Preparing Your Local Business for Voice Search

If you want to appear in voice search results for your local business, there are a few things you can do to prepare for that. You need to realize that voice search encompasses almost half of all internet searches for information today. Because of this, every single business – especially a local one – should prepare for voice search.

Create a Landing Page for Each Location

The more locations you have, the more landing pages you should have. Not only that – you should create a separate landing page for each product that you have for that local search result. So, if you sell the best lobster macaroni, you’ll want that to appear on the right pages for each location. That way, if someone searches for “The Best Lobster Macaroni near me,” your location near them will show up.

Put Your Address on Every Single Page

When you create pages for each of your locations, ensure that the right address is on the page in question. If you have only one location, you’ll want the same address to appear on all pages. Even though it seems redundant, it’s the best way to ensure that your customers find you when they voice search for you.

Leverage Google My Business (https://myaccount.google.com/)

Create a business profile with photos and more. You can use this space to make your business stand out from others. They also have a community Q & A option that you can use to add things like the products, services, and more that you offer, so that you can get more exposure for your business.

Get Listed on All Search Engines and in Local Directories

Creating a full profile on Google is great, but you should also do it for Apple, Yelp, Bing, and any search engine you note your audience is using. Using local directories can help too, such as the Chamber of Commerce or any legitimate specialty directory. If you provide a service, get listed on local service provider lists too – like Thumbtack.com, for example.

Alexa Skills Kit

You can get listed on Alexa by building Alexa skills via their skills kit. (https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/design) Following their advice to appear in Alexa voice results is not complicated. You can download a guide and watch a video. You don’t really need to be a real developer or know what you’re doing to follow their directions.

Use Schema Markup Language

Essentially, this is simple code that helps search engines understand your content and what it means. The right schema markup will let the system know that it should show up in voice search results. It’s not as hard as it seems – just use a plugin that will help you get it right. Here is a WordPress one that works great: the Schema & Structured Data for WP and AMP. (https://wordpress.org/plugins/schema-and-structured-data-for-wp/)

Create Conversational Content

When you know what your buyer’s intent is, and the context in which they conducted the search, it makes it easier to develop and create the right type of content for your audience to guide them. Use long-tail keywords, keep it conversational (about the 7th-grade level), and ensure that the content is informative and valuable.

Voice search is here already, so if you have not optimized your website and your business for voice, now is the time. Ensure that your website works first on mobile, that it loads fast, and that the content is focused on your ideal audience. It should answer their questions regarding your products, services, and related information that they are trying to find.