How to Optimize Voice Search in 2023-24

Updated February 13th, 2024

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Voice search is the process of commanding a task or searching for information on your devices verbally in lieu of typing. In response, a voice assistant picks up on your voice and searches the internet or device for a solution to your query.

Whether it’s Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, or another voice assistant brand, a shocking one-third of Americans have used a voice feature at some point in life.

Why Should You Care About Voice Search In 2023-24 And Beyond?

When you think about voice search, what is the first thought that comes to mind? If it’s convenience, ease, and overall usability, then you’re in agreement with the majority of today’s consumers.

With 7 out of 10 people preferring to use it for making queries over typing them, it is clear that there are a plethora of benefits that voice search brings to consumers’ lives.

This includes, but is not limited to:

Hands-Free Accessibility

The beauty of voice search is that it truly makes life easier. Let’s face it: consumers want to access information quickly and easily. They don’t always have the time in their busy days to type their inquiries.

Since there’s no need to even look at a device, voice search makes it safe and easy to search for important information while driving, commuting, and walking on the go! Similarly, when relaxing in your home, devices like an Amazon Echo make it easy to search for information online without even having to touch your device.

User-Friendly Across Ages

Unlike other digital advancements, the popularity of voice search has seemingly latched onto audiences of all ages and levels of technology usage.

Whether you’re a teenager, young adult, or middle-aged parent, voice search is commonly used across age groups. In fact, 65% of the wide range of adults aged 25-49 years old were found to use devices with voice search daily.

All in all, with the benefits that accompany voice search, it’s safe to say that it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. It is in your best interest to adapt your content to voice search to resonate and connect with your target audiences most effectively.

How else will you stay afloat and perform high enough amongst your competitors already jumping onto the voice search bandwagon?

The Secret To Successful Copywriting For Voice Search

With millions of adults using voice search on a daily basis, it is no secret that it has already impacted the future of search engine optimization tactics immensely, and is only growing more powerful.

With this rising technology comes the need for a new age of SEO copywriting: copywriting for voice search.

To rank as highly as possible and reach the most relevant of consumers, the copywriting used in your business’s website, blog, landing pages, and any other forms of content marketing must be tailored to appeal to not only the search engines algorithms, but to your target audiences using voice search as well.

5 Tips For Optimizing Copy For Voice Search

Ready to learn some tangible ways to make your copy the best it can be for voice search capabilities? Here are 5 ingredients for an unstoppable copywriting formula that will increase your traffic, engagement, and rankings with voice search.

5 tips to implement into your copywriting strategy include:

#1: Use Long-Tail Keywords To Make An Impact

Perhaps one of the greatest shifts that voice search brings is the way that users search for information. Before voice search’s popularity, consumers were much more likely to peruse for information on search engines through typing their inquiries rather than speaking them.

Since 50% of searches were voice-activated in 2020 alone, it is important to write in a way that mimics that of how your audience would speak. This is where long-tail keywords come into play.

Long-tail keywords, as opposed to a single keyword, are the phrases commonly used by your target audience when speaking via voice search. In general, long-tail keywords are more successful with voice search because they are more conversational and natural than a singular keyword.

Integrating such phrases into your content is crucial for ranking as highly as possible on Google and other search engines.

If you still need to pinpoint the long-tail keywords that are popularly used amongst your target audience, always start with having a solid grasp on the characteristics that make up your unique audience’s lifestyle, goals, and vernacular.

Ask yourself these questions:

What are the pain-points that my target audience is seeking solutions for?
What is the level of formality in which my target consumers would usually speak?
What tone of voice appeals to my target audience?
What are the demographic and psychographic indicators that define my ideal customer?

#2: Local Searches Are On The Rise

Did you know that 22% of the total voice searches spoken are related to location-based content? This makes just about 1 in 5 searches location-based, which offers a huge opportunity to take advantage of through your copywriting.

If you have an in-person business or are primarily serving a specific region or city, make sure to have the most up-to-date information about your business’s location online.

Odds are that you will be showcased to consumers searching for your business much more easily when offering up this information.

Easy ways to optimize for local search include:

Filling out your Google business listing with your location, hours of operation, contact information, and address
Using the phrase “near me” or other location-based phrases within your content
Creating a Yelp page containing relevant business information

#3: Be Mindful Of How Your Copy Will Sound When Spoken Aloud

It is important to remember that voice assistants like Alexa or Siri have the skillset to read content to inquiring users. Craft your copy in a conversational tone and voice.

This way, if your consumers opt for Siri to read your content aloud, it will sound much more personal and friendly.

To avoid alienating the consumers who aren’t keen on digesting overly complex information, your content should feel like a conversation rather than something they’d find in a textbook.

Whether it ends up being voiced aloud or read the old-fashioned way, a natural writing style creates a more organic connection with audiences.

In order to write in a conversational manner, it is key to think about:

Adding any relevant terminology that is commonly spoken within your target audiences
Removing any overly professional or industry jargon words that take away from a more relaxed read
Writing in the same way that you would naturally want to speak to your audience if you met them in-person
Writing in active voice as opposed to an awkward-sounding passive voice.

#4: Answer Your Audience’s Questions

When seeking information online with voice search, perhaps the most common way to search is in the format of a question. This means that words like where, when, why, how, and what are heavily utilized in search queries.

To increase your likelihood of popping up when users ask a question, make sure your content is rich with helpful answers to the commonly asked questions regarding your brand, business sector, or even a specific product or service that you offer.

This can take shape in the form of:

A frequently asked questions page about your business
A blog post focusing on in-depth product explanations and associated questions
Any other form of content that answers your consumer’s most pertinent questions and provides valuable insights

#5: Structure Your Copy To Appeal To Mobile Devices

Believe it or not, a whopping 60% of voice searches take place on a consumer’s mobile device. Due to the ease of voice searching on-the-go through these devices, your copy is much more likely to be read on a smaller screen than a large one if it was found in this way. Your copy’s appearance on a phone should be one of your top priorities.

Copy that is structured for mobile devices uses:

Short and snappy sentences and paragraphs that make it easy for your readers to skim and digest information
Bullet points and numbered lists to make your structure appear more cohesive
Headings and titles to break up paragraphs

Voice Search Is The Key To Successful Digital Marketing

Overall, the biggest kept secret to writing for voice search lies in crafting content that is relatable, informal, and valuable to your audience. With these tips and tricks in mind, optimizing for voice search has never been easier.