From the SMX East Conference in New York City, September 27-29, 2016. SESSION: Optimizing Content For Voice Search & Virtual Assistants. PRESENTATION: Content For The Voice Search Generation - Given by Jennifer Slegg, @jenstar - The SEM Post, Editor. #SMX #32A

1. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Is Your Content Ready?
Content for the
Voice Search
Generation

2. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
About Me
Jennifer Slegg
Founder/Editor of
The SEM Post
You can find me at
@jenstar
@TheSEMPost
www.TheSEMPost.com

3. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Why Should Marketers Care
About Voice Search?
How Can You Create Voice
Search Friendly Content?
Finding the Voice Search
Queries You Rank For

4. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
20% of mobile queries are voice…
… and that number is rising.
Last year, the number of voice searches have doubled – have
more than doubled – than the year before.
Source: Gary Illyes, Google
http://www.thesempost.com/number-of-voice-searches-in-google-doubled-in-last-year/
Why Should Marketers Care About Voice Search?

5. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Over half of US teens &
41% of US adults use voice
search…
… on a DAILY basis.
Why Should Marketers Care About Voice Search?

6. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
30x more action queries with voice search.
We get about 30 times more action queries by voice than by
typing. So there is definitely a shift happening.
Source: Mariya Moeva, Google
http://www.thesempost.com/google-voice-searches-30-times-like-action-queries/
Why Should Marketers Care About Voice Search?

7. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Your most important action query
Why Should Marketers Care About Voice Search?

8. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Not Just Mobile… But Desktop Too

9. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Not Just Mobile… But Assistants Too

10. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
So What Are They Searching For?

11. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Local Business or Website?
22%
Local Info
21%
30%
27%
Voice Queries
Local Information
Fun & Entertainment
General Information
Personal Assistant

12. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Fun & Entertainment
22%
21%
Entertainment
30%
27%
Voice Queries
Local Information
Fun & Entertainment
General Information
Personal Assistant

13. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Voice search queries have more featured snippets (aka “answer
box”) than text queries
• 43.3% for voice queries
• 40.6% for text queries
More importantly, Google often reads
these answers to the searcher, starting with
According to [Your Site Name]…
Featured Snippets

14. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Google reinforces your brand in
voice search when you get the
featured snippet.
“According to The Food
Network…”
Featured Snippets

15. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
But we can’t all be big well known
brands… but Google does the same
for small brands too!
“According to The SEM Post…”
“We found this information on The
SEM Post…”
Featured Snippets

16. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
RankBrain… Google’s Latest Algo Piece

17. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
• Stronger influence on 15% search queries Google has never seen
previously.
• Able to better rank conversational search queries with keywords
like “without”.
• Third most important signal (behind content & links).
RankBrain… Google’s Latest Algo Piece

18. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
So how do you optimize for RankBrain?
Conversational search…
(yes, voice queries tend to be conversational search)
Source: http://www.thesempost.com/google-how-to-optimize-for-googles-rankbrain/
RankBrain… Google’s Latest Algo Piece

19. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
So Now We Know Why Voice Search is Awesome
But How Does Voice Search Affect Content Strategy?

20. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Queries are LONGER for voice search.
Searchers can SPEAK many times faster than TYPING
• Conversational search
Average query length for voice: 4.2
Average query length for text: 3.2
Think Long Tail

21. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
This is time to shine for…
• Less competitive queries
• Lower search volume
• Higher intent!
Although long tail keywords are searched for less, they also tend to be more
likely to convert…
Think Long Tail

22. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Finding your long tails to create voice friendly content
“Loans” – still plenty of long tail
Think Long Tail

23. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Think Long Tail

24. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Are You Answering the Question
That Many Voice Queries Are Asking?

25. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
There is a 61% growth in queries starting with…
• Who
• What
• Where
• How
Are You Answering the Question?

26. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Almost 10% of voice search queries start with…
But only 3.7% of text queries do
Are You Answering the Question?

27. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
“How” – 3.6% of ALL voice search queries
“What” – 3.5% of ALL voice search queries
Are You Answering the Question?

28. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
ADDED BONUS
These tend to be
Featured Snippets
for brand
reinforcement!
Are You Answering the Question?

29. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
how to make chai tea latte
how to make latte art
how to make latte
how to make a latte at home
how to make a chai latte
how to make green tea latte
how to make pumpkin spice latte
how to do latte art
how to make a pumpkin spice latte
how to make matcha latte
Giving “Latte” the Voice Search Keyword Treatment
what is in a latte
what is a chai tea latte
what is the difference between a latte and a
cappuccino
what is a cafe latte
what is in a chai tea latte
what is a latte macchiato
what is a mocha latte
what is in a pumpkin spice latte
what is a skinny latte

30. #SMX #32A @Jenstar

31. #SMX #32A @Jenstar

32. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Is Your Local Business
Voice Search Ready?
Probably Not….

33. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
• Mobile Friendly
• … and start to think about AMP
• Text Information (No Flash / Splash)
• This includes address, hours, phone number
• Brands you sell (not just logos!)
Voice Ready Local Content

34. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
• Information people search for about your business
• Are you known for being “near [Location / Landmark]”
Add it!
• Add a FAQ
Voice Ready Local Content

35. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
• Restaurants…
• If menu is PDF, add featured menu items to a regular non-PDF page
(PDFs can be hard for some mobiles, and usually not
mobile friendly)
Voice Ready Local Content

36. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Finding Your Voice Queries

37. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
• Who
• What
• Where
• How
• Implied queries
Finding Likely Voice Queries in Search Analytics

38. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Use Search Analytics to find likely featured snippets
OR paid third party tools track featured snippets
(and you can check your competitor’s featured snippets too)…
Bonus: Finding Featured Snippets

39. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
By 2020…
• 200 billion voice search queries per month
• 50% of search queries.
Source: comScore
Will your content be ready?
And Two Final Stats…

40. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
Jennifer Slegg
Founder/Editor of The SEM Post
You can find me at
@jenstar
@TheSEMPost
www.TheSEMPost.com
Thank You

41. #SMX #32A @Jenstar
LEARN MORE: UPCOMING @SMX EVENTS
THANK YOU!
SEE YOU AT THE NEXT #SMX