SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a never-ending game of cat-and-mouse. Just when you think you got the hang of how best to optimize your website and content in order to rank, something new comes up and you have no choice but to simply run faster to catch up with the game.

With the fast growth of technology, IoT (Internet of Things) and smart devices will only accelerate the importance of ‘Voice Search’. Home assistant and connected technology means that how data is stored and discovered by major search engines will change. As of matter of fact, ‘has’ changed and will continue to rapidly do so for the next few years.

Let’s take a look at some insights on what Voice Search means for SEO.

SEO 2019 – 2020: The Age of Voice Search

Voice Search Key Insights

Research by Gartner and Comsore suggests that by 2020, 30% of web browsing will be screenless and 50% of all search will be voice search.

Ranking Criteria

Taking a look at Google Home, Backlinko has discovered certain trends and factors that help websites rank better for voice.

Page Speed: The average voice SERP (Search Engine Results Page) loads in 4.6 seconds.
Security: 70% of Google Home pages are HTTPS.
Conciseness: Typical search results is only 29 words.
Simplicity: Average search results shows 9th grade reading level
Featured Snippet: 40% of results are apparently pulled from featured snippets.
Domain Authority: Domain authority matters much more than page authority when it comes to the voice search algorithm.

Top Local Search

54% Food and drink reservations
46% Product price inquiries
40% Availability of certain products
30% Book a beauty appointment

Content for Voice

Think FAQ (Frequently asks questions)
Focus on long tail keywords
Use structured data
Ensure mobile friendliness
Use featured snippets
Set-up Google My Business
Optimize for the Knowledge Graph
Simplify use of Language.

Source: Gartner, Comscore, BrightLocal, Backlinko, Single Grain

While this list features key takeaways to help marketers fast track their voice optimization efforts, there’s of course much much more to SEO and optimizing for voice search. Feel free to connect and discuss other factors with any of our digital marketing enablers!

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