How to Perform Voice Search SEO? An In-Depth Expert Guide

Voice search has exploded in popularity in recent years. As virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa get smarter, and as Google continues to refine its voice search capabilities, optimizing for voice search will only grow more important.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll provide an in-depth look at everything you need to know as an SEO expert or business owner to optimize your website and content for voice search success.

The Rise of Voice Search: Key Statistics

Let‘s start by looking at some key statistics that demonstrate the explosive growth of voice search:

Voice search queries have grown over 35 times since 2008, according to Comscore.
50% of all searches are expected to be voice searches by 2020, according to Gartner.
20% of mobile queries are voice searches, according to Google.
The number of voice assistant devices in use is expected to grow to 8 billion by 2023, up from 2.5 billion in 2018 per Canalys.

It‘s clear that voice search is becoming a preferred search method for millions of people. And major search engines like Google are heavily prioritizing voice search capabilities.

As a website owner or SEO specialist, you need to be where the searches are happening. And an increasing portion of searches are happening via voice.

Key Differences Between Voice Search and Text Search

Optimizing for voice search requires a different approach compared to traditional text-based SEO. Here are some of the key differences:

Natural language queries – Voice searches use full natural language sentences and questions, not just keywords. You need to optimize for complete queries.
Local intent – Voice searches are often looking for something nearby. Local businesses need location-based optimizations.
Featured snippets – Voice results highlight short paragraphs that directly answer the query. Optimizing content for featured snippet extraction is critical.
Conversational tone – Voice search results aim to mimic natural conversation. Tone and formatting become more important.
Structured data – Search engines rely more heavily on schema markup to understand content and answer questions.

Understanding these core differences will inform an effective voice search strategy. Let‘s look at specific optimizations you can make.

Optimize for Natural Language Queries

Perhaps the biggest difference between voice and text search is that voice uses complete natural language questions and sentences.

Instead of keyword-based queries like "best restaurants", voice users will search for "what is the best restaurant for Italian food near me?"

Here are some tips to optimize for natural language:

Use conversational headlines and titles that mirror natural language questions. For example: "Where can I find affordable apartments in Denver?"
Create content around full question-and-answer formats. Answer the questions your customers are actually asking.
Use longer-tail keyword phrases like "what is the best budget hotel in london" instead of just "budget hotel".
Leverage tools like Answer the Public that suggest natural language questions around your business. Create content for those questions.
Avoid unnatural keyword stuffing. Focus on full sentences with a conversational, helpful tone.

Writing content that mimics natural speech patterns is key for voice search success.

Optimize for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are essentially guaranteed clicks for voice search results. That‘s because voice assistants read them verbatim at the top of the search results page.

To optimize for featured snippets:

Use question-focused titles – Featured snippets usually start with questions. Titles like "How can I sell my house fast in San Francisco?" are ideal.
Frontload key information – The first 1-2 sentences should contain the crux of the answer. Hold details for later paragraphs.
Use lists and short paragraphs – Lists help featured snippet algorithms select key points. Short paragraphs improve readability.
Add FAQ schema markup – FAQ schema can help associate questions with answers on a page.

Getting your business into the featured snippets for your industry‘s common voice search questions means you‘ll capture significant additional visibility and clicks.

Target Local Voice Searches

Location-based searches are extremely common with voice assistants.Queries like "coffee shops nearby" or "pizza places in Denver" are asked millions of times per day.

To target local voice searchers:

Optimize Google My Business – A complete, optimized listing helps you rank for searches near your business.
Add your address, phone, hours – Make sure your NAP (name, address, phone) details are easy to find on pages.
Include city/region names – Mention the geographic area you serve to rank for "[business] near me" searches.
Encourage reviews – Positive online reviews help establish your local presence andrelevance.
Run paid ads – Geo-targeted search and display ads can also improve local visibility.

Ranking for local voice searches depends heavily on strong local SEO foundations.

Use Structured Data Wherever Possible

Structured data and schema markup allow search engines to better comprehend your content. Relevant schema types include:

FAQPage schema for question and answer content
LocalBusiness schema for location info
Recipe schema for cooking instructions
Product schema for ecommerce sites
Event schema for conferences or local events
JobPosting schema for hiring sites

Adding appropriate JSON-LD or Microdata schema tells search engines what specific content on your pages represents. That improves featured snippet targeting and overall voice search visibility.

Write Concise, Scannable Content

While traditional SEO often emphasizes long-form content, voice search results need to be more concise. Some tips:

Frontload key details in the first sentence or paragraph whenever possible.
Use short 1-3 sentence paragraphs to break up walls of text.
Avoid unnecessary fluff or tangents. Stick to directly answering the question.
Highlight critical info like addresses, phone numbers, and opening hours.
Aim for <100 word responses for voice. Avoid huge blocks of text.

You want to make your content extremely easy to scan and extract key details from. Voice search will ignore rambling text.

Continually Monitor and Refine for Voice

Like any aspect of SEO, optimizing for voice search requires continually monitoring performance and refining your strategy.

Check Search Console to identify voice search queries driving traffic. Optimize those pages to increase visibility.
Review analytics to find rising natural language queries. Double down on query-focused content driving voice clicks.
Test voice results for key queries to identify improvement opportunities.
Stay on top of Google‘s algorithm updates related to natural language processing and featured snippets.
Consider tools like Moz and SEMrush to identify new voice-friendly optimizations.

I hope this guide gives you a good overview of the key factors to consider as you optimize for voice search success. Let me know if you have any other questions!