design and search engine optimization (SEO) budget? In short: yes. Here are three reasons you should consider optimizing your site for voice search.

Users are Increasing Their Use of Voice Search

Tools for using voice search are spreading. Where voice search was a novelty when Siri was first released in 2011, it has evolved into an essential part of an iPhone user’s experience.

Moreover, Apple’s voice assistant ushered in an entire line of voice search products including:

• Voice-based personal assistants for tablets and mobile phones. In fact, Google leads the U.S. with over 90% of all U.S. searches. Google is responsible for 36% of all voice searches, tying it with Apple.
• Smart speakers
• Smart TVs and appliances

These products are popular. Surveys from Neil Patel and similar industry professionals indicate that over 70% of smartphone users under the age of 29 and nearly 60% of smartphone users between the ages of 30 and 43 use voice-based personal assistants at least some of the time. This trend will continue to grow as users become more comfortable talking to their devices.

Voice Searches Are Different from Text Searches

The data explains the growth in voice searches, but does not explain why your internet marketing service might recommend optimizing your website for voice searches. Simply put, users do not speak the same way that they type.

Voice search providers have identified a few differences between voice and text searches:

• Voice searches are more conversational: Text searches are usually for phrases, like “best burgers near me.” Users interact with voice assistants more like they interact with people — by asking questions. Rather than using the phrase “best burgers near me” a voice query would use the question “Which restaurant has the highest-rated burgers?” In this example, the only overlap between the voice search and text search is the word “burgers,” while the rest of the search query is phrased using different words. Having your Internet marketing service optimize your website for questions in addition to phrases will help you capture more voice searches.
• Voice searches are longer: When using their voices, users tend to include more information. This makes sense since speaking takes less effort than typing. However, this makes voice search queries more complicated for search engines to decode and often calls for a more specific answer. Optimizing for voice search often means providing focused information that will return your website in response to a specific question.
• Voice searches use different words: Users of voice search products are more likely to use jargon, abbreviations, acronyms, and slang. Moreover, voice searches are more likely to use common names for things, like “burgers,” than formal names for things, like “hamburgers.” When your Internet marketing service optimizes your website for how people talk, you can capture these searches.

Users Use Voice Searches for Different Purposes than Text Searches

The purposes of voice searches are often different than text searches. For example, voice search is often used while driving to find a specific business or a specific product or service. For example, “where is the closest gas station?” or “which taco stands are open now?” would be common types of voice searches. This means that optimizing your site for local searches will help you capture voice searches.

Voice searches are also used in response to other marketing messages. For example, if a user sees your product on TV or hears about it in a streaming ad, a user might quickly ask a voice assistant about your products or services. These “impulse searches” can be an important source of traffic that builds on your other marketing efforts.

Voice searches are an important — and growing — form of online interaction for your customers. Optimizing your website for voice searches places your business exactly where voice search users can find it.

When you’re ready to expand your marketing reach, contact the experts at Fasturtle for more information. Our experts know the ins and outs of voice search so you don’t have to. Give us a call today.