Voice and Local Search Optimization

What is Voice Search?

Voice search is the action of using speech to ask questions or give commands to a compatible device like a smartphone or smart speaker.

You've probably heard of Siri or Alexa, where speaking their names will allow you to ask a question and they will respond almost instantly. By being connected to the internet, smart devices with voice search are able to connect to external data, like search engines, to find relevant information to satisfy a question or command.

Why is Voice Search Important?

As consumers, people use voice search to find information, shop products, seek out services and complete a variety of other tasks quickly and conveniently. Without physically holding a device and typing in a search bar, most consumers prefer being able to hear a quick answer without lifting a finger.

As digital marketers, voice search's increasing popularity is an important trend to keep up with. 62% of voice-activated speaker owners said they were likely to buy something through their voice-activated device. Due to the versatility and growth of voice search, it only makes sense for businesses to leverage this technology in 2021 for further consumer connections and retention.

How Digital Marketers can Optimize for Voice Search

Featured snippets

Featured snippets?appear at the top of the search engine results page. Google pulls the most relevant content?and places it in a box that looks like this:

Creating quality data and content will lead Google to display it in the featured snippet, and you can be sure that a voice assistant will pull directly from your content. Optimizing for this means creating content that directly answers consumers' questions, and can be reiterated in a quick and effective summary.

Use conversational and question-based language

The fact is that we do not speak the same way that we write, and more robotic keywords are being replaced by natural language that is more conversational in tone and wording for voice-search SEO purposes. Question-based keywords are also becoming more widely used since the majority of users structure their sentences in the form of a question when using voice search.

Target long-tail keyword phrases

In conversation, humans tend to speak in more grouped-together phrases which is where targeting long-tail keyword phrases can help search engines deliver more relevant and accurate results. Businesses should build high-quality content around a conversational phrase, so content containing the long-tail keywords are more likely to rank higher when a consumer searches for that same expression.

What is Local Search?

Local search marketing is anything you do on the web to promote a physical business that makes face-to-face contact with its customers.

It's all about putting your business on the map and being relevant in local searches when customers are searching for a nearby location in a specific industry.

Why is Local Search Important?

72% of consumers who perform a local search visit a store within five miles. With the increasing growth in mobile internet access and voice-search, ranking high in the search results increases the likelihood that the searcher will visit you to do business.

Since the first 5 results of Google collect 67.6% of user clicks, optimizing to rank in the top 5 spots will encourage your audience to trust your business and gain their respect. Consumers assume that high-ranking companies have been vetted by Google and are trustworthy businesses.

How Digital Marketers can Optimize for Local Search

Local SEO consists of everything traditional SEO does, plus geography.?Along with the usual keywords about products, services, and topics; local SEO also highly features terms relevant to the areas in which businesses are located and serve.

NAP

To optimize local search, businesses must use NAP and NAP consistency. “NAP” is the acronym for “name, address, phone number.”, which are three pieces of data that make up the core of business information in the world of local search.?

The NAP for your business needs to be correct and consistent when optimizing your website and online presence for local search. Google stores and uses this information when determining ranking, and having up-to-date information is crucial for placing high in relevant local search results.

Google My Business

Google My Business gives you a competitive advantage to manage your online presence and attract customers searching for your business on Google search and maps. This tool allows businesses to be able to share photos of products or services, access and edit business information (NAP), and respond to reviews. Over time, this will give your business better visibility and engagement and overall improve local search optimization.