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Multi-Sensory Marketing, Search Engine Optimization

Part Two: Websites As A Marketing Microphone

by Aly GumprichFebruary 28, 2023
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3 Ways to Optimize Your Website for Voice Search

We’ve seen how much voice as a channel is growing and how beneficial voice marketing can be for consumers and marketers, but if your company isn’t in a position to invest in voice marketing tools quite yet, there are still plenty of ways to keep up and optimize your website for Voice SEO. 

What exactly is Voice SEO? It’s the optimization of keywords and keyword phrases for searches using voice assistants. According to research by Semrush, on average voice assistants can answer 93.7% of all search queries. And based on research from PWC, 90% of people think voice search is easier than searching online, and 89% think it’s more convenient. From the same study, 71% of people would rather use voice search than physically type a search query. With a voice as a search channel continuing to expand, your website needs to account for this new channel of search, too. So what’re the best ways to optimize your website for voice SEO? Let’s dive in. 

1.  Featured Snippet Optimization

Featured snippets are the selected search results that appear on the top of the search result page as the best answer to a query. Because of its location, a featured snippet is also often called position zero, since it’s above the first result. That sounds like the ideal position, right? Well, you can’t buy your way in if that’s what you’re thinking. Google generates featured snippets organically by checking the relevancy of the information pulled from web pages in Google’s index. Common formats of Featured Snippets include descriptions/definitions, steps/lists, and tables. Featured snippets are especially crucial in voice search since the voice assistant will reply to the answer to a user’s question with the position zero content. 

According to SEMrush, “70% of voice search answers come from SERP features”, Featured Snippets being the most important. And a lot of this process can be AI-driven. Check out our tips on how AI could be an aid to SEO. Another Featured Snippet tip – don’t use your brand name in the featured snippet text. Replacing the brand name with general language will give the content a higher chance of receiving a featured snippet since adding a brand name could make the response too specific for the listener. 

2. Structured Markup

Structured markups (added to the HTML) help Google and other search engines better understand and process your content and help optimize your search results.  You can use schema.org structured annotations to allow Google to reliably retrieve up-to-date information directly from your website. A common and effective schema is FAQ. Adding FAQ schema to your FAQ page can expand your Google result with the most frequently asked questions. And the schema can be added to any place on your site that has FAQs, so to better optimize for voice search, add quick answers to the top of highly trafficked pages and top blog pages.  

The more search engines better understand your content, the better. In fact, there’s even a specific voice-search markup by Google called Speakable that’s currently in beta that marketers should definitely keep an eye on. 

3. Conversation-Based Navigation

Voice search equalizes access to information through conversation. Users can ask for what they want, in their own voice/language/literacy level, etc. But they’re asking, and most websites aren’t written or structured for questions or conversation-based navigation. Voice search is direct; people aren’t looking to explore a ton of search results. They’re looking for a reliable, comprehensive answer that doesn’t require further searching. So re-write your headlines as questions, not statements, for a more conversational format. An easy way to do this is by adding “What is” to the heading. Be sure to summarize the answer directly below the header so it’s easy for a voice assistant to read aloud.

Other basic SEO factors like page speed, good domain ratings, having quality long-form content, and being HTTPS secured, all also play a role in optimizing your website for voice search. Follow these tips to help optimize your website for the rapidly-growing voice search, or contact Bluetext today to learn more about our search engine optimization and content marketing services.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is Voice SEO and why should we care?

Voice SEO optimizes your site so assistants can answer spoken queries accurately. With a majority of assistants able to answer most questions and users preferring hands-free results, being the spoken answer earns disproportionate attention.

How do featured snippets influence voice results?

Assistants often read the position-zero snippet verbatim. Structure concise, direct answers under question-based headings and avoid brand-heavy phrasing so your response is broadly relevant and more likely to be selected.

Where does structured data fit into voice optimization?

Schema markup clarifies entities, FAQs, and how-tos for search engines. Adding FAQ schema to high-traffic pages and monitoring emerging specs like Speakable helps your answers surface reliably across devices.

What does 'conversation-based navigation' look like on a site?

Rewrite key headings as natural questions and provide succinct summaries up top. Offer progressive disclosure-short answers first, details on demand-so both humans and assistants can extract what they need quickly.

Do technical SEO basics still matter for voice?

Absolutely. Page speed, secure HTTPS, mobile friendliness, and strong domain authority remain foundational. Voice simply raises the bar for clarity, brevity, and information architecture.

How can we test whether our content works for voice?

Query assistants with your target questions, review which snippets they cite, and compare against your pages. Use analytics to see if FAQ pages and question-based posts gain impressions and refine copy based on gaps.