The way people search for information online has changed rapidly. Smart-speakers, virtual assistants, and voice-enabled devices such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana have made it easier than ever for users to ask questions.<\/p>\n
For businesses this means that the tried and tested text-based ways of doing SEO are no longer enough. If you want your copy to be discovered as well as relevant, you need to ensure that it\u2019s optimised for voice search.<\/p>\n
If you don\u2019t have voice speech optimisation as part of your content strategy<\/a>, then you may fall behind your competitor brands.<\/p>\n According to recent statistics<\/a>, over 30% of British adults are already using digital assistants at least once a day. The survey also found that 29.2% of internet users aged 16-64 use voice assistants each week, with these numbers skewing towards younger demographics.<\/p>\n In other words, the coming generations with the purchasing power of the future are integrating voice assistants into their daily life. These powerful tools are particularly popular with busy professionals, and people with accessibility needs.<\/p>\n Voice search is changing how people search. Because the words are spoken rather than written, people using voice search tend to ask questions in a more conversational way. This means there\u2019s a greater use of long-tail queries rather than single keywords.<\/p>\n Whereas someone might type \u201cbest Indian restaurant in Manchester\u201d into a search bar, they might ask their speaker, \u201cHey Alexa, what\u2019s the best Indian restaurant near me?\u201d<\/p>\n While the distinction might seem subtle, it has significant implications for content creation and copywriting strategies.<\/p>\n Getting your copy ready for the new era of voice is the next step in intelligent, effective SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n Key to optimising for voice search is understanding how natural language differs from a typed search. Because they\u2019re conversational, voice queries tend to be longer and will often be based around a question.<\/p>\n That means that words like \u201chow\u201d, \u201cwhat,\u201d \u201cwhere,\u201d and \u201cwhy,\u201d occur more frequently, reflecting the way that people speak when they\u2019re seeking information.<\/p>\n So, the kind of content that will be successful with voice search will be structured to provide direct, concise answers to questions. In practice, that means including FAQ sections, conversational headings, and information rich paragraphs that answer clear questions.<\/p>\n For example, if you run a plumbing company, you might want to include answers to questions such as: \u201cHow do I fix a leaking tap?\u201d or \u201cWhat plumbing services are available in my area?\u201d.<\/p>\n This approach increases the likelihood of a virtual assistant locating your content and reading it aloud when a user asks a related query.<\/p>\n Voice assistants will often source their answers from the featured snippets at the top of search results. These are sometimes called \u201cposition zero\u201d, and summarise information in a brief, concise format, such as a list, table, or paragraph.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to try and optimise copy to give it a better chance of appearing in featured snippets as an essential step in improving your voice search visibility.<\/p>\n In practical terms this means that content needs to:<\/p>\n Designing your content with these principles in mind increases the chance that your information will be identified as authoritative and trustworthy by digital assistants.<\/p>\n Writing copy for voice search is a skill that requires a different approach to traditional SEO.<\/p>\n Some of the key strategies that need to be included are:<\/p>\nWhy Voice Search Matters in the UK<\/h2>\n
Changing Habits<\/h2>\n
Understanding Natural Language Queries<\/h2>\n
What is \u201cPosition Zero\u201d?<\/h2>\n
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How to Write Copy for Voice Search<\/h2>\n
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Is Your Content Voice Search Ready?<\/h2>\n