How Voice Search Affects Local SEO and How to Use It for Your Business

How Voice Search Affects Local SEO and How to Use It for Your Business

Voice search is one of the most significant trends in digital marketing in 2023. According to Google, more than 20% of all searches on mobile devices are done by voice. Moreover, voice search is expected to grow even more with the increasing adoption of smart speakers and voice assistants like Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri, etc.

Voice search has a huge impact on local SEO, as many people use voice search to find local businesses near them. For example, someone might say “Hey Google, where can I get pizza near me?” or “Alexa, what are the best hair salons in my area?” These queries are different from traditional text-based searches, as they are more conversational, natural, and intent-driven.

Therefore, if you want to optimize your website for voice search and local SEO, you need to follow some best practices and strategies that can help you rank higher and attract more customers. Here are some of them:

Use Schema Markup

Schema markup is a type of code that helps search engines understand the content and structure of your website better. It also helps them display rich snippets and featured snippets in the search results, which can increase your click-through rate and visibility.

Schema markup is especially important for voice search and local SEO, as it can help you provide relevant information about your business, such as name, address, phone number, opening hours, ratings, reviews, etc. This information can help voice search users find your business more easily and trust it more.

To use schema markup for your website, you can use tools like Schema.org, Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper, or WordPress plugins like Schema Pro. You can also test your schema markup using Google’s Rich Results Test.

Optimize for Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are keywords that are longer and more specific than short-tail keywords. For example, “pizza” is a short-tail keyword, while “best pizza place near me” is a long-tail keyword.

Long-tail keywords are more relevant for voice search and local SEO, as they match the natural language and intent of voice search users better. Voice search users tend to use longer and more detailed queries than text-based search users, as they are looking for immediate and accurate answers.

Therefore, if you want to optimize your website for voice search and local SEO, you need to use long-tail keywords that reflect the questions and needs of your target audience. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic, Google Keyword Planner, or Ubersuggest to find long-tail keywords related to your niche and location.

Create FAQ Pages

FAQ pages are pages that answer frequently asked questions about your business, products, or services. They are useful for voice search and local SEO, as they can provide direct and concise answers to voice search queries. They can also help you rank for featured snippets, which are the boxes that appear at the top of the search results and provide quick answers to users’ questions.

To create FAQ pages for your website, you need to:

• Identify the common questions that your target audience has about your business, products, or services. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic, Google Search Console, or Google Analytics to find out what people are searching for on your website or on Google.
• Write clear and informative answers to these questions using long-tail keywords and schema markup. You can use tools like Hemingway Editor, Grammarly, or Yoast SEO to write and optimize your answers.
• Link your FAQ pages to other relevant pages on your website to provide more information and value to your visitors. You can also add a call-to-action at the end of your FAQ pages to encourage your visitors to take action, such as contacting you, booking an appointment, or making a purchase.

Optimize for Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are the primary devices used for voice search, as most voice assistants are integrated with smartphones and tablets. Therefore, if you want to optimize your website for voice search and local SEO, you need to ensure that it's mobile-friendly. Here are some key steps to optimize your website for mobile devices:

1. Responsive Design: Make sure your website has a responsive design, which means it adapts to various screen sizes and resolutions. This ensures that your website looks and functions well on both smartphones and tablets. Google also considers mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, so having a responsive design can boost your local SEO.

2. Fast Loading Speed: Mobile users expect websites to load quickly. Slow-loading sites can lead to high bounce rates and a negative impact on your search engine rankings. Compress images, minimize code, and leverage browser caching to improve your website's loading speed.

3. Mobile-Friendly Content: Create content that is easy to read and interact with on small screens. Use legible fonts, break up content into short paragraphs, and ensure that buttons and links are touch-friendly and well-spaced. Mobile-friendly content enhances the user experience, which is important for SEO.

4. Optimize Images: Images play a significant role in user engagement, but they can also slow down your site on mobile devices. Compress images without sacrificing quality and use the appropriate image formats. Lazy loading is also a technique that can help with image optimization.

5. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): Consider implementing Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) for your content. AMP is an open-source project that creates stripped-down versions of web pages designed for fast loading on mobile devices. Google often gives preference to AMP pages in mobile search results.

6. Test on Multiple Devices: To ensure your website functions properly on various mobile devices and screen sizes, perform testing on different smartphones and tablets. Address any issues or inconsistencies that may arise during testing.

7. Mobile SEO: Don't forget to optimize your mobile site for local SEO. This includes using location-specific keywords, creating mobile-friendly meta descriptions, and ensuring that your contact information is easily accessible. Additionally, local schema markup, as discussed earlier, should be present and functional on your mobile site as well.

8. Voice Search Readiness: Keep in mind that users conducting voice searches on mobile devices have different expectations than those typing queries. Optimize your mobile site for voice search by integrating conversational keywords and providing concise, direct answers to common voice search queries.

9. Monitor and Analyze: Regularly monitor your website's mobile performance using tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights. Pay attention to user engagement metrics like bounce rate and time on page. Make improvements based on the data you gather.

Incorporating these mobile optimization practices will not only make your website more voice search-friendly but also improve your overall local SEO performance. With the increasing prevalence of voice-activated devices and the shift towards mobile browsing, ensuring a seamless and efficient mobile experience for your audience is crucial.