At the beginning of this year, articles that try to predict SEO for 2018 cite voice search as the big trend that should not be missed. Especially since we will have to adapt to the new mobile-first index

If you’re wondering what to do about this evolution and how you can put in place actions to make your content respond to user-dictated queries, I offer you some techniques that will help you maintain visibility for this type of search.

All technology providers, not just Google, are investing in virtual assistants — and by extension, voice search.

• Google with Google Assistant,
• Apple with Siri,
• Amazon with Alexa,
• Microsoft with Cortana,
• Samsung with their new Bixby,
• Yandex who introduced us to Alice — the first AI voice assistant for the Russian market.

And I’m omitting some, including those from brands working on autonomous cars

Add to that Amazon Echo and Google Home trying to “make you happy” by obeying your commands to listen to music or audiobooks, create to-do lists, set alarms, and control smart devices in your home.

Even refrigerators are becoming smart and sociable… All that remains is to get the bins to put them on the sidewalk on Tuesday morning…

Although virtual assistants have been around for a few years now, this phenomenon is still in its early stages, and new developments are expected very soon.

Whether you’re skeptical or enthusiastic, according to MindMeld, in 2015, voice search on smartphones went from nothing to 50 billion searches per month at the start of 2018.

Go to the second part of the article

A statistic not to be neglected.

SEO agency HigherVisibility published a survey of a panel of 2000 mobile phone users and found that 27% of respondents use voice search assistants daily, while another 27% use them at least once a week.

Increasingly personalized results

Voice assistants rely on your natural language processing.

This means that over time, these algorithms learn the unique patterns of the person speaking to them, their preferences in restaurants, transportation, stores, and other components of their behavior.

Based on this knowledge, virtual assistants then provide tailored and relevant search results that vary from user to user.

The rise of voice assistants has dramatic implications for brands that rely on search to drive traffic to their site.

Voice search has some fundamental differences from typographic search. We’ll talk about this in more detail later in the article and tell you what to do to gain these visits to your site.

Voice-based commerce represents a whole new challenge for commercial enterprises (e-commerce) that must adapt to this world where most of the traffic that converts is mobile.

This is really a new path, almost a new market for SEO specialists because we will be committed to ensuring that our customers remain the preferred sites of voice assistants in the mobile first SERP. And it is clear that the competition will be much more difficult, given this personalization of results.

Think mobile first.

The convenience that goes hand in hand with voice search is generally associated with the use of mobile devices, we are talking about queries made on smartphones. And following this rise in mobile use, Google will move to mobile first by mid-2018, an index independent of that of desktop computers.

Once this tool is deployed, mobile indexing will overtake that performed for desktops.

The reasons are logical: Voice searches are

• fast (you can speak ~150 words per minute compared to 40 written words per minute),
• Hands-free
• reliable (voice recognition is becoming more and more accurate).

Look at these numbers:

“Google’s voice search queries in 2016 have increased 35-fold in 8 years”

(Google Trends via Search Engine Watch).

According to Google, more than half of all queries will be voice by 2020.

Of course, it’s not a disaster. Voice search isn’t going to kill those typed on a keyboard, nor are mobile devices going to eliminate the use of desktop computers… although some people are seriously questioning it, this is called the Mobilegeddon.

The neologism Mobilegeddon was used to designate the date of April 21, 2015 . Date of deployment of the algorithm, which was supposed to favor mobile-compatible sites in its results pages displayed on smartphones (mobile S.E.R.Ps).
The term Mobilegeddon was chosen for its “terrifying” connotation, which was supposed to image unprecedented upheavals in terms of positioning.

The year 2018 is announced as a second Mobilegeddon with the implementation of the mobile first index.

The Mobile First Index refers to a different way of analyzing and judging a website by Google. The mobile-first version is preferred rather than the desktop version, (as before. The mobile relevance identified is then used by the desktop and mobile engines.

Smartphones are so present in our lives that most of us can’t imagine doing without them, no matter what we use them for. Check the notifications, you don’t leave the house without him (under penalty of chronic anxiety).

This trend is changing our search behaviors and habits as Internet users.

When it comes to finding a short and succinct answer on the web, people lean towards mobile. This attitude even has a name, micromoments. These are those moments when we turn to our smartphone to solve an immediate need, look for information at the moment when a question comes to mind, relieve boredom in a wait:

• consult for a possible purchase,
• find inspiration,
• compare a price,
• choose a bar, a restaurant,
• Search for airline ticket prices.

Google divides micromoments into 4 types:

These micro-moments create a real battlefield for brands.

65% of smartphone users agree that when they search on their smartphone, they expect the most relevant information, regardless of the company providing it.

Urgency is a key factor here.

Your website must be displayed at the moment of the request, it must be fast and efficient to win over this consumer ready to move on to the next site. And so…

How to check this perfect “smartphone compatibility”?

1. Use Google Search Console.

(if this is not done)

• Add and verify the mobile version of your site in Google Search Console.

2. Test the mobile-friendly compatibility of your pages.

Before you proceed with the test, remember that “mobile-friendliness” is evaluated for each page, which means that they should be checked one by one. A bit long…
You can save time with WebSite Auditor, which integrates Google’s official test.

Do a thorough “mobile” audit .

On this side, an SEO expert will probably be the best resource, but this article from MOZ provides some serious clues as to the parameters to be taken into consideration.

3. Keep all your resources indexable.

Make sure your mobile site isn’t blocking

• CSS
• JavaScript,
• footage
• Videos

This happens in the robots.txt and at the server level

4. Avoid Flash for good.

Flash is not supported by almost any mobile browser.
This is not a first-rate scoop, flash sites that are already very handicapped in SEO are doomed on smartphones.

Optimize loading time.

40% of mobile users will wait no more than three seconds before abandoning a site (do you?).
Image optimization and image compression are the easiest ways to improve the speed and mobile UX (user experience) of your website.

Even though there are block image processing solutions, I remain convinced that the best work is achieved through optimization via software like

The search for new keywords related to ” talking “.

There is a curious phenomenon in the comparison oftypographical and vocal research. When you type, you’re using a number of distinct keywords that succinctly reflect what you’d like to discover. The syntax doesn’t matter anymore, you can keep it short.

On the other hand, when you talk to your phone or any other device, you kind of treat it like a living creature, thus expressing your questions as questions or statements that sound natural.

In fact, Google reports that 70% of the questions answered by Google Assistant are expressed in natural language.

As you can guess, the keyword research approach for these types of queries will need to be significantly different. Voice search is more focused on long-form conversational keywords and questions that people are likely to ask.

Key phrases of more than four or five words are considered ” long tails “. If they are less competitive, because they are less typed on the keyboard, they are more likely to convert thought more effectively

So, when you target such key phrases and phrases that answer the questions your potential customers are likely to ask, you’re much more likely to rank your page well in search results.

If Google responds differently to

” How to migrate a site to HTTPS without losing positions in Google results ” voice request…

The page ranked first most likely answers the question perfectly because it is very precise, the user is looking for a tutorial…

While if you type ” switch to HTTPS “, a short query typical of keystroke, Google’s answers are more widely interpreted, because the user’s intent is unclear and in this case, more global articles are highlighted, the results page shows very different results;
You can see that the results are very different, only two sites are in the top 9 both times.

Screenshots taken on January 12, 2018, click the image to enlarge

The principle of the long tail will apply to voice search…

The variety of questions asked (each one expresses itself differently to express the same request), combined with the profiles of the Internet users who ask them, will multiply the variations of results and give more chances to more sites, but fewer clicks than to sites only positioned on generic queries.

It is clear that the size of the article and the wording of the writing must be adapted as best as possible to appear in the SERP in all forms of research.

Continuation of the article (+ 1500 words in a week)

• How to adapt your content to voice queries
• Writing to stay on top of your game on mobile and desktop
• Relationship to “other questions asked“
• etc

Build your content around questions.

Pronouns — who, what, what, where, why, when, and how — are strongly associated with voice search queries because they are conversational in nature. It is therefore good practice to use this style and build your <title> with the pronoun while <h1> will answer the question.

The “highlights” feature on the first page of Google results ” people also ask ” even helps you find the questions that people are asking.

Click on the drawers of the “Other Questions Asked” results box and an infinite number of related questions will be displayed and added as you click on these results. After a few clicks, the questions can be repeated, but overall, it’s a magic box that opens up to new topics.

2. Create a Q page.

In the event that she? If the question and answer page (or FAQ) is a cool and easy way to optimize your site for queries that are made in the “who, what, when” mode, those long-tail key phrases that you use effortlessly while talking to your phone.

This section will ask and answer questions that are relevant to your content and your customers’ questions.

Also, regardless of the overall tone of your content, you’ll want to make sure to write in a conversational style in this type of article.

Position zero on a smartphone.

The so-called “zero position” is a block that is placed between the Adword and before all the SERP results that contain an “academic” type snippet, a definition, a generality — and which would be, according to the algorithm, the best quick information in response to the user’s query.

Unlike Google Knowledge Graph, the box contains a link to the source. While the same page will often be in the top 3 of natural results.

But we have seen zero positions that came from sites placed on the 7th page of the results, where no one goes…

It must therefore be admitted that position zero is an excellent opportunity to improve the visibility of a site by taking advantage of the resulting clicks.

With the rise of mobile and voice search, snippets have gained in real value.

What for?

Let’s see what’s on a smartphone:

The zero result takes up all the space on the screen!

If you do a voice search and your phone shows you a zero-position result, you’ll see that it takes up all the screen space. This makes this answer appear unique and has a huge chance of being clicked

Take Google Home as an example.

When the assistant answers the question with information from the web, it cites the source of that information with the name of the site, and it often sends the link to the “searcher’s” Google Home app.

How to optimize your page to be featured in this featured snippet.

Verify engagement metrics.

Your website as a whole, and the targeted page in particular, should be appreciated by Google, to the point that the engine considers your content to be the most relevant for the zero result.

Use Google Analytics to check which pages can be extracted.

Look at the authority of the pages that are higher than it in the tree structure (big DA, very consulted, benefiting from many quality links, etc.).

If you find that their engagement factors (bounce rate, CTR, session duration, new visitors, number of pages visited, etc.) are below average, it means that these pages need to be reviewed.

Make your content snippable.

You need to present Google with comprehensive content on the topic at hand and structure the speech perfectly.

In your essay, start with the most important, general, academic information to answer the question/topic of the article.

Then move on to more detail in the treatment of the subject and go beyond the direct answer and…

Add an optimized first image

Optimize the format.

Thanks to judicious and logical HTML formatting (<h> <Table>. <p> <Ul> <li> ) and by structuring your data (and tagging it in Search Console), you’ll guide Google to the nooks and crannies of the lexical fields and microdata it needs to consider your text and paste it into the magic box.

Format your target page based on the main types of snippets presented:

Paragraphs and headings : Think of a brief summary to answer a potential question, about 40-50 words to insert into the answer box. Format this paragraph in an HTML paragraph tag <p> and put this paragraph directly under the question header. This is the chapô

Tables: Google loves to include “tables” in these snippets because they’re much easier for computers to understand, unlike natural language paragraphs.

So, when it makes sense, add the tabular data or reformat the appropriate paragraphs in the tables. Mark the table on your page with a table> tag<.

Lists: Give your list <ul>/<li>> a title (H2) that matches the targeted keyword and format the points developed as subheadings.

Remember that Google can also create its own lists from the text. So, you can format your text with subheadings where it makes sense to do so. Google will then cut out your subtitles and list them chronologically.

Request reindexing.

Once you’ve made the changes to your pages, use Google Search Console to reindex them. Apparently, this tool sends the page to Google who processes it quickly.

Locally sought.

If you’re running a local business, this section is for you, as voice searches are often more location-focused than typed searches.

I mentioned earlier that voice searches come mostly from mobile devices, which are equipped with GPS, which allows users to perform searches that are interpreted by the engine as “Close to me”.

So when someone makes a targeted urgent request in an area where your service is offered, make sure you’re there, in the map.

According to Google, three out of four people who are looking for something with a local purpose using their smartphone go to the store during the day, and 28% of these searches result in a purchase.

How to do it:

Create a Google My Business page.

A Google My Business account is a must if you want to see your stores displayed in every neighborhood where they are located.

Make sure to provide correct and relevant information: an address, a map, contact details and working hours, including days off (don’t forget to update this information in case of moving).

Write a unique description for your business, choose the right categories, and upload at least five photos.

Finally, choose a quality photo. This photo doesn’t have to be a logo, but it should represent your company. Go for a square image, at least 250×250 pixels.

Get positive feedback.

Try to get feedback from your customers, this is an important criterion in ranking in Google’s local pack. Don’t cheat, but solicit them from your happy customers.

Here you can check out Google’s policies for comments. Take the time to respond to comments, even if it’s just to say thank you. This will be good for your file.

You can monitor mentions of your brand regularly, Google notifies you when someone writes you a review

Use microdata schema.org.

Using microdata can give your site a local ranking for unbranded keywords.

The Schema.org Local offers a variety of codes that you can use, including an address, phone, and hours of work.

Use this masterful guide on how to implement structured data markup.

Optimize AdWords campaigns for “Near me” searches.

If you’ve already launched an AdWords campaign for your local business, you can maximize your visibility for both voice and classic search by using the following tips:

Use AdWords localization extensions:

When you turn on location extensions in AdWords, the tool will display the address, phone number, and directions to your business under your ads. This is important if you want to appear in the “Close to me” searches.

Use Google Maps Local Search ads:

Not yet very popular, this type of ads appears above organic results in Google Maps and costs less than the search network. You can use this guide to learn how to use these types of ads.

One last piece of advice.

It is difficult to optimize voice aids and grasp their possibilities without experiencing them yourself. So try some of these devices, download the apps, play with them, observe how your family and friends interact with them. This will allow you to better feel the subtleties of how they work.

See what Google recommends

Google had already communicated in 2017 by publishing “what is good content from the perspective of using a voice assistant?” which gives a series of recommendations related to voice search.

But the most recent documentation is here, based on concrete examples.

Here is also a hangout on the subject – still John Muller who has lost a lot of weight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=412v=JLCwGo43fAY