“Hey Siri, where is the closest dentist to me?”
Voice Search is on the rise – with the use of voice expected to triple in the next 3 years, it’s no secret that marketers are looking at the huge opportunity in this growing search sector.
In this blog post, we’re going to cover how to rank 1st on Google for voice searches in your local market.
Why Voice Search Matters.
Google’s latest algorithm update (BERT) favors voice, and some argue that it was intorduced solely to cater to the growing voice search market.
In other words, Google has made attempts to help consumers get results more closely related to their voice searches through implied search.
Not only have voice capabilities been introduced to our cell phones, but they’re making their way into more and more homes with Amazon Echo and Google Home. Some cars are now even enabled with voice search.
Essentially, voice search is changing the way individuals search for products, services and brands.
How To Rank Locally With Voice Search
Ranking for voice search doesn’t take a lot of time to set up, but it takes a lot of intention.
The 4 major platforms to focus on are: Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Maps + Apple Maps.
These are the most utilized profiles for the average searcher and it’s important to be present on all of them.
So, how exactly do you rank for voice search?
Ensure that you have your profiles built out on all of the above platforms. This includes photos, reviews, including the right keywords in your descriptions as well as insuring you sign your business up for the proper category.
Voice Search: The How To Searches.
If you’re a plumber and you’re looking to land more leads from Voice Search, then it’s going to be important to rank for the “How To” searches.
For instance, if a potential leads asks their voice assistant, “How to repair a leaky roof?” then you’ll want to show up for this search.
This can be done by creating an FAQ section on your website that clearly answers and solves questions that begin with, “How To, “How Does”, “What Is”, “How Do”, “What do I do”, etc.
Google views these FAQ’s and includes them in the “Featured Snippet” section – the accordion-like folding section that clearly answers questions.
