Voice search optimization is becoming more important for business owners as more people search the internet this way. Voice searches are considered to be more natural than text searches. They are more conversational than the searches conducted by typing on computers, tablets, and other internet-connected devices.

While it is true that text-based keyword research has been covered extensively since the induction of the World Wide Web, voice search is still relatively new; however, it is quickly becoming the most prominent means of searching.

Google Voice Search on Phone
photo source: pixabay

When it comes to voice search optimization tips, information about keyword research is in high demand. In this comprehensive blog post, you will learn how to uncover keywords that will help your website rank high in the realm of voice search.

Basic Stats

For those of you that are wondering, voice search IS here to stay. We are talking to internet-connected devices and those devices are talking back.

We ask about the weather. We inquire about local businesses. We instruct them to order our meals. We even ask them to play our favorite tunes.

Additionally, we may instruct them to control certain aspects of our home, such as lights, appliances, and security systems.

Voice search is relevant. It will only become more and more commonplace. To verify this fact, consider the following statistics:

  • Nearly 70 million people in the United States alone own some type of smart speaker device
  • At least 30% of all internet searches are now considered to be “screenless”
  • Half of all the internet searches conducted today are voice searches
  • Nearly half of all mobile searches are conducted by voice
  • More than 40% of all the answers for voice search queries were pulled from featured snippets

Industry professionals do not believe that voice search will completely replace text-based searches; however, voice search is picking up speed. We now have voice texting, basic voice queries, voice-based commands issued to smart speakers, and a multitude of other voice technologies emerging. This is here to stay and it is best that all website owners get onboard to ensure that they are ready for this rapidly evolving technology.

Google Search on Tablet
photo source: pixabay

What are People Searching for?

If there is one thing that is imperative to your success in the voice search sector, it is to know that when people use voice search, nine times out of ten, they are searching in the form of a question.

Currently, question-based keywords have increased nearly 70% in the past couple of years. If you were to ask your Amazon device about what people are searching for, you would not go, “Alexa, internet users searches”. You would ask in the form of a question. Like this, “Alexa, what are people searching for the most in Google?”.

When optimizing for voice search, you must remember, utilize question keywords.

What are question keywords? They usually start with the following:

  • What
  • How
  • Will
  • Can
  • Where
  • Which
  • Why
  • Are
  • When
  • Who

Regardless of your topic, niche, etc., you will want to integrate these question keywords in your basic keywords when creating content. If you have difficulties coming up with questions on your own, one of the best websites for assistance is answerthepublic.com.

On this website, you simply type in the topic or keyword that you want questions for, and it will return questions that you may use when creating your content. For example, if you type in “keywords”, a few of the questions returned include:

  1. Why are keywords important in SEO?
  2. Which keywords are best to target?
  3. Where are keywords used?
  4. What keywords are my competitors ranking for?
  5. How many keywords should I use?
  6. Are keywords still relevant?
  7. Can keywords be phrases?

These questions outline those that have actually been searched for by internet users. Not only is this a great way to find keywords for your website, they are outlined in question form and are already popular questions among internet users.

When you take questions, you will want to use them as subheadings in your content on your website. This will help ensure that you have the highest chance possible for earning a featured snippet spot, or position zero spot in search results – which is where you want to be when attempting to rank in Google.

OK Google Voice Search on Smart Phone
photo source: pixabay

Other Voice Search Keyword Research Tool Ideas

In addition to Answer the Public, there are other voice search keyword research tool ideas you may use to find keywords that are appropriate for voice search. Before delving into these, it is important that you following a few steps. These are:

  1. Determining Your Target Audience’s “Persona”
  2. Determine Topics Your Target Audience is Interested
  3. Find Keywords Pertaining to Those Topics
  4. Analyze Commercial Intent of Keywords
  5. Determine the Search Volume of Your Keywords

Now that we have those steps out of the way, let’s focus on step #3 – “Find Keywords Pertaining to Those Topics”.

You have to indulge in tactics that your competition is probably not using. This way, you have the best chance of uncovering untapped keywords that will render you the highest level of success in the world of SEO. These include the following:

  1. Google Suggest – To uncover keywords, go to Google Search and type in your keyword. Do not hit “enter”; instead, look at what Google is recommending underneath the search box. Once you make note of these keywords, put a space or two in front of the keyword. Then, you will see that Google renders even more ideas for you.
  2. Quora – This is a question/answer community. Type your topic into the community and search it. Look for keywords that tend to show up again and again. These will be excellent keywords to use in your website to provide a boost for voice search.
  3. Reddit – This is a massive discussion community. Search the topic you cover on your website and browse through the results. You are sure to uncover numerous keywords that can be used in the content creation process.
  4. Wikipedia – Regardless of its reputation, Wikipedia is popular. Search your topic and pull up content. Pay attention to the table of contents on the content, as well as the keywords that are hyperlinked on the page. These are all usually excellent keyword choices.
  5. Google’s Related To – When searching Google, scroll to the bottom of the page of the search results. You will see a section that Google dedicates to searches that are related to your initial topic. This is an excellent means of uncovering keywords that will help you rank high in voice search results.

Final Points

As you can see, it is easy to rank high for voice search, but only if you have the right keywords. In traditional SEO, single words or short-tail keyword phrases were the way to go.

We talk differently than we type, though. Because of this fact, it is best to choose long-tail keywords. You will no longer be creating content for machines, robots, indexes, and all of that “search engine stuff”. You must know create content for people. It should include high-quality content with conversational words and phrases. It should focus on answering questions that everyday people ask.

We here at Brick Road Media have the knowledge, skills, and tools to help you succeed in voice search. If you are ready to take your website to the next level and achieve success in the voice search industry, simply contact us today to discover how.

The voice search revolution is now upon us. If you join in today, you are sure to experience success for all of your tomorrows. Call us today and let us help! 765-439-4029