2. Optimize your local presence

Did you know over 55% of people use voice search to find local businesses?

If you want to know how to optimize for voice search, start by building your local presence. The most significant component of this is your Google My Business listing, which is the listing that appears when users conduct local searches.

First, you’ll want to claim this listing. Next, you’ll fill out your company’s information completely. You’ll verify your name, address, and phone number to ensure you’re sharing the correct information.

Aside from that information, you’ll want to:

• Update your hours of operation
• Add photos to your listing
• Include a short blurb about your business

Having an entire listing will help users get the knowledge they have once they discover your company through voice search.

Claiming your local listing will help your business appear in additional local voice search queries so you’ll drive traffic to your location.

Aside from claiming your local listing, you’ll also want to integrate locally relevant keywords into your site. Keywords like “fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles” and “fried chicken in LA” are locally relevant keywords which will help drive more results in your business.

Ok, Google, show me a bonus tip: When you optimize for local keywords, account for regional slang and dialect. You may target a region that uses “pop” instead of “soda,” for example. Conduct research for these different types of slang because users will search based on their area’s dialect (which may not be the same as where your company operates).

3. Focus on giving answers directly

If you want to get the most from your voice search optimization strategy, start by answering queries directly.

Did you know that 50% of searches rely on featured snippets?

The featured snippet appears at the top of the search results in a box.

Do you know what featured snippets do? They answer queries directly.

Featured snippets aim to provide users with an answer fast. So, to get into this coveted position, you must provide direct answers to questions.

Let’s say someone verbally searches, “What is fried chicken batter made of?”

Which example do you think is more likely to appear as the featured snippet?

Example A. Fried chicken batter composes of all-purpose flour, garlic salt, pepper, and poultry season. To make the batter, you will need three cups of flour and a teaspoon each of garlic salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Mix all the ingredients together to create your batter.

Example B. Fried chicken batter composes of numerous ingredients. The first ingredient is flour. Your flour should be all-purpose flour because it works best for the chicken. Other types of flour might not get the coating you want for your chicken. The second ingredient is…

If you answered Example A, you’re correct.

Example A answers the user’s query directly and provides them with the information they need. Example B, however, takes too much time explaining every small detail instead of delivering a direct answer.

By giving precise answers, you’ll increase your chances of appearing at the top of search results so Google can read your listing to relevant searchers.

Ok, Google, show me a bonus tip: A great way to answer questions directly is to create an FAQ page. FAQ pages can help you rank for voice queries because you deliver direct answers to common questions people ask about your business or industry.

4. Follow SEO best practices

Many people think that because users can’t see your website, it doesn’t matter how it runs or what quite experience it delivers.

The reality, however, is that voice search devices use search results to supply users with answers. Voice search devices pull answers from the highest of the search results, so you would like to optimize to seem at the highest .

If you’re not optimizing for SEO, you’re unlikely to seem in voice searches.

Follow these SEO best practices to help you rank better in search results:

• Integrate keywords on your page

If you want to appear in relevant searches, choose relevant keywords, and integrate them into your site.

You’ll want to focus on long-tail keywords, which contain three or more words, to help you appear in front of more relevant leads. You can use a tool like KeywordsFX to find relevant key terms for your campaign.