The face of SEO (search engine optimisation) as we know it is changing, and our approach to SEO now needs to develop to keep up with the rise of virtual assistants which, being used more and more to search the web, require a different approach.
With so many people now using voice searching capabilities through virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Now, how online searches are being conducted is very different. People generally talk differently to how they type, and as such the keywords these virtual assistants are then searching for are different. Here are 4 tips to help you create SEO for the VA age.
Understand their language
When people use virtual assistants, they’re generally not setting out to read huge chunks of text, and are just looking for basic information, such as local businesses in a certain industry, opening hours, contact information, etc. Users will search via a computer if they want something more detailed. With basic voice inquiries like these, the virtual assistant will then return more basic results. This can mean that they’re not directing users to your website, but instead more general websites such as Yelp. It’s important then to meet these demands of your business by ensuring you can be found on these basic platforms, whether it’s Yelp, or social media.
Be natural
Virtual assistant searches require your written content to be conversational and natural, just as you’d speak. You might have the best content writers in the world, but if they’re unable or unwilling to start naturalising their language, your business is going to get left behind. When writing your SEO now you need to be thinking about how it would be spoken. Not only will this conversational approach help you with virtual assistant SEO, but it could also benefit your business with a more friendly and approachable tone.
Choose your keywords carefully
When choosing keywords, it’s important to remember that, generally, virtual assistant queries tend to be location-based. As well as including location in your SEO keywords, you should again remember to keep it natural. When creating your keywords it can help to imagine the person speaking as they are making their query. First work out what kind of things they would be searching for, and then work backwards to find out how they would phrase a query to get that result.
Prepare for changes
With Google forever changing the rules of its algorithm, which dictates its rankings, business are constantly trying to keep up and prepare for the next change Google might possibly make. With this in mind, we would happily hazard a guess that it is only a matter of time before Google begins to incorporate virtual assistant-friendly websites into its algorithm. With that in mind, it might not be a bad idea to get ahead of the game and start preparing for that change now. Although virtual assistants won’t completely replace traditional search engines, they are growing more and more in popularity, and it definitely won’t do you any harm to work voice inquiry language and behaviour into your SEO sooner rather than later..
If you would like more information and help with bringing your website up to date to meet the expectations of virtual assistants, please don’t hesitate to get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.