Google, the most significant search engine, claims to have the vast majority of search engine users’ admiration, processing 5.6 billion daily search queries. This is an unimaginably large amount of searches streamed by one search engine. Our obsession with looking on the internet is not new. However, the way we do it has evolved.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the stats being circulated that by the end of the year, at least 50 percent of searches will be conducted via voice. We’ve likely not just attained that level but even exceeded it. Voice search is massive, and knowing how to be visible in the results of voice searches is increasingly essential to making any progress from an SEO viewpoint.
Is there a distinction between SEO, which is traditional, and one designed for voice searches? The answer is yes, and it’s about defining your SEO strategy to consider the subtle variations between text-based and voice users of search engines. This is a mix of different keywords, geographical objectives, localized content marketing, and other strategies, such as voice markup for search schemas.
What Is Schema Markup for Voice Search Optimization?
If you ask, 71% of people believe they prefer to use voice assistants for searches rather than typing in the search manually. Voice search is simple, hassle-free, and you can do it virtually any place at any time. The increasing use of voice searches has created new requirements for businesses seeking to engage with their customers through SEO for search engines.
The reality is that the rules of voice search differ from those of text-based queries. One way to adapt to these different methods is by using schema markup.
Schema markup, also known as schema or structured data, is a kind that is HTML data that is built into your web pages. Schema aims to allow your website to get noticed through search engines. Schema helps search engines get an accurate picture of your site’s content and what you want to convey.
Imagine it this way: Search engines such as Google have developed to the point where they’re pretty adept at understanding intent but require little help. Schema markup is similar to providing search engines with directions on how best to understand your purpose, the audience you intend to target, and the value you offer to search engine users. This helps search engines to match your site with relevant queries. In this way, schema markup is crucial for increasing your website’s visibility.
People use voice to use search engines differently from the course text users search, and search engines are looking for other signals of intent and relevance. By adjusting schema markup to target the voice searchers, you provide Google with a map that will lead voice searchers to your online doorstep.
How Do I Optimize My Website for Voice Search?
Understanding why schema markup is crucial to the voice-searching industry is one thing; however, changing your approach to optimizing your voice search is different. It’s not uncommon for a company to be confused and ambiguous about how best to use schema markup to the best advantage and optimize their site for voice users.
If you’re familiar with schema markup or have digital marketing professionals who assist with your process, chances are you’re one step ahead. There are a handful of things anyone can do – including those who have a low understanding of schema markup that they can do to make their site more optimized to be optimized for voice search.
Think Conversationally
In nearly all instances, it is more of a conversational tone than text. Text is a language we’ve grown familiar with using a type of shorthand and writing as little as we can to convey our message. The language used in the text query is usually poor or even primitive. However, people who use voice tend to use natural speech patterns, so search engines will search for something completely different when they connect them to results.
To ensure your website is optimized to search by voice, the content should be more conversational, including schema markup. For instance, the metadata on every page, the captions, and the alt text for videos and images must be more casual.
Start Slow and Build Up
It’s unnecessary to go overboard and fret about incorporating the voice-optimized schema for every page on your site. It’s lovely to start at the top carriers, such as those with an established track record of generating the highest conversions.
Look for Speakable Snippets
Quickly looking through your content to find snippets that speak to include is a great starting point to improve the schema markup. When we say speakable snippets, it speaks of chunks of text that could be quickly spoken aloud.
These short snippets of text would be very conversational and not sound robotic when read aloud. For example, an introduction to a video or an overview paragraph from the blog’s most popular posts.