How to prepare your site for voice search?
We regularly talk to you about the importance of speech recognition and digital accessibility on our blog. Indeed, the uses and searches on the web – on computer, tablet and smartphone – are increasingly done by voice. Especially for people with disabilities. It is therefore very interesting to adapt and prepare your site for voice search.
Voice search in a few words
To begin with, let’s recall what voice search is. According to Definitions-marketing.com, voice search is characterized as « the activity of searching for information and products on the Internet that is carried out directly by voice instead of the traditional keyboarding of a text on a search engine« .
In fact, voice search is very interesting in different contexts. For example, for requests made by people on the move – via a smartphone or a dashboard in a car – or via connected speakers such as Amazon Echo or Alexa.
According to reputationvip.com, Google voice search is being used more and more. Indeed, « the proliferation of smartphones – and other mobile devices – has sparked an interest in voice search.
The usefulness of voice search
The applications, voice search tools, have several functions, advantages:
- Quickly request precise information
- Launch programs and/or applications by simple voice command
- Making queries in search engines
- Search for specific content – audio files, videos, etc.
- Performing a numbering
- Voice search and natural referencing
We call vocal SEO the fact of optimizing its natural referencing by taking into account the vocal searches and especially the intention of the search as very important. Indeed, from now on, SEO is based more and more on spoken requests and no longer only manually entered.
With technologies and voice assistants becoming more and more accessible, Internet users’ searches are taking longer and longer. Google is thus becoming more of a search engine than a results and answers engine! That’s why it prefers content that best answers the questions of other users!
Once these elements have been taken into account, how can you optimize your website for voice searches?
How to prepare a website for voice
According to Chefdentreprise.com, voice search or AEO – Answer Engine Optimization is booming. AEO is the fact of optimizing and responding in an ingenious, intuitive way to the requests of Internet users. This is why it is now essential to know the elements of optimization. As stated, during its multiple evolutions, the search engine has « considerably enriched its results page to offer an answer directly to the user’s search intention: local pack (Google Maps display), knowledge graph, featured snippet ».
The « featured snippets » – or 0 positions – are the boxes that appear above the first search result on Google. This key position provides answers directly to the Internet user. Reaching this position is a nice goal in the preparation of AEO.
Globally, the goal in a voice and AEO approach is to follow the best SEO optimization techniques. Especially with regard to the 0 positions on Google.
Optimize your site to voice search
According to lafabriquedunet.fr, there are more than 10 criteria that can be used to prepare and optimize your site for voice search. Here are a few examples:
- Optimize the loading speed of your website
- Having a website in https
- Create accurate and concise results
- Gaining authority for your website
- Create understandable content
- Create long content…
In concrete terms, the loading speed of a website is even improved thanks to voice searches. Not only do people want to find answers quickly, but also the speed at which pages load is an important ranking factor for Google.
On average, the voice search results page loads in 6 seconds (which is 52% faster than average). So if you want to rank in voice search, make sure your site loads as quickly as possible.
In addition, we strongly recommend that you use HTTPS for your website. Indeed, the results of voice searches are fond of this web security functionality. Implementing HTTPS increases your chances of appearing in voice search results.
Quality websites for voice searches
In addition, Google likes short and concise results for its voice search results. The average response to a voice search is 29 words. The goal of positioning yourself well with Google Home or Google Assistant is to provide the most comprehensive but shortest possible answers.
Google loves quality and authoritative websites. In addition, the publication of popular and highly shared content.
Also, remember that your content must be understandable. That is, they must be easy to read and understand. The contents of your website must be relatively long to correspond to human voice requests.
Please note that the FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions – pages of websites are particularly powerful in terms of voice searches and natural referencing.
Finally, the goal is to appear as much as possible in the « featured snippets ». Only 40.7% of the voice search results come from featured snippets. This helps a lot, but it is not mandatory either. Every detail must be taken into account to answer voice searches with your website.
Power and limits of voice search
Finally, a booming field also means limits and risks of competition. What is the future of voice research?
According to Zeemedia, « To provide a train timetable, for example, « will Google use natural results or feeds made available by RATP and SNCF as part of a partnership? […] When an Internet user wants to watch a documentary on global warming, will the Alexa vocal assistant propose a video of a blog from a natural result, a DVD on Amazon, the Prime Video service (Amazon) or a Netflix documentary that would be just as relevant? »
Will the voice assistants completely dictate the SEO of your website? No one knows.
To find out more about Authôt Live and/or Authôt APP, do not hesitate to contact us in order to discuss your problems related to voice search and especially for the preparation of your website to digital accessibility.
Authôt. You speak. We write.