Google Site Search Alternatives
Experts predict that the adoption of voice technology will increase exponentially in the coming years. In fact, comScore estimates that by 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice searches.
And when consumers search for local businesses with their voices, they usually engage with those businesses in the same way: studies show that 28% of people who perform a local voice search go on to call the business. Calls are the most popular next action following a voice search.
To monetize the voice search revolution, digital marketers should take steps to optimize their site for voice search. They should also capture the right analytics on calls to their locations for the marketing insights to generate more callers that convert to customers.
Due to the conversational way users address their voice-enabled devices, the average voice search query is 3 to 5 words longer than the average text query:
Source: Bing
This means when you write website content, you should include the long-tail keywords and phrases you find with your keyword research tools. Additionally, you should consider bidding on long-tail keywords for paid search—for example: “best live chat support software,” rather than “support chat.” For now, long-tail keywords are less expensive and less competitive than traditional keywords, however, that will change as voice search continues to become more prevalent.
In addition to long-tail keywords, voice searches also tend to contain more question-oriented words like “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” “how,” “can,” “top,” and “best.” To further optimize your content, include these words as well as common questions users are asking about your products.
Source: SEOClarity
If you organically rank in the top 10 for a Google search term, your content has a chance to become a “featured snippet” (shown below).
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Featured snippets are the most coveted placement for voice search marketing—Google Assistant will read them aloud automatically when the user asks the corresponding question. Below are some tips to help your chances of securing a featured snippet:
As voice searches continue to become more localized, it’s important to cater to local customers by:
As we discussed earlier, people place longer, more conversational queries with a voice search than with a traditional keyboard search. But how can you determine the most common queries and long-tail keywords that your audience uses when speaking verbally? Perhaps the most accurate way is by collecting FAQs from what callers actually say in inbound phone calls.
Marketers are doing this now by either manually reviewing call recordings and transcriptions themselves or by automating the process using AI (artificial intelligence).
For example, Central Restaurant Products, the leading wholesale distributor of foodservice equipment, mines their calls for these insights. With inbound calls making up 56% of orders and 81% of their total revenue, they have a wealth of conversations to pull from. “We can analyze calls from a specific product’s webpage to see what questions callers are asking, then have our content team update the details on that page to answer them,” said Nathan Smith, Marketing Database Analyst at Central.
By understanding the common questions customers ask about this products, Central is:
As a result, Central is able to create a seamless end-to-end customer experience that significantly boosts conversion rates. “We’ve increased calls by 23% and new customers by 13% year over year,” said Smith.
Once you provide answers to the FAQs in blog posts or on your website pages, make sure to monitor your SEO ranking and optimize accordingly.
To learn more strategies to drive calls from voice search, download our Digital Marketer’s Guide to Voice Search.