With the continuous rise of mobile and in-home assistants, it is undeniable that voice search is on the rise, and something that every business operating in the B2B space should be considering and ensure voice search optimization is a part of your SEO strategy.
Years ago when smart devices were introduced, the idea of asking a device a simple question like directions or to play music seemed a bit otherworldly. However, today 50% of users use voice search to get the results they are looking for, and mobile users are three times more likely to use voice search over typing their search in manually. Asking our phones, TVs or watches a question is now a very normal part of our behaviour, so it is important to consider how your website operates in a way that allows users using voice search to find your business, and get the answers they are looking for.
Although the B2B buyer journey is longer than the B2C journey, it is still important to have your eye on voice search and the ways that it can impact your business in the short term. Here are a couple of things to consider when looking at your current SEO strategy, and how to set your business up for voice search optimization success.
B2B Decision Makers are Younger
With more millennials involved in the roles of decision makers at B2B companies, they are more familiar with voice search and more likely to use it to find the answers they are looking for.
SEO Visibility
Ensuring that your website is optimized for voice search will be of great value to you and your business. This is especially relevant if you have a physical presence, like an office space. Even though voice search optimization is similar to regular SEO, it is important to remember that the way we type in a query is different from how we would verbalise it. If you think about it, when you phrase your questions differently, we tend to use full sentences when we speak with more detail than when we type, so you need to ensure that your website is optimized for voice search in that way to ensure that your SEO is adapting to this growth of voice search.
Add Long Tail Keywords
Keywords are imperative when it comes to SEO. In terms of voice search optimization, it is important to focus on long tail keywords. Long tail keywords often include three or more keywords, and they often attract high traffic because they are more specific to what the user is searching for. This is a great opportunity to be more specific to your business which can push the competition further down in the search results. For example: B2B marketing services in Toronto versus b2b marketing services. If you are having trouble finding long tail keywords, you can utilize a keyword planner like MOZ, which we use at VA Partners.
Consider Adding FAQS
As previously mentioned, it is important to ensure that your voice search optimization considers how users verbalize their queries to ensure that your website is properly optimized for voice. An easy way to do this is by adding a frequently asked questions (FAQs) section to your site. This is a great way for search aids to provide a response that gives the user the solution they are looking for. For example, in looking at one of our customers reBOOT Canada, a user might ask “Where can I donate a computer in Toronto?” and since the site is optimized for voice search, it appears in the top three search results that were provided.
Focus on Mobile
Earlier we mentioned the importance of mobile when it comes to voice search optimization, but we cannot stress the importance of it enough. Google values a good mobile user experience when considering its rankings, so in order to land in the results it is important to have a mobile responsive web design to not only help your users find what they need, but also help you stay competitive in the voice search game.
As voice search continues to evolve and impact SEO and take shape in the world of B2B, it is important to be aware of these changes and how you can work to ensure your website and business is set up for voice search optimization. Take these steps and start seeing progressive results. If you are looking for more ways to improve your SEO, connect with us.
