Founder and CEO of FiveChannels, specializing in creating brand awareness, traffic and lead gen, marketing funnels, social media and more.
getty
About 50% of U.S. consumers use voice search daily. This marks a shift in technology that is changing the way we all communicate and receive information.
When you optimize your brand for voice search and artificial intelligence, you can count on more results from your SEO efforts because both are fed off of data that is published by humans. I believe SEO remains one of the most prevalent and effective forms of marketing.
Phrases Are Becoming Priority
Keywords have long remained a crucial element of SEO. While they still have their place, voice search is ushering in the importance of entire key phrases. This is similarly true with AI, as its users aren’t just asking a word or two.
Marketers will need to shift to long-tail keywords when creating blogs or any other kind of web content. People ask questions in complete sentences, so your keywords will need to reflect this and match phrases that people use.
Position Zero Becomes Essential
In prior eras of SEO, getting to the top position in Google’s search results was the main priority. Even that has evolved, as “position zero” is the goal if you want your brand to be considered as a recommendation within voice searches and AI references.
Position zero is the first slot in the search results. When you put voice search or AI to use, the platforms will consider position zero as an essential piece of the query solution. This coveted position can bring more traction to your brand, which can also lead to more sales. Simply put, if your organic positioning isn’t strong, voice search and AI will have trouble discovering you.
Conversational Content Is King
People speak differently than they type, so you’ll want your content to match the way a person would communicate verbally. This is also true with the way people interact with an AI chatbot. Putting together some conversational content can help your brand. Keep this in mind as you write a blog or put out any sort of content that a voice search or AI device might pull up. This often boils down to word choice, so get creative about the way you express yourself and your brand.
Mobile Design And Speed Are Increasingly Important
When considering the role of SEO for voice search, keep in mind that mobile design and website speed will continuously play a role.
Today, 97% of people in the U.S. use mobile devices, and an astonishing 97% of mobile users are using a voice assistant powered by AI. You need to make sure that your mobile website is up to date to increase your conversions. People use their smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to run voice searches, so you should expect to deliver the results in a mobile-friendly format. Consider the design elements that will keep people on your site and make them more likely to want to do business with you.
Speed Still Reigns Supreme
The speedier you make your content, the easier it’ll be for people to quickly find the answers you provide.
In a world where attention spans are short, you don’t want a slow and sluggish site to be the reason people leave and find the information elsewhere. Take the time to simplify your site and optimize the way your data is used so that you never have to worry about any setbacks with speed.
Question Queries Increase In Importance
One of the biggest opportunities with voice search and AI platforms is that research is usually performed in the form of a question. After most people say, “Hey, Google” or “Hey, Siri,” the next statement usually comes in the form of a question. As such, your optimized website and keywords will need to reflect this. With voice search on the rise, optimizing for these types of questions will become increasingly important.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Are A Powerful Tool
When you’re trying to get the most from your voice search and AI, FAQ sections are a helpful tool. Since so much of what these two do revolves around questions, a FAQ section on your site is an excellent way to lay out as many questions as you need to. This gives you an easy opportunity to include your most important questions and give credence to the questions that you most want to optimize. Plus, it’s a valuable way to grow your domain authority (DA) and page authority (PA) by providing unique content within your industry.
The E-Commerce Industry Will Rely Heavily On Voice Search And AI
If you have an e-commerce business, I recommend that you absolutely embrace voice search and AI. People feel comfortable shopping around by asking their devices where to find certain items. As for chatbots, possibly the most famous one, ChatGPT, got roughly 590 million visitors in the month of January. That’s a lot of people that could be asking for an e-commerce business recommendation.
Voice search and AI both extend to search engines and shopping apps and can bring people the best results for their shopping experience. By optimizing both for your platform, you can make it easier for customers to purchase your products and ideally see increases in your profit margins.
People often use voice search or AI when they’re shopping on impulse or are able to quickly make a purchase and want to find the best result. Since this is the way that people prefer to shop, you’ll need to make sure your products and all the information about them are easy for people to find.
A thorough SEO strategy can increase your conversions and help you set and hit sales goals. As we move more and more into the digital age, it is imperative that your strategies update with the times. Remaining competitive online requires a long-term, holistic approach that involves continuous effort and adaptation. I recommend staying up to date with the latest SEO trends and updates by following reliable sources, such as Google Webmasters Blog, Moz and Search Engine Journal.
Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
