Voice Search for Content Marketing

Summary

Learn how to optimize your SaaS blog content for voice search to increase organic traffic, improve user experience, and expand your reach in the age of voice-enabled devices.

As voice search continues to gain popularity, optimizing your SaaS blog content for voice-enabled devices becomes crucial to staying ahead of the curve. By creating content that caters to voice search users, you can increase organic traffic, improve user experience, and expand your reach. This guide will walk you through the process of optimizing your SaaS blog content for voice search.

What is Voice Search?

Voice search allows users to search the internet using voice commands, typically through smart speakers or virtual assistants on mobile devices. With the increasing adoption of smart speakers such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Apple HomePod, as well as the widespread use of virtual assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, voice search is becoming a significant force in the search landscape.

According to a study by Juniper Research, it's estimated that by the end of 2023, 8 billion voice assistants will be in use worldwide. With this growing user base, optimizing your SaaS blog content for voice search becomes an essential part of your content strategy.

Key Differences Between Voice Search and Traditional Text Search

To optimize your content for voice search, it's crucial to understand the differences between voice search and traditional text search. Here are some key distinctions:

Natural Language Queries: Voice search users tend to use more natural, conversational language when asking questions, as opposed to the shorter, keyword-focused queries common in text search.
Long-Tail Keywords: As a result of the more conversational nature of voice search, long-tail keywords (longer, more specific keyword phrases) are more prevalent in voice search queries.
Question-Based Queries: Voice search users often ask questions rather than entering keywords. This means that optimizing for question-based queries can help your content rank higher in voice search results.
Local Intent: Voice search users often seek location-based information, such as nearby businesses or services. While this may not be directly applicable to SaaS blog content, it's still essential to be aware of the local intent trend in voice search.

Optimizing SaaS Blog Content for Voice Search

Focus on Conversational Keywords and Long-Tail Phrases

As voice search queries tend to be more conversational, targeting long-tail keywords and natural language phrases in your content can help you rank higher in voice search results. Use keyword research tools to identify relevant long-tail keywords and phrases that your target audience might use in voice search queries. Incorporate these keywords and phrases into your blog content, ensuring that they are used naturally and contextually.

Structure Your Content Around Questions

Since voice search users often ask questions, structuring your content around commonly asked questions can improve your chances of ranking in voice search results. Start by researching frequently asked questions related to your SaaS product or industry. You can use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google's "People also ask" feature to gather question ideas. Then, create blog content that directly addresses these questions, providing clear and concise answers.

Utilize Structured Data and Schema Markup

Structured data and schema markup help search engines better understand your content and its context, which can improve your visibility in voice search results. By adding schema markup to your blog content, you provide search engines with additional information about your content, making it easier for them to identify and present it in voice search results.

There are various types of schema markup that can be relevant to your SaaS blog content, such as:

Article schema: Provides information about your blog post, including the headline, author, and publication date.
FAQ schema: Indicates that your content is a list of frequently asked questions and their answers.

To implement schema markup on your blog, you can use Google's Structured Data Markup Helper or a plugin like Yoast SEO for WordPress, which simplifies the process by automatically adding the appropriate schema markup to your content.

Optimize for Featured Snippets

Featured snippets are concise answers to search queries that appear at the top of Google search results. Since voice search devices often read aloud the information from featured snippets, ranking in this coveted position can dramatically increase your visibility in voice search results.

To optimize your content for featured snippets, follow these best practices:

Provide clear, concise answers to commonly asked questions.
Use bullet points or numbered lists to organize information.
Include relevant long-tail keywords and phrases in your content.
Format your content using headings and subheadings for better readability.

Write in a Conversational Tone

Writing in a conversational tone can help your content align with the natural language queries used in voice search. Use simple, easy-to-understand language, and avoid jargon or overly complex sentences. By creating content that is easy to read and understand, you increase the likelihood of your content being picked up by voice search devices.

Prioritize Mobile-Friendly Design

With many voice searches conducted on mobile devices, ensuring that your SaaS blog is mobile-friendly is essential for optimizing voice search performance. Use responsive design to make your blog accessible and visually appealing on all devices, and prioritize fast page load times to improve user experience and search engine rankings.

Example: HubSpot's Voice Search Optimization

Inbound marketing and sales software provider HubSpot is a prime example of a SaaS company that has effectively optimized its blog content for voice search. HubSpot's blog features content that is structured around questions, utilizes long-tail keywords, and is written in a conversational tone. Additionally, HubSpot's website is mobile-friendly and utilizes schema markup to improve search engine visibility.

By employing these voice search optimization strategies, HubSpot is better positioned to reach and engage users who rely on voice-enabled devices for their search needs.