Voice Search SEO in New Jersey

Did you know that voice search SEO has become a thing in this day and age? “Digital assistant” voice search platforms, such as Siri, Cortana, Google Now, are changing the way people search for things. In fact, search on virtual assistants jumped from statistical zero to 10 percent of overall search volume globally! If this trend continues like it has been, this is only the beginning and voice search may even surpass traditional keyboard search in time. I see more and more people using voice search these days. Many find it to be quicker, easier and simply more fun than manually typing in a search term. More than 50% of adults have even stated that they use it for the simple fact that it makes them feel more ‘tech-savvy.’

Voice search is also quite accurate and right on the money in terms of retrieving the information I’m looking for. A study found that 28 percent of users find this medium as a more accurate way of searching than using a keyboard. But what does this phenomenon mean from an SEO standpoint, and how can we ensure that our voice search SEO is sufficient?

Voice Search SEO | Think Like a Human:

The days are ending when we would manipulate some lifeless algorithmic bot by picking a couple of keywords and making them the focal point of your content. Rather than focusing on disjointed keywords, it’s usually better to use a longer sequence of words for voice search. Concentrating on a phrase that a person would naturally use in speech is one of the first steps to take.

Below are some excellent examples:

Most likely you’re already targeting 1 – 2 keywords, such as:

Bora-Bora
Bora-Bora air fare
Bora-Bor vacation

Pro Tip: Test out adding longer, more voice-friendly keywords such as:

Cost for air fare to Bahamas
Bahamas vacation info
Best Bahamas vacation package

In other words, “humanizing” content and selecting keyword structures based on a natural conversational tone is ideal.

SEO for Voice Search | Use Question Phrases:

Think about when you use voice search. How do you typically phrase your query? Many users will start with adverbs like who, how, where and why. I might say something like “Where is the closest pizza place.” A study from Search Engine Land even found that there’s been a massive spike in question phrases — “a 61 percent growth year-over-year in fact. “‘Who’ phrases were up 134 percent and ‘How” phrases were up 81 percent.” The most widespread question word is who. When deciding which keywords to target, try putting yourself in the shoes of your average consumer. What questions might they ask regarding your product/service? How might they phrase it?

Search Engine Optimization for Voice Search | A Matter of Semantics:

In 2013, Google launched its algorithm update Hummingbird, which used Latent Semantic Indexing to better understand the underlying meaning behind search terms. This was evidence that it was taking measures to focus more on semantic language and determining user intent. Voice search is just another step in this direction and shows us that it’s more important than ever to be conscious of “the why” behind what users are searching for. Again, this proves that trying to simply rank for a keyword or two just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Rather than writing keyword-rich content, you should put users first by creating content that’s inherently valuable and addressing any questions or concerns your audience may have. By doing this, voice search will figure out what the best and most relevant results are in an extremely organic way.

Voice Search SEO Tips | Use a Lot of Microdata:

When performing a voice search, users will often reference microdata such as a business’s location, phone number, price and so on. You can do yourself a favor by making this information easily retrievable for digital assistants by creating a comprehensive sitemap for your site, including your address, pertinent contact information, directions from main highways and interstates, etc. In other words, it’s wise to revamp your local SEO campaign.

SEO Tips for Voice Search | Be More Mobile-Friendly:

Mobile-friendliness is kind of a big deal these days. When you think about it, mobile and voice search go together perfectly! A study even found that 40 percent smartphone owners starting using voice in the latter half of 2015. With smartphones being the primary device that people use to perform voice searches, it’s never been more important be a little obsessive about making your content as mobile-friendly as possible. If you haven’t done so already, try using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see exactly how your site fares.

If it’s less than ideal, Google will fill you in on some specific measures you can take to get your site to where it needs to be from a mobile-friendly standpoint. You’ll also want to ensure that you understand the principles of creating mobile-friendly content. The bottom line is that people read mobile content differently than they do with desktop content. It’s important to understand that this is true, and figure out why it’s true, too. When you can intuit a user’s rationale for choosing their mobile device as a reading portal, you’ll gain more insight into how to optimize their experience.

Looking for the Best NJ Company for Voice Search SEO?

TJB WebMedia is a NJ SEO agency that provides NJ businesses with outstanding voice search SEO services. The bottom line is whatever your need we have the talent and staff to make it happen. We help dozens of business develop their brands and launch into the public eye. We also offer NJ Web Design services. As you can see from our portfolio, whether a customized WordPress website or an eCommerce web design with an online store and many different products, we are there to help. Many NJ web design companies offer pre-built templates that all appear the same. Just as bad, these templates are poorly coded and bad for SEO. Our web design NJ form can offer you a more flexible website with better SERP results and higher ROI This SEO friendly approach to our NJ website designs will destroy your competition as your website dominates the search results!