As voice search becomes more and more popular among internet users, companies are looking to optimize their websites to capitalize on the shift away from text-based searches and ensure that they rank higher in voice-based search results. Because voice search is still fairly new, however, best practices for SEO in this space are still evolving.
Without being up to date on the latest search engine developments and trends, some companies’ best optimization efforts will be lacking, and their rankings in voice search results will suffer accordingly. Instead of finding out after the fact that their attempts to optimize for voice search were insufficient, ineffective or, worse, all for naught, marketers can improve their results by reading about 12 mistakes to avoid that members of Forbes Agency Council share below.
1. Neglecting Long-Tail Keywords
Voice searches are typically conversational and longer than typed queries, so a common SEO error when optimizing for voice search is neglecting long-tail keywords. To avoid this, focus on including more natural, conversational phrases that align with how people speak in everyday life. This will help your site to rank higher in voice search results. – JP Johl, AdTribute
2. Neglecting The Significance Of Featured Snippets
Snippets offer compact and relevant summaries of information extracted from Web pages that align with user search intent. To prevent the error of neglecting their significance, prioritize creating concise and well-structured content that directly addresses common user queries, which will increase the likelihood of your content being featured as a voice search result. – Danielle West, CAYK Marketing
3. Trying To Optimize For Voice Search In The First Place
A common error marketers make is trying to optimize for voice search in the first place. Most people using voice search are looking for quick, informational answers that don’t require a visit to your site—think instant answers. Instead, focus on optimizing for featured snippets, using natural language and creating people-first content that’s more helpful to users and the best of its kind. – Tripp Donnelly, REQ
4. Focusing On Keyword Optimization Without Context
One common SEO error when optimizing for voice search is solely focusing on keyword optimization without considering contextual understanding. Many marketers prioritize keywords or search terms without accounting for different user contexts during voice search. Creating content that aligns with the intent and context of voice search queries, rather than solely relying on keywords, is essential. – Ajay Prasad, GMR Web Team
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5. Not Providing The Answers To The Five W’s
One common SEO error when optimizing a site for voice search is not providing answers to the five W’s: who, what, when, where and why. Voice search users often start questions with these words, so they expect clear and relevant answers. To avoid this error, you should create content that addresses the most popular questions in your industry and use featured snippets to achieve position zero on Google. – Frank Rojas, Qode Media Inc.
6. Ignoring Cultural Or Local Language Nuances
Not taking cultural or local language nuances into consideration is one common SEO error when optimizing a site for voice search. For example, Australians tend to abbreviate many words when we speak, so our spoken language can be quite different from our written form of communication. – Adrian Falk, Believe Advertising & PR
7. Not Including Location-Specific Keywords And Phrases
Many websites fail to include location-specific keywords and phrases in their content and metadata. To avoid this error, ensure that your website includes relevant local keywords, such as city names or specific neighborhoods, in titles, headings and content. This helps search engines understand your local relevance and improves your chances of appearing in voice search results for local queries. – Bryanne DeGoede, BLND Public Relations
8. Not Providing Answers To Your Own Website’s FAQs
Too many brands started loading their website FAQs with endless questions, trying to capture voice search traffic, and then never took the next step! Brands need to formulate their content with insightful and valuable responses to questions to capture rich snippet search traffic and show their authority. Don’t stop at “question content”—create “answer content.” – Bernard May, National Positions
9. Ignoring The Load Speed Of Your Pages
A common SEO error when optimizing for voice search would be neglecting the load speed of your pages. Typically, people doing voice searches are looking for quick answers and information. If your pages fail to load fast, it may result in many abandoned visits and a loss of potential conversions. – Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
10. Not Considering Synonyms Consumers Use For Keywords
The biggest error companies make when optimizing a site for voice search is not considering all the various synonyms consumers use when seeking the same information. – Jason Mudd, Axia Public Relations
11. Not Prioritizing Users’ Mobile Experience
Google has made it very clear that its intention is to elevate the UX. Since the majority of people using voice searches will be doing it from their phones, Google is going to give priority to the websites that are the most mobile-friendly. Responsiveness, page speeds, metadata, navigation ease—all of these are going to matter more than ever. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
12. Using Seller Terminology Rather Than Customers’
A common SEO error, including for voice search, is to use your terminology (seller terminology) rather than the colloquial and specific terminology used by customers in the industry. – Jim Caruso, M1PR, Inc. d/b/a MediaFirst PR – Atlanta
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