As voice recognition technology continues to improve and the use of voice assistants continues to grow, it’s vital your copywriting is optimised for voice search to stay ahead of the competition.

With voice assistants like Siri and Alexa at our beck and call, voice search is fast becoming the quickest and most convenient way to find exactly what we’re looking for online.

According to Statista, the immense popularity of smartphones and their integrated assistants have led to an explosion in voice search usage, with 42 per cent of the global online population conducting a voice search via any device within the past month alone.

Here in the UK, smart phones are the main way people access voice assistants, with 76 per cent of us having used a voice assistant via a smartphone in the first month of 2021.

The question is, if your content isn’t already optimised for the voice search revolution, what can you do about it?

Be natural and conversational

Unlike the days of traditional search, you must align your content with the spoken word. If it helps, talk as you write.

Avoid keywords at all costs! Keyword stuffing was never a good way to optimise your content, but now it should be avoided full stop. If you do need to feature a specific keyword, ensure it:

- Appears in the headline and page title
- URL link
- First paragraph
- Sub headlines

Write Q&A-style content

Make sure your content responds to specific voice search queries by following a question- and-answer approach. It’s all about turning your content into a solution to the voice searcher’s query or problem.

You can include an FAQ on your website or use a question-and-answer approach in your sub-headlines by making sure the sub headline directly answers the question in the post or headline.

Make your content mobile friendly

As consumers are increasingly using voice search on their smartphones, you must write copy for smaller screens, ensuring it’s easier to read and absorb. This means:

- Shorter headlines
- Shorter sentences
- Shorter paragraphs
- Formatting with bullet points and sub-headlines

Cater to local searchers

A whopping 82 per cent of searchers on mobile phones are looking for local solutions. To ensure you capture this audience, make sure you provide specific answers to local questions. For example, you can include an FAQ for local audiences.

Use long-tail keywords

Voice searches tend to be longer than text so use long-tail keywords. If you’re a hotelier, for example, use long-tail keywords, such as ‘best hotels of 2021’ instead of simply ‘best hotels.’ This will help you rank higher for that specific search, without losing your prominence for shorter keywords, such as best hotels.

Write in snippets

Well-written snippets are more likely to rank at the top of an organic Google search. To achieve this highly valued top Google spot, make sure you space out your content into well-crafted paragraphs and include sub-headings and bullets.

Keep thinking

You must continue thinking of questions that your business can answer and adapt your content accordingly. With the relentless trend towards voice search, it’s vital you stay ahead of the competition and capitalise on the growing number of voice searchers out there.

For more on how to optimise your content for voice search, please,