When you Google something, Google’s algorithms examine all the sites on the internet and bring up results that pertain to what you search. The result that shows up at the top is determined by a series of factors. These factors include key words, links, titles, etc. For example, if you input a specific key word, then a website that pushes out a lot of content and uses that same specific key word will likely be presented higher on the search result than other sites with different variations of keywords. It’s much more complicated than that, but that’s the gist. When companies tailor their content to attain a higher spot on a search, that is called search-engine optimization (SEO). For years, companies have focused on SEO to further their business, but the way people search for information is changing.
That’s right. Siri, Alexa, Cortana, and other automated assistants offer the opportunity to search with just your voice. This has given rise to an entirely new form of SEO: voice search optimization. Gartner has estimated that 30% of web browsing sessions will be done without a screen. Now there are voice search optimization companies which focus on specifically crafting content to show up in a voice-search.
What’s so different about voice-searches? For one thing, they usually report only the top result. If I type into Google, “define optimization,” the first result will be Google’s definition, but I will also be able to scroll through other definitions, like Mirriam-Webster’s. If I just ask Siri, it will probably read me only Google’s definition.
Voice searches are done with conversational language and include far more question words. Instead of typing in “best voice search optimization companies,” I’ll probably say, “Alexa, what are the best companies to do voice search optimization?” Additionally, most voice searches are long-tail (long and specific)—people will search “hardwood love seat” instead of “couch” and include conversational words.
Voice search optimization is constructing content so that a voice-search will find it. One of the biggest ways to do this is to update your company’s info (address, phone number, hours of operation, etc.) on Google and keep it current. Voice search optimization companies also recommend that you get a healthy number of positive customer reviews and pay attention to meta-data (detail about what information is on your site—it’s written directly into the source code). Another technique voice search optimization companies use is to offer succinct answers to conversational questions. So, if a person asked, “How long does it take to eat a sucker by licking it?” an optimized result would be, “It takes anywhere from 3-6 hours to eat a sucker with only licks, depending on the time between licks.”
Voice search optimization is the SEO of the future. Fusion 360 is one of many voice search optimization companies that helps clients optimize sites. This way customers find excellent goods and services from all the best sites, and employers get loyal customers from all over the internet.
