Voice search has been growing exponentially in recent years. With the proliferation of voice assistant devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home, more and more people are using voice commands to find information online. It is estimated that 77% of adults aged 18-30 now use voice search on a daily basis.

As this behaviour continues to gain traction, optimising content for voice search should become a priority for businesses looking to boost website traffic and conversions. Voice search results are fundamentally different from text search engine results pages (SERPs), so content and site design need to adapt accordingly.

Understanding User Intent

A key difference with voice search is that queries tend to be more conversational and focused on user intent. People are more likely to ask a question that describes what they want to accomplish, rather than using precise “long-tail” keyword phrases. This means you need to anticipate these natural language queries when optimising pages and other content.

Some examples of user intent-focused voice search queries:

“Find [brand] discounts”
“Order pizza for delivery”
“What’s the weather tomorrow”

The goal is to create content that answers these questions clearly and provides the desired result.

Optimising for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets, which provide a short preview summary at the top of Google results, are prime real estate for voice search results. When Google can automatically read a verbatim response from your page to answer the search query, you have a good chance of snagging this spot.

To optimise for featured snippets:

Research relevant questions people are likely asking
Craft a succinct paragraph that directly and accurately answers the question
Use the exact question as an H2 subheading on your page
Populate metadata to reinforce page relevance

Adjusting Page Design

Since voice search users cannot see the SERPs or click through to websites, accommodations need to be made in page design:

Eliminate pop-ups and interstitials that interfere with accessing content
Ensure load times are fast on all pages
Use descriptive anchor text and alt text for better context

Having a voice search optimisation checklist can help streamline these adjustments to create more voice-friendly pages.

Analysing Performance

Google and Alexa provide some voice search data in their analytics platforms that can reveal:

Top queries you are ranking for
Impression share and overall visibility
Interaction performance for featured snippets

Comparing metrics pre and post-optimisation will clearly demonstrate the business impact of voice search optimisation efforts.

Work with an Expert to Produce Top-Quality Content

It takes skill to produce content optimised for voice search. Work with an SEO agency that offers content and other essentials like link building services in the UK. By creating optimised content and building links back to your website, you can achieve a better position in the SERPs and boost website traffic.

The way people search is changing. With more queries happening via voice, the time is now for brands to adapt content strategies in order to get found and connect with this growing audience segment more effectively. Following voice search best practices will ensure your website stands out when users make conversation-style search requests.