The Search for successful Voice and Local Search

Hey Siri – What’s Voice Search?

Voice Search is basically already becoming the new SEO. Voice Search is basically using things like Siri, Alexa, Google to do our searches without every lifting a finger. It’s using voice-enabled commands to do our searches on the internet, typically on mobile but also available on desktop for some search engines. People have used it from shopping online at Amazon, to check the score of their favorite, to even control aspects of their home such as the lights or temperature.

In 2020,?statistics?show that 34.7 million US consumers are expected to shop using smart speakers. At the same time, 71% of consumers have already stated that they prefer voice over typing. Voice Search is important because just like you can optimize your site to?search engines, via keywords and link building, you can also optimize your online profile to successful voice searches.

Optimizing for Voice Search

Spoken vs Typed queries tend to bring up different results, this occurs due to a variety of reasons, but it’s important when thinking about your business and how best to optimize it. In order to?successfully optimize?for voice search there are a few things to keep in mind when creating, and publishing content to your site.?

?These AI search bots that listen to your requests and questioning are attempting to learn the pattern and way each of us speak over time, in order to give us more?optimized results. Therefore, having a friendly site that pulls answers quickly and easily is most important to ensure that users are getting the correct info, and are more likely to frequent your site or store then. On the site, focusing on conversational questions, things that would be most likely asked. On that same idea, optimize your content for snippets and FAQs, keeping your important content and info fast and easily able to grab helps voice queries give stronger answers. Lastly, you want to focus on local search, location is important when making most of these searches because not only will they give insights into the answer but also help easily answer specific questions.?

OK, Google – What is Local Search??

Local Search is where Voice Search meets SEO + geography. Successfully implementing local search will give your business a competitive edge.?

Google My Business?is the online platform that you should begin with when optimizing local search. Creating a successful, consistent and clear GMB account can also help you track and connect with customers who might be looking at your profile. Just like with Voice search, having concise and brief information, that is accurate and consistent, is of utmost importance. Inconsistencies can harm your business, because complete information makes it easier for google to match your business with the right searches.?

Optimizing Local Search

Marketing our business is important, but there are different ways to do it when looking at it from the POV of local search engine optimization. Site authority, quality and optimization are the guidelines to remember, because without these your site will lack the strong foundations it needs to gain an advantage. Another acronym that businesses should remember is?NAP: Name, Address, Phone Number. Sometimes +W means including the URL of your site, but typically the acronym is confined to NAP. Local SEO actually helps spread your NAP across the internet, because with consistent and correct searches your sites NAP will be everywhere. Statistics show that 88% of consumers who search for local business on a mobile, will call or go to that business within 24 hours. This just goes to show the relevance and importance of successfully optimizing local search.