According to AdWeek, 67 million voice-assisted devices will be in use in the U.S. by 2019. This changes the way that digital content is managed. It creates more challenges as you look for ways to ensure that your content pulls through these voice searches and gets the views you need to justify its existence.
As a communications professional, you need to adjust your current way of thinking and employ new techniques that allow voice search to command your content results. Only when you have mastered the technology will you fully understand the advantages it can offer and how to match your content to its use.
To help, 15 members of Forbes Communications Council share the ways in which they optimize their content for voice search. Here’s what they recommend:
These communications executives share tips on optimizing content for voice search.All photos courtesy of Forbes Councils members.
1. Create content that talks back.
With online search, a slew of otherwise random words yields a narrowed list of final results: “non-slip stair covering beige.” With voice search, however, a query or command gets a response: “Alexa, order more yogurt.” “Siri, where is the nearest park?” Create content that keeps the conversation going, rather than ends it. – Betsy Rohtbart, Vonage
2. Focus on mobile search.
You must find better ways to meet consumer demand and query intent based on context. Certain keywords will be used much more often via voice search than traditional. It’s worth it to find these keywords. You must remember that most of them will be used in mobile searches. Use keywords built around the following: “when,” “how,” “what,” “who,” etc. – Pawel Kijko, TimeCamp
3. Add FAQs.
Expand FAQ content on your website to capture both long-tail and voice search traffic. Your website should be flexible enough to grow when needed for search optimization purposes. Where we can’t answer a question on our website, we will build that phrase into a blog post or seek a byline opportunity. We also closely monitor search results for additional content opportunities. – Jennifer Best, ConnectYourCare
4. Stop thinking like a marketer.
As marketers, we are hardwired to share our news far and wide. Yet voice engagement is the antithesis to these kinds of interruptive, overt push messages. To optimize your brand for voice search, you must think like the customer. What provides value? What do they need? Customers don’t speak to their devices for marketing messages. Think service first and optimization will naturally follow. – Jennifer Kyriakakis, MATRIXX Software
5. Remember, SEO for voice is just SEO.
While there are tactics such as developing Alexa skills that can help your brand be more present in voice search, the basic optimization tactics of optimizing content still apply to voice. Make sure to incorporate long-tail and contextual keywords in your content and meta data instead of focusing on a single head term. Also, use structured markup to help Google better understand your content. – Jim Kensicki, Catalyst
6. Consider the context.
As we saw with the emergence of mobile search, people search slightly differently depending on the device they are using. Queries like “near me” created an entirely new set of phrases to optimize for. Content should be optimized by context. Voice search is most likely to be used while on the move when text-based search is inconvenient, and for topics that are OK to say out loud. Framing your strategy around these types of searches is a good place to start. – Courtney Dale, ICM Consulting and Media Corporation
7. Identify your long-tail search queries.
While text search mostly includes one to three words, voice search is longer and more conversational. Forward-thinking communicators can optimize their content by identifying the long-tail search queries that will drive voice traffic to their sites. Businesses can uncover these voice queries by analyzing customer phone calls to look for patterns, and by testing the content with new web titles and FAQs. – Maria Sotra, GEOTAB
8. Provide true value.
Strong voice search skills should focus on one of three things: 1) Delivering utility, 2) simplifying commerce, or 3) providing a level of entertainment that other channels cannot. Brands that focus on the latter must prove that voice is the best medium for delivering the message, and should avoid creating skills for the sake of being in voice. You must deliver a unique value proposition that only voice can deliver to be successful. – Keith Bendes, Float Hybrid
9. Optimize for all types of searches.
Optimizing existing content with relevant search terms and writing in a language that is similar to how people converse and search is easier than creating all new voice-optimized content. Ultimately, we want to make sure our content is optimized for all kinds of searches, whether that’s desktop, mobile or voice. – G’Nai Blakemore, Mattress Firm
10. Take accessibility standards seriously.
Whether it’s out of personal preference or necessity, people need to be able to access online information in various ways. The best way to ensure that your content is optimized for voice technology is to follow web content accessibility guidelines. This includes making sure that your content is machine readable so that search engines can properly index it, thus making it easy for users to find. – Christina Crawley, Forum One
11. Cool it with the buzzwords.
The rise of natural language processing means that your content should use more, well, natural language. As marketers, we often feel the need to coin new terms or overload copy with buzzwords that we love but real people don’t use. Folks aren’t saying, “OK Google, find me an industry-standard solution to leverage.” Use a natural voice in content and you’ll be ready for voice search. – Brandon Ortiz, Salesforce.org
12. Ask questions.
People use search to answer questions, so your content should aim to do that. I mean literally asking questions. When using text to search, people generally leave off the “how do I,” but when they ask Google, Siri or Alexa, they don’t. So, in order for your result to be the featured structured snippet (Alexa’s response), start asking and answering questions within your content. – Megan Murray, The Conference Board
13. Keep it simple.
The expression “keep it simple” applies now more than ever before. From talk to text, voice prompt calling and more, we’re doing less typing and more talking. Companies can optimize both content and connection by keeping things simple. Skip the jargon. Use clear, succinct verbiage to improve your efficacy and amplify your message. – Robyn Hannah, Dynamic Signal
14. Consider cadence and colloquialisms.
It’s hard to say that much change will be needed, as most changes with search algorithms and platforms favor good content. Good content typically is well read, linked to and shared. Optimization is critical, but there is no substitute for good content. If I had to put my finger on one change to consider, it’s that people speak differently than they write. It’s certainly something to keep an eye on. – Ryan Miller, Flash Global
15. Ask yourself how searchers ask questions.
What are the words you would use out loud, which are different than the ones you would type into a search engine, to ask a question? Create clear and simple responses based on that to optimize your content for voice search. Start with questions related to factual things about your business or what you do or know, like where you are located, what your hours are, etc., and build from there. – Alina Morkin, Voices.com