Hey,
Alexa! Hi, Siri! Hey, Google! “Can you tell me what the temperature isgoing
to be today?”
There’s
no question that voice search, which allows users to speak directly into a
device in lieu of typing text into a search field to generate results, is
gaining momentum.
And
with the increasing popularity of voice search (also known as digital
assistants), businesses would be wise to add it to their digital arsenal.
Voice search
improves the user experience of search engines—it’s faster and easier—and
provides more accurate results. Bottom line: if your website content is
effectively optimized, especially for mobile users, your business could be the
first one that Google recommends.
That’s a
big deal when you’re considering the ways that voice search affects SEO.
“Voice search trends are already making it
clear that effective, customized SEO plays a vital role in getting your content
featured. Optimizing your site and content for voice search is step one in the
transformation to voice marketing. Consider all things audio and how they
translate when broadcast on an audio
channel,” writes Merilyn Pereira, a staff writer for martechadvisor.com.
Even more
persuasive: Google claims that by 2020, 50 percent of all searches will be
conducted using voice search. And even if you’re not a tech titan, it’s not
difficult to optimize your website content with voice search technology.
There are,
however, a few tips that make the optimization process easier, including
creating content that keeps the conversation flowing, researching keywords that
often appear in mobile searches and foregoing superfluous lingo and buzzwords.
“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,” suggests the Forbes
Communications Council, which outlines 14 other top
tips to optimize your content for voice search.
Whether you’re a new business or one that’s been a part of the landscape for years, you want to take advantage of every tool that has the potential to increase your online visibility.
To that end, Google offers a multitude of free (and paid) services that businesses can use to their benefit. From designing a more intuitive website that also tracks site traffic to improving your website’s SEO rank, these Google services should be part of your company’s marketing arsenal.
Google Trends Google Trends isn’t your everyday SEO tool. The search feature is all about products and topics that are currently trending, and a large part of your marketing strategy should be focused on understanding how your target audience can find you.
With Google Trends, businesses can monitor industry trends and test specific words, terms and phrases in their marketing vernacular to see how well they hold up.
Updated in real time, this tool enables businesses to evaluate the popularity of their marketing language and compare them against other keyword variations, a feature that can be helpful in getting new keyword suggestions.
Think with Google Full of industry insights, helpful articles, case studies, research documents, data reports, innovative ad campaigns, videos, digital trends, infographics and interviews with top industry leaders, Think with Google is a one-stop shop digital newsletter that takes a deep dive into consumer trends, marketing insights and industry research.
The site is frequently updated with useful and inspirational content to help drive business growth and reach.
Google My Business More than 100 billion searches are performed on Google every month, which means that if your business isn’t discoverable in a search, you’re losing out.
Google My Business generates free business profiles that pop up when consumers search for related terms through Google Search and Maps.
By default, Google includes what it knows about a local business, including customer reviews from across the Web. But you can tweak your listing – and attract more customers – by submitting your own information, including photos, offers, promotions, news and text edits to Google Places.
As well, businesses can respond to reviews, message with their customers and see who follows you.
Google Alerts To stay updated about industry news – and news about your own company – take advantage of this useful free service from Google that sends you email alerts whenever there’s news about a topic that you’re following.
Signing up is free, and after adding a topic or search phrase, you’ll be notified whenever there’s a mention of your company, products, people or your competition.
Google Keyword Planner If you want to tun paid ads on Google, Keyword Planner is a must-have tool for your search network campaigns.
Aside from giving businesses estimates on search traffic, the free tool also shares the most relevant and successful keywords, URLs and phrases that people are searching for most often.
The tool even allows you to input your own list of keywords to see how they might perform.
