With the rise of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, having a website that is optimized for voice search will become increasingly important for businesses. Here are some tips for crafting content that will rank highly in voice search results.
Use Clear and Concise Headlines
When writing headlines for your web pages, aim to be straightforward and to the point. Voice assistants can only convey so much information to users in their responses, so headlines need to give users a good idea of what the page is about in just a few words. Test your headlines by reading them out loud - they should sound natural when voiced.
Prioritize Keywords in Your First Paragraph
Much like with visual search, the opening paragraph is important real estate for ranking in voice search results. Be sure to get your target keywords into the first 3 sentences to help voice assistants properly categorize the topic of your page. Weave the keywords naturally into the copy rather than just stuffing them for the sake of search engines.
Optimize for Voice With Transcript-Friendly Content
When writing for voice assistants, think about how your content will sound when voiced rather than how it looks on screen. Use simple, clear language free of jargon and complex technical terms. Test the readability of your content out loud and make any needed adjustments. Consider adding transcripts to audio/video content for accessibility.
Provide Structured Overviews for Long-Form Content
Long articles are more difficult for voice assistants to convey concisely. To help users get a sense of your content, include a brief structured overview at the top with clear section headings and summaries. This allows assistants to selectively read the most relevant parts to the user's question.
Use Audio/Video Sparingly for Complex Explanations
While multimedia can be engaging, too many embedded audio or video elements may frustrate users relying on voice assistants. Save rich media for topics that truly benefit from additional explanation or demonstration. Provide text alternatives and transcripts for accessibility.
I hope these tips help you optimize your website content for the growing voice search channel. Let me know if you have any other questions!