As the world continues to move forward, we are in a period of rapid change and one of the biggest revolutionaries within the realm of ‘how people search’ is voice search. Thanks to smartphones, smart speakers, and what is now a very common phenomenon of voice searching with Amazon Alexa, Google home, Apple’s Siri, voice searching with them is very common now. This trend, however, is moving the local SEO focus as well as potential offers to businesses.
The Popularity of Voice Search
Voice search is among some of the most sought after kinds of the search due to its ease and effectiveness. Voice search, unlike common text mode, enables a user to use queries like a question, in their native language, and most often, get a response quicker and usually more simple. This self-automated feature is especially attractive to users who are busy, behind the wheels or have other things to do.
As much as half of all internet users, including those owning smartphones and tablets, are likely to use voice search for local queries. From restaurants, gas stations, store hours or prices in general, voice inquiries like ‘Where can I find a coffee shop nearby?’ are increasingly growing.
How Voice Search Differs from Traditional Search
Voice search indeed is radically changing the way that queries are formed. Conventional search queries are usually words or phrases with no connection in between, for instance, ‘‘best pizza near me.’’ Voice searches, on the other hand, are much closer to conversational patterns. An example of a user query could be; “Where can I find the nearest pizzeria open in this area?”
Due to this conversational tone, the long-tail keywords are slowly but steadily becoming an essential factor in local SEO. This means businesses have to shift their game and focus more on how they can bring their content closer to mirror how people speak rather than the way they write. Voice search also benefits from direct answers, which is making structured data, and brief content more important than ever before for ranking.
The Impact on Local SEO
Due to voice searches, there has been a drastic shift in what is locally search engine optimized in a bid to suit online presence in geographical contexts. Most voice queries are local queries for the reason that users tend to require an immediate response about the environment. For instance a user who queries such a line as “I am searching for the nearest bakery shop around me”.
For companies that wish to benefit from this trend, it must see to it that its information is up-to-date, relevant online. This involves the use of Google Business Profile and the need to update it to get the right details such as the business name and its address, the business phone number, business opening hours as well as the customer reviews. In addition, the businesses should focus on the local keywords, and as many of the voice searches are done on mobile devices, the website needs to be mobile optimized.
Featured Snippets and Position Zero
Voice search retrieves responses from featured snippets that are brief answers to queries placed at the very top of SERPs. Long positioned as “position zero,” this place is a significant benefit for companies that try to attract users using voice search.
It means that in order to rank in featured snippets businesses must optimize for the answers their audiences may be searching for. Examples of content where internal linking could be used are FAQ sections, blog posts or meta tags that represent the most important information. Apart from getting position zero, it also increases its prominence making voice assistants to first consider your business when providing spoken results.
Optimizing for “Near Me” Searches
The phrase “near me” has become tightly associated with local searches; and voice search is even more relevant to it. Since consumers employ voice search to look for nearby businesses and services, it is the most crucial characteristic of local SEO rankings.
This means that businesses should target location specific keywords and make sure that their page is properly aligned to the local search. Optimizing map data, using geotags and aiming at increasing the share of positive customer reviews would contribute a lot towards optimizing local search. The current research shows that the higher the relevancy and trust the business seems to its audience, the more frequently it is likely to be recommended by voice assistants.
Preparing for the Future
It should be noted that the bubble of voice search is far from bursting. As the AI and natural language processing technologies get better so will the voice assistant as it will be able to fully understand and process the user’s query. This evolution will probably result in more uniqueness and relevance in search results.
In order to avoid falling behind, firms must start actively managing their local SEO. The next steps for sustained success include continuous reformation of the online directories, the creation of voice search friendly contents and constant tracking of trends in voice search.
To summarize, voice search is a revolution in the way users engage with technology. The changes that it triggers on the local SEO level are enormous, leading businesses to reconsider their approaches and shift from the traditional, text-based voice queries to conversational and localized ones. If business owners want to get a competitive lead, they have to adopt voice search optimization. Hiring a professional SEO company will help businesses strategize their marketing practices as per voice search trends.
