The Impact of Voice Search on Digital Marketing

The rise of voice search represents a major shift in how consumers engage with search engines and content online. With smart speakers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home now commonplace, people increasingly search by just using their voice to ask questions and find information. This growing reliance on voice search is transforming digital marketing strategies in significant ways.

Understanding the Impact

Voice search adoption is skyrocketing, with comScore reporting that 55% of Americans 12 and older now use voice search monthly. As more people get accustomed to the convenience of voice search at home and on mobile devices, search engine optimization is no longer just about optimizing for typed keywords. Now the focus includes spoken natural language queries, which are often longer and more conversational.

This shift requires marketers to optimize content differently to meet the needs of voice search users. Brands must identify the unique kinds of queries and commands people use with voice assistants. Then they must create content that easily answers those voice searches in a natural way but still accomplishes marketing goals.

Voice search also favors direct definitive answers. There is less room for the usual SEO tactics like keyword cramming. Marketers must now view SEM through the lens of what real people would simply ask a smart speaker out loud.

Adapting SEO for Featured Snippets

One of the best ways to optimize for voice search is to target featured snippets in Google search. These highlighted boxes at the top of search results provide quick direct answers to queries. According to Google, almost 50% of voice searches get a featured snippets answer, making them prime real estate for brands.

Creating content specifically optimized to rank for featured snippets involves extensive keyword research. You must identify rising query volumes around definable questions that your brand can credibly answer.Write clear concise copy that gets directly to the point in response.

Structural elements like bullet points, tables, and diagrams help featured snippets stand out. Optimize pages with schema markup so they have a better chance of appearing. The goal is to answer the voice query thoroughly but succinctly, boosting clicks on your result.

Embrace Long-Tail Keywords

Voice search queries also tend to be longer natural language phrases rather than just short keywords. People speak their full questions or commands out loud. So brands need to shift more SEO focus to optimizing for long-tail keywords.

Do in-depth analysis of voice search patterns to uncover the specific long-tail variations being searched. Then weave these conversational phrases seamlessly into your content without over-optimization. Again the copy must read naturally but still target the myriad different ways people phrase voice queries.

The expanded use of long-tail keywords also improves overall SEO. Unique longer queries drive qualified organic traffic. They also populate keyword gaps compared to shorter high-traffic terms that are more competitive. So optimizing for long-tail voice keywords benefits SEO on all fronts.

Adjusting Landing Pages

With the prominence of featured snippets for voice search, marketers should adjust landing page strategy. Since users may get their answer directly from the snippet, convince them to still click through to your full content.

That means prominently featuring the page’s key information at the top, distilling the essence of the content. Clear page titles, dynamic meta descriptions, and subheads help reinforce to search engines what the page covers.

Call-to-actions should be higher up and the overall page design mobile-centric. Reduce friction and loading times. Include links to related pages to encourage more exploration after getting featured snippet clicks. Every element should drive voice searchers to engage further.

Focusing on Mobile Optimization

Given the mobile-centric nature of voice search, optimizing for mobile users becomes more crucial than ever. Google is increasingly favoring pages with responsive design and a seamless mobile experience.

Technical elements like site speed, navigation, structured data, and AMP integration should be prioritized for mobile. Content presentation itself should also be optimized for smaller screens and thumb reach.

Review page layouts, font sizes, button sizes, and ad placement through a mobile lens. Simplify menus and cut unnecessary elements that clutter the flow. Use click depth strategically, keeping key content within 1-3 clicks. Every touchpoint with mobile voice searchers must be frictionless.

Building an Audio Strategy

Voice search increases reliance on audio content. Developing audio companion content allows brands to be discovered by smart speakers and reached on platforms like podcasts.

Consider creating audio versions of blog posts, FAQs, ebooks, and other materials. Or produce totally original audio content like podcasts and Alexa skills. This expands your discoverability and shareability.

Optimize spoken word content with voice search keywords just like written content. Branding and calls-to-action can be woven in conversationally. Audio introduces new SEO and content marketing opportunities.

Leveraging Structured Data

Structured data markup enables search engines to better comprehend content and serve it up in response to voice queries. JSON-LD and Schema.org microdata can be added to tag content more specifically.

Structuring your data makes pages eligible to be selected as featured snippets. It also generates rich results in voice responses, including images, reviews, information boxes, and carousels. The more semantic structure you have, the better.

Consider schema like FAQPage, HowTo, Recipe, LocalBusiness, Product, and more. Google also provides guidelines tailored specifically to optimizing for voice search. Implement structured data across websites and ad campaigns.

Rethinking Content Strategy

Overall, a voice search content strategy requires building keyword libraries full of likely conversational phrases and questions. Then produce content that provides concise authoritative answers to those queries both on-page and in structured data.

Ideally content addresses user intent behind voice searches to remove friction. Avoid copy that seems robotic or awkward when read out loud. Branding and messaging should fit seamlessly within helpful voice-friendly content.

Updating SEO tools to identify voice search patterns and trends is also key. Always optimize for featured snippets opportunities. With voice usage growing daily, continuously refreshing content is necessary to capitalize.

Shifting PPC Approaches

Voice search produces opportunities to optimize paid search campaigns as well. Keywords can target likely voice queries based on expanded natural language data. And dynamic keyword insertion lets ads reflect the actual voice search phrase.

Look at voice query data from platforms like Google Search Console when building campaigns. Mirror those natural phrases in ad copy. Test long-tail keyword variants.

For voice campaign targeting, leverage options like location, time of day, and device type - especially mobile and tablets. Dayparting ads to peak voice usage hours also improves performance.

Evaluating Analytics and Metrics

As voice search expands, marketers need to closely monitor its impact on metrics like website traffic, conversions, rank, and engagement. Useful analytics to track include:

- Organic traffic from long-tail vs short-tail keywords

- Click-through rates for featured snippets

- Pages getting rich results in search

- Mobile search vs desktop

- Traffic referred from smart speakers and devices

- Call volume from voice searchers

Compare this data over time and factor voice search expansion into business forecasting. Quantify how voice impacts the customer journey. Adjust strategies based on measured outcomes.

Make sure analytics platforms are set up to categorize voice traffic. Then optimization can directly boost visibility and performance in voice search.

The growth of voice search presents huge opportunities for brands to engage audiences in new ways. But it also transforms many established SEO and content best practices. Companies that adapt and optimize for voice stand to gain significant competitive advantage. Focusing on conversational long-tail keywords, featured snippets, audio content, mobile optimization, structured data and more can help brands “be heard” by voice assistants. With strategic execution, voice search can become a core pillar of digital marketing success.