The Future of Voice Search Technology for Attorneys
On a whim, I booted up my Amazon Echo and asked Alexa to find an attorney. In a few seconds, she located one nearby. I told Alexa to call them, and voilà, after just 30 seconds I was already talking to one.
This is an indication of how far voice search services have changed over the past decade. We are now one step closer to interacting with computers, just like in Star Trek.
Google Trends shows how voice searches increased between 2008 and 2016 by 35%. Current statistics reveal that 41% of adults use voice search at least once per day.
It is time your law firm took advantage of this trend to drive traffic to your site. To help you, we discuss the importance of voice search, and how it modifies digital marketing, as well as outline five steps you need to take to optimize your site for voice search results.
Normal SEO vs Voice SEO– What’s the Difference?
The most significant difference between traditional SEO for lawyers and voice search SEO is the way voice search has altered keyword usage. For example, with normal Google searches, users tend to focus on short keywords like “winter fashion ideas” or “women’s formal shoes.”
Attract more leads to your law firm“>However, voice searches use a more natural language style. For example, “What are this season’s winter fashion trends?” When users use voice input, they speak in natural language, just how they would in everyday life. This almost becomes a conversation between people and search engines.
How Will Voice Assistants Impact Digital Marketing?
Speech recognition technology allows users to perform searches by speaking directly into their supported devices. These range from smartphones and computers to home assistant devices such as Amazon’s Alex, Apple’s Siri, Microsoft’s Cortana, Google Assistant, and more.
Most people already search online using mobile devices. The switch from desktop to mobile ushered in an era of responsive design. Voice search technologies like Google Assistant take it one step further and allow consumers to conduct searches on their mobile devices.
So, how exactly do voice search capabilities affect search engine optimization? The future of SEO and search engine marketing is in voice search. From new voice-activated products to voice search optimized content marketing, natural language processing is changing the way consumers interact with brands and purchase products.
How Important are Voice Assistants?
Over 90% of people search online using their phones. It’s safe to assume voice search is going to dominate the mobile environment. Brands that adopt a mobile-first mindset with voice-enabled marketing tactics will stay ahead of the game.
Already now, Google Assistant makes it possible to use Google Maps while driving, respond to online messages and search online. Compared to text searches, voice commands are more likely to be localized.
This means local businesses must ensure they have a sound local SEO strategy to rank high on local searches. And that’s crucial for any lawyer’s SEO, be that SEO for personal injury, SEO for DUI attorney, or any other law firm specialty. Implementing voice search optimization services and solutions helps build a business’ brand and even levels the playing field against larger competitors.
How Voice Search Alters SEO Tactics
Using natural language remains key to voice search success. Before voice search technology, users would type one to three specific keywords into Google search. For example, “weather today”.
Now, SEO strategies favor long-tail keywords written in conversational language. For example, “What is the weather like today?”
Additionally, search engine results pages (SERPs) usually display an answer box (featured snippet) from the top position query. However, if you were to ask Alexa the same question, the answer she would provide would be the result from the top-ranking web page.
Key considerations using voice search SEO tactics include:
- Focusing on ranking first on SERPs
- Creating content marketing based on highly searched questions
- Utilizing question-based and conversational long-tail keywords that answer “how, what, why, where, and when” questions.
Google’s Keyword Planner can help determine the volume and competition for your industry’s keywords. Finding phrases with a high search volume, but low competition, is recommended because you’ll have an easier time rising through the ranks. This means there’s a higher chance your content will pop up when a user completes a voice search query.
Five Steps to Adapt Digital Marketing for Voice Searches
Adapting to voice search technology is easier than you think:
- Set up a Google My Business Account
- Focus on Long-Tail Keywords
- Use Schema
- Add Compelling Content to Your Blog
- Optimize Your Website For Mobile
Set Up a Google My Business Account
The first thing you need to do is have an active Google local business listing. You can set up an account through Google My Business. The listing helps prospective clients search for your business on the Google local listing as well as on Google Maps.
Note: For consumers to find you, make sure you use the correct NAP information. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number, and you need a consistent NAP between your website, Google My Business page, and other listings to improve your search results.
Therefore, if your firm goes by The Best Attorneys on the Web Ever, PC on Yelp, and Google My Business, do not use Da Best Attorneys on your website. It is natural to use the shorter name, but it could hurt your search rankings.
Focus on Long-Tail Keywords to Optimize for Voice-Assistant Search
You need to focus on semantic search, which is all about user intent. Long voice search queries have a specific meaning to the searcher. As we’ve mentioned before, these searches are semantically different from the ones we type, even though they will likely yield the same answers.
For example, when I type personal injury attorney into Google, my query looks like the following:
However, when using voice search for a personal injury attorney, I tend to get a bit wordy in describing what I require in more detail. As you can see below, my query is longer and more specific to my needs. The additional information also helps Google provide me with more targeted results.
The key to long-tail keywords today is to look for keywords that resonate with your target audience. Find out what they are thinking, and then incorporate those keywords into your content.
Use Schema To Better Voice Search Optimization
Additionally, your content should use schema markup language. Also known as structured data, it is used by search engines to read and understand the content on your web pages.
Long-tail law firm keywords today rely on Schema to improve the semantic search capabilities of your website. Schema gives meaning to the content and keywords you use on your website by telling Google what the purpose of your content is. Attorneys even have their own schema format they can use to discuss their services.
Create Compelling Content for Voice Search Engines
How do you create compelling content for voice commands? Simple, think about what your target market needs to know and write content around those questions.
An excellent example of this dynamic content is an FAQ. The FAQ format matches how searchers look for content on Google. You could compare a voice search to asking a friend a question. You provide a relevant, helpful response to their query.
Therefore, you might want to dust off your old FAQs on your website and start writing some Q&As. Better yet, you could create multiple FAQ pages for different services.
Optimize Your Website For Mobile
You’ve probably heard a million companies tell you how you need a mobile site. Please make this 1,000,001. The vast majority of voice searches happen on android phones. Without a mobile website, you will lose out on the majority of your voice search traffic.
Utilizing responsive web design ensures your website adapts its size and organization of content on the page to fit the specific device a user is viewing it from. This approach leads to a better user experience and search engine optimization.
Final Thoughts
Voice search is a brand-new digital marketing tactic for law firms. However, for potential clients, it’s simply becoming part of their daily routine. Adopting natural language in marketing content and optimizing for mobile devices and voice recognition will help your law firm stay ahead of the competition.
At Comrade Digital Marketing Agency, we’re always ahead of the curve. If you require a website or digital marketing strategy that incorporates voice search optimization, we can help. Our experts will ensure your business ranks for voice search, and that it’s equipped to thrive in the present and future. Contact us now to improve your website’s domain authority and voice search results.
Where can I find your company?
Comrade originates in Chicago, but we worked all around the United States. We can help your business grow and increase revenue whenever you are. We have offices across most major cities in the US. For example, we can offer SEO services in Dallas or Denver. You can even find our SEO experts in San Francisco! If you want to know more about our San Diego SEO company or find out how exactly we can help you, contact us via the phone or email.
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