Voice Search SEO: How To Make Alexa Work For You

The problem with so many devs is that they live in the past. Many subconsciously think of the internet as if it never really changed from the 2010s. We forget that people no longer only type their queries into Google — they also use voice while speaking to their smart speakers. Things have changed, and SEO can’t always keep up. So what is Voice Search SEO?

Voice Search SEO

You might think there’s no difference. Voice or no voice, people are still asking Google to give them answers. Good SEO is good SEO, and that’s it,

Well, not quite. For some, basic SEO is enough. But smarter people get ahead on the frontiers some don’t even know they exist.

When using Google the old-fashioned way, whether behind a desktop or smartphone, we type a query in a typical concise way to save time. Google and other search engines have learned to interpret vague questions and give correct answers. But when using voice to do your search, you’re not typing, you’re speaking, and your query starts looking like a genuine question a human might ask. Not “restaurants near me,” but “Hey Siri, what are the closest restaurants in my area?”

And the results will always be different. First of all, what you can do is think about local SEO. Local searches are essential, and we have a small article about how they work. Unlike regular SEO, local SEO is all about smaller geographical areas. Your task is to make the people nearby aware of your existence. You’re not “just” a restaurant — you’re the restaurant in that particular area. People will find you if you use the correct tags and keywords.

The following important part is structure. Structured data can make or break things for you: the visitors can’t see your metadata, but Google can, and with its help, it can find the data it needs to recommend your website. 

Also, don’t forget that most voice searches are done on mobile devices, so being mobile-friendly is critical. It’s not just for people — Google notices and ranks such sites higher. 

And last but not least, you have to answer your potential visitors’ questions. FAQ is an old, old feature, but it made its return in recent years. The more answers you give, the more there’s a chance that your audience will hear it through their speaker.