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Sales and Marketing - Jen Jordan
Jen Jordan brings a wealth of life and leadership experiences to her writing. After 10 years creating a variety of content for a nonprofit, Jen decided to establish her own writing business. She specializes in creating high quality blog and website content for small businesses. When she's not writing, Jen is a competitive triathlete with a goal of completing a triathlon in all 50 states.
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7 Ways To Optimize Your Small Business Website for Voice Search SEOIn the ever-evolving search engine optimization (SEO) landscape, voice search is emerging as a game-changer. With the rise of smart speakers and virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant, voice searching is one of the fastest-growing types of searches. Optimizing for voice search can provide a significant competitive edge for small businesses. Here are some actionable steps to ensure your small business website is voice search friendly. 1. Understand Voice Search Behavior Voice searches are typically longer, more conversational, and question-based compared to text searches. For example, instead of typing "best pizza near me," a user might ask, "Where can I find the best pizza nearby?" Understanding this behavior is key to tailoring your content. Actionable Tip: Use tools like AnswerThePublic or the People Also Ask feature on Google to identify common questions in your business niche. 2. Focus on Long-Tail Keywords and Natural Language Longer keywords work better in voice searches because people tend to use more conversational language. For better results, prioritize long-tail keywords that contain more than three individual words and have low competition and search volume. This is the most effective method for voice search optimization. Actionable Tip: Optimize your content with phrases like "how to," "what is," "best way to," and other natural-sounding terms. 3. Leverage Local SEO Voice searches often have a local intent. Phrases like "near me" or "open now" are common in voice queries. Actionable Tip: Ensure your Google Business Profile is up to date, including your address, phone number, business hours, and customer reviews. Use location-specific keywords on your website. 4. Create a FAQ Page A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page is a helpful business tool for many reasons. A robust FAQ page that provides quality information appeals to Google’s ranking algorithms while keeping the answers short and sweet is ideal for voice searches. Prioritize questions that start with the "Five W’s," (Who, What, When, Where, Why) and "How" and begin each question with one of those adverbs. If you can provide concise answers in a conversational tone, that will boost your voice search performance. Actionable Tip: Write concise, direct answers to common questions about your products, services, or industry. 5. Improve Page Load Speed Voice search users typically expect quick results. A slow-loading website can result in lost opportunities. Some strategies that will improve your webpage load speed include compressing images, leveraging browser caching, using structured data, and reducing file size. 6. Ensure Websites are Mobile-Friendly Most people conduct voice searches on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly website is critical for better voice search performances. Use responsive web layouts that allow the website to scale to the size of the device. Avoid using pop-ups and ensure you compress all images on your website. The best way to ensure your website is mobile-friendly is to test it on real mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.). Testing allows you to experience what your customers will see and experience and you can identify and address any issues or discrepancies. Actionable Tip: Ensure text is readable without zooming, and optimize buttons for tap navigation. 7. Monitor and Adjust SEO is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy. Regularly monitor your website’s performance and adapt as needed. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track traffic and identify opportunities for improvement. Voice search is reshaping the way people interact with the web. By optimizing your website for voice search, you’re enhancing your SEO and making your business more accessible. Start implementing these steps today to stay ahead of the curve and connect with your audience more effectively. Works Cited https://www.semrush.com/blog/voice-search-optimization/ https://www.searchenginejournal.com/voice-search-optimization-strategy/379946/ |
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