By Marc Purtell, DFO
“Alexa, what percent
of web searches are performed via voice?”
Given the meteoric rise of smart speakers and mobile voice
assistants, it shouldn’t surprise you that by next year, half of all web
searches will be voice-activated (according to a study
by comScore). What may surprise you is the
fact that only 4%
of businesses are voice search ready.
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In the e-Commerce space, it’s natural to wonder how this
surge in voice-activated searches translates to online transactions. After all,
aren’t most voice searches informational
as opposed to transactional?
Google and Peerless put that theory to the test in a recent study
and found that the number one use of voice-activated speakers is searching for
information about sales, deals and promotions. This accounts for 52% of what
speaker owners want from a brand, and vastly outweighs what many theorized the primary
use of this technology would be — finding “personalized tips and information to
make life easier.”
This data paints a clear picture of the opportunity voice
search presents for e-Commerce businesses — there’s
market share available for those willing to do the work.
Below are a few content ideas, as well as technical and
off-page factors, that must be considered to optimize your e-Commerce business for
voice search.
Featured Snippets
For many search queries, Google returns what is
known as a “featured snippet,” a box of information above the traditional
organic search results that aims to answer the query right on the SERP (search
engine results page). When a search is conducted via virtual assistant, the
featured snippet will be a voice response (if one is available).
While more commonly visible for informational queries, featured snippets are
showing up more and more for transactional queries. See this “computer glasses”
query example:
The goal is to overtake the current snippet by providing a
better answer with more quality signals. Observe all the elements being used, including
text, bullet points and images. Where are these elements coming from? Does the
existing image in the featured snippet have an alt attribute? If not, adding one can give your page an advantage. It’s
essential to provide context in order to best answer the question.
Page Speed
A study
of 10,000 Google Home search results “found that the typical loading speed
of a voice search result was much faster than most webpages.” This makes sense
considering virtual assistants are trying to provide an instant answer to each
query.
Google’s algorithm uses page speed as an important ranking element.
To rank in voice search, make sure your site loads as quickly as possible. Test
your pages using tools such as Lighthouse, PageSpeed
Insights, GTMetrix and Pingdom.
Semantic Optimization
When
optimizing content, it’s important to include all homonyms, slang and acronyms
related to your target keywords. This helps search engines match the context of
the content to the request of the voice user. Use bold or italic fonts to
highlight words that require emphasis when spoken.
Simplicity
Simple, easy-to-read content can help with voice search SEO. The average
Google voice search result is written at a 9th grade reading level. Tools like Readability
Formulas can help you assess the readability of the text. As a rule of
thumb, aim for a readability score of 70 or above (although this varies
depending on subject matter and target audience).
Upper Funnel
Targeting
If used correctly, voice search optimization is a great way to open an e-Commerce
funnel by engaging with consumers that are looking for a solution to a problem.
Studies have found that the average word count on a voice search results page
is 2K+ words. This means there’s a need to supply the full context for answers
to queries. When creating long-form content to target upper funnel traffic, provide
a comprehensive answer to the target query, along with answers to related
questions.
FAQs
FAQ content is ideal for voice search if it has a logical information architecture.
It tends to line up well with voice search because it mimics the question and
answer interaction between a consumer and a voice-ready device. As is the case when
targeting featured snippets, it is a good practice to aim for roughly 29 words
when answering each question. It’s also worth noting that voice search results
are 1.7X more likely
to come from FAQ content than traditional desktop search results.
Structured Data
Structured data is important for e-Commerce
because it gives search engines important information about different elements
of a product that they can match to a voice search. At a minimum, each product
page should have all relevant product,
offer and aggregate rating schema. Article
content and FAQ pages should include Question
schema, especially in paragraphs that are targeted for a featured snippet.
Now is the time for e-Commerce
businesses to think ahead. Search engine algorithms evolved to provide the
best possible experience to the end user; voice search is no different. The
efforts you make today will pay off in the future.
Marc Purtell
is Vice President of Search and oversees DFO’s Search
Engine Optimization (SEO) capabilities. He was studying web design and analysis
at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute when the Google revolution began. Sensing
the shift in how information would be shared and accessed, Purtell leveraged
his UX background and pivoted from design to search. He has spent the past 15+
years helping companies of all sizes and verticals grow via SEO.
