Let’s start with a story…
Way back in my memory, I can recall the days where words such as dorm room, cafeteria, and homework were common in my day to day vocabulary. I would sit in classes for what seemed like hours on end and do my best to retain some knowledge about whatever subject the professor decided to talk about that day. While professors attempted to teach us how to be “book smart,” I think maybe a little lesson in common sense should have been on the curriculum.
Walking in from the light but dense drizzling rain outside I sat down in a desk on the right side of our classroom. Just as I’m taking off my rain jacket, I hear the all to recognizable sound of Siri coming to life to answer someone’s question. The person behind me then asks, “Hey Siri, is it going to rain today?”
While it seems like a ridiculous question that could have been answered by a quick glance out the window, it is just one example of how voice search has become a tool that people turn to, maybe even when they shouldn’t. With Amazon Alexa, Siri, Google Home and others helping people search the web without touching a keyboard, it can be difficult to get in front of your customers in a traditional way. Here are two ways to take advantage of voice search.
Conversational Keywords
When people ask a voice search assistant for the forecast it typically goes something like this. “Hey Alexa, what is the weather like in Salt Lake City?” Instead of focusing on just a few specific keywords like “forecast” or “weather” for your SEO, look for long-tail keywords that are more conversational. People talk to their phones the same way they talk to their friends, as strange as that sounds it’s true and having more conversational keywords will help you become friends with Jimmy, Joe, Sue and their phones of course.
K.I.S.S.
No, I don’t want you to give me a peck on the check, I want you to Keep It Simple Stupid! People don’t try to communicate with their phones with big giant words, because most of the time it gets lost in translation. When it comes to creating content, if you have to use a thesaurus to understand what it means, you need to delete it. Keeping things simple will help leaps and bounds with your voice search SEO.
Looking for more info on the ins and outs of voice search? Just say, “Hey Siri, take me to Midwest Marketing’s website so I can talk to Bret!”
