How Voice Search is Changing Local SEO

We often talk about local SEO here at AZ Citation Services. This time we will see how voice search can affect it. You are probably aware of the significance of SEO for your company. Customers will be directed to your website not only from search engines but from social media and other content distribution platforms as well. You will also realize the need to regularly review your SEO approach to check if it still yields the desired results. Voice search is rising, so keep that in mind while developing your SEO approach. Just what does “voice search” entail? How can you enable voice search optimization and put it to use, and what sort of metrics can you use to evaluate the efficacy of your efforts? These concerns are addressed in the text.

First things first – what is voice search?

Voice searches are conducted when the user speaks their question into the device’s microphone instead of typing it. Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google’s Assistant are three of the most popular voice-activated search tools. There are two main distinctions to be aware of between standard keyword searches and voice searches. Unlike typed queries, which often consist of generic terms like “Italian food” or “Boston,” voice searches are typically more specific in nature. Another nuance is that while using voice search, users have higher standards for accuracy than when conducting a text-based query. You need to think of user experience in SEO above all else.

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The word of digital marketing is evolving fast. Stay on track!

Benefits of voice search

The rise in popularity of voice searches begs the question: how can you use this trend to your marketing advantage? It’s important to avoid common citation errors if you want to get ahead. We can help with a few practical tips:

  • Voice search increases exposure to your brand Brand awareness may be boosted through voice search optimization in much the same way as it does through traditional SEO optimization. Growing your audience and influence can be as simple as making your material easier to find online.
  • More individuals will learn about you if they seek out more specific solutions and find that you can provide them through your business. The use of one’s voice can increase one’s profile in a specific area. People use voice searches for a variety of purposes, and one of those is to locate a business in their area. Voice searches on mobile devices are three times more probable to be geo-specific than text queries, per Search Engine Watch. They can narrow their search for local services in their city or even a specific neighborhood with the enhanced precision of an SEO voice search. Voice searches are faster and more accurate than text searches, and they can help you attract more local customers.
  • Using your voice can help you gain more respect and credibility. Optimizing for voice search increases exposure. When more people find your site using voice search, your authority score improves. Your website’s rating will improve if you provide equal attention to both your SEO voice search approach and your SEO strategy.
  • Voice queries result in instantaneous feedback. Voice search users have the same immediacy and clarity expectations as those IVM users. They ask more specific questions and anticipate equally exact answers. If you take the time to learn how and when to optimize for voice search, you can rest assured that your users will receive timely and relevant results. Consumers expect to find exactly the answers they need quickly and without any hassle.
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Use the changes to your advantage!

Our best tip

Since more and more people are using their phones to conduct voice-enabled searches, it’s crucial that your strategy accommodates this fact. A mobile-friendly site is essential in today’s competitive online environment. After all, Google’s web crawlers evaluate the phone version of your website before indexing it. Make sure the mobile version is compatible with the most common devices. Do it before you worry about optimizing it for voice searches. Furthermore, you should definitely create a listing on Google My Business if you haven’t already. If someone finds your site in a search, but finds it is not mobile-friendly, they will go on. Maybe even to your competitors. No one wants that.

Metric to track

If you have implemented an innovative voice search optimization approach and are seeing an increase in revenue and/or conversion rates, you know you have been doing something correctly. One must be able to examine these numbers to determine how much growth in particular measures may be attributed to voice queries. Identifying the instances where long tail inquiries resulted in a purchase may need more effort than usual analysis.

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A mobile-friendly site is essential for your local SEO.

Intent

The intent is an odd but potentially valuable statistic. After all, it’s safe to assume that a shopper is looking to make a purchase when they visit your site. Not necessarily, of course; they could be curious about something like, “What is a data lake?” and be randomly browsing your site. So, how can we evaluate purpose? If visitors are finding your site using voice searches, why not simply ask them “why did you come to our site today?”? Make all of the choices as straightforward as possible, such as “to buy,” “to compare costs,” “simply browsing,” and so on. Due to the increased accuracy of voice searches, consumer intent to buy should rise.

Before we go, concluding remarks on the local SEO

Those using voice inquiries are more likely to use entire sentences. There is still a greater possibility that they may employ more colloquial speech. Create dedicated sections of your website to answer these often-asked issues. As you can see voice search can be very helpful in your overall local SEO strategies. Before we go we have another fun fact for you. One of the first three spots on SERPs is often reserved for voice search results. Now that you know we can say our goodbyes. Remember – if you need any help you can always call us. We are here for you.

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