Voice Search Strategy in 2020

Transcript

1. Voice Search Strategy in 2020 April 16, 2020
2. Agenda Today we will learn: - Which data sources each voice device uses to supply its answers and which you can influence. - How to know if a voice search optimization (VSO) project makes sense for your overall SEO goals. - How to conduct a voice search audit to find opportunities. - How to easily create and test a Google Action. - How to tie your voice search goals to measurable outcomes and what you *can* measure with voice search.
3. Katherine Watier Ong, CEO • 20+ years of communications experience - 15 years of online marketing experience. • Previously built and ran the online strategy and analytics team servicing Ketchum’s clients globally. • Built first website in 1994. • Crash three websites due to too much traffic. • Wrote master’s thesis on consumer adoption of wearable computers. • Host of Digital Marketing Victories podcast
4. Brands Katherine Watier Ong has worked with
5. Voice search landscape 2020 Overview
6. Most Speaker Owners use Voice Search
7. Social Distancing is Increasing Use In Quarantine, ⅓ of smart speaker owners are using their devices more Research source
8. Which search engine powers the most results? 8
9. Smart Speakers - Installed 75% Bing 25% Google CIPR August 2019 data Most people Adobe surveyed said they use their smart devices either daily or many times a day (75%). 77% reported increased use of their smart speakers.
10. Voice Assistants on Smartphones Google Google Bing 74% Google
11. Which search engine powers the results? *Note - Siri uses Apple maps for map results 55% Bing
12. Smart Displays 61% Bing 33% Google
13. What % can we “own”? Microsoft Digital Assistant Report
14. Making the case for a voice search project
15. Does your demographic over index? 50% of age 65+ users use voice search 1-3 times per day! Source: Search Engine Land
16. Is your business local? 70% of voice searchers look for local information weekly or more.
17. Are there unanswered questions? Rabbit and Pork research
18. Can you rank? It depends on the source for the answer.
19. Knowing the source of the answers is key! 19 Google/Bing Google only Amazon The search engines’ Knowledge Graph and entity understanding. Featured snippet copy pulled from a URL/video (Google/Bing). Schema.org powered Google Actions (from your website) or built Actions. Alexa - Skills, Amazon’s product database, Alexa Answers - the crowd sourced datasource, the search engine’s Knowledge Graph, Yext, Bing. *Depends on the device and the query*
20. Ranking depends on the question 20 Type of Question Pulled from Requirement Fact-based questions Knowledge Graph (KG) Rank page one Brand info Wikipedia* Accurate info in Wikipedia News Search engine’s news algorithm Be a Google news source Product Research Search Engine Algo, Featured Snippets or KG, schema.org markup. For products sometimes by other Amazon users Rank page one, be in Google product feed, or rank well on Amazon
21. Are you already getting voice queries?
22. Look for keywords that seem spoken Export Voice keyword volume in Bing or Google Webmaster Tools. You can guess based on which queries look like voice search queries - more natural language type queries in Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console. Real live client example (from Bing): *Note - consider hand-checking that the query is not an autocomplete. **Note - Amazon does not provide keyword data unless you’ve already built an action.
23. Not tracked in Google Search Console • Featured Snippets • Filtered navigation in Featured Snippets • People Also Ask
24. Does your audience use voice search?
25. Run customer surveys/focus groups Recommendations: Google surveys, UserTesting search studies Test/Ask: • Current voice use and device preference • Types of queries conducted and satisfaction • Real live tests based on your target topics A test like this, but with voice inputs:
26. See if you have a shot - Google
27. Requirements for Voice Search Ranking 1. Currently ranking page one with a succinct answer 2. Fast page speed 3. Strong Knowledge Graph presence 4. Google product feed 5. Google My Business 6. Schema.org markup that creates a Google action or custom Google Action that fulfills intent. 27 Source
28. Do you “own” a Featured Snippet? ⅓ of the time FS are used as the voice answer • Featured Snippets are pulled from Google page one. • Are you ranking on page one? ◦ Featured Snippet and PAA rankings (Bing and Google) are only trackable with SEO Tool: (GetStat, SEMRush, and Ahrefs).
29. 1. Can you rank on page one? ❏ Do you have enough EAT (Expertise, Authority and Trust) to rank page one for YMYL queries? ❏ (check the search results page per query) ❏ Does your content answer the searcher’s intent? ❏ Does your content match the format Google is displaying? ❏ Are your pages loading fast enough? 29
30. 2. Is the page loading fast enough? How fast? 1.16 seconds (desktop); 1.10 (mobile) How to fix? • GtMetrix • Google Lighthouse • Page Speed Insights • WebPageTest — where you can stack your page speed up against your competitors, or change phone models and locations. • Google Analytics Page Timings report. 30
31. 3. Are you in the Knowledge Graph? Google’s Knowledge Graph is its entity database that is used in its algorithm. Getting your brand in the Knowledge Graph involves: 1. That your brand and products are appropriately mentioned in databases that Google/Bing uses for the Knowledge Graph (Wikipedia, Wikidata, Google Scholar, GMB, Mayo Clinic) 2. Your site has schema.org markup. 3. Your site links out to your Google database references. 31
32. FYI: Careful with editing wikipedia • Don’t. You’ll lose your account. • Get savvy about Wikipedia first. Read this primer. • Have a conversation on the “talk” pages. • Best to use a Wikipedia coach who can help you set up a good argument with supportive documentation to get the editor to take your “suggestion” seriously. New pages need even more of an effort. • I recommend this service. 32
33. 4. and 5. GMB and/or Google Product feed? • Check listing accuracy: Moz.com/local ◦ Google My Business (Maps) ◦ Bing Maps ◦ Apple Maps ◦ Yelp ◦ Local directories and data aggregators ◦ Brand website ◦ Page load speed • Product feed: inside Google Merchant Center 33
34. 6. Can you rank with a Google Action?
35. See if you have a shot - Amazon
36. Alexa Info rankings - Checklist • Active with Yext (local queries)? • Amazon Choice product? • Answers in Alexa Answers? • Bing optimization? • Product optimized for Amazon? • Alexa Skill with CanFulfillIntentRequest?
37. Alexa Product Recommendations Pulled from the Amazon’s Choice program, which is chosen algorithmically by Amazon. Factors for being selected: 1. Be available via Prime through the Fulfillment by Amazon or through the Seller Fulfilled Prime program 2. Looks at price, rating, reviews, and shipping speed. 3. Amazon SEO basics: a. Having high image quality b. Using Amazon guidelines for product title c. Optimize keywords and description d. Supplying structured data to allow for customer filtering e. Focusing on conversions
38. You have a shot! Creating a voice search plan 38
39. Voice Audit Process (Google/Bing) 1. Run keyword research. 2. Check SERPs for brand dominance, overall ranking opportunities. 3. Check voice device responses, note answers. 4. Create an optimization plan for the queries that seem to have potential. Write for Featured Snippets. 5. Note Wikipedia improvements. *For local queries, you can use Voice Readiness Tool/ 39
40. Test & Note Opportunities • Fill in lack of answer? • Usurp competitors?
41. Local Intent Opportunities
42. Local voice search ranking elements • Google My Business (Maps) • Bing Maps • Apple Maps • Yelp • Local directories and data aggregators • Brand website • Page load speed
43. You need different tactics for Bing
44. Bing: Featured Snippet differences • Answers queries with their AI-powered ‘intelligent answers,’ • Contains multiple pieces of information pulled from different sources.
45. Bing: Featured Snippet differences Bing also might show multi-perspective answers.
46. Need more help? I have a full Bing Featured Snippet Optimization Guide and more here.
47. “Building” Google Actions 47
48. Building a Google Action How-to is here. You can explore all existing actions here. Templates you can use to build an action are here. • Trivia • Personality quiz • Flash cards • How to videos Needs to meet Google’s content guidelines. Can track interaction with the Google Actions Console.
49. Why (Schema.org) is Critical 1. Provides data to Google’s topic layer and the searcher’s journey. 2. Helps to generate knowledge cards and rich snippets (higher CTR) 3. Helps disambiguate 4. Used by all search engines and other database systems 5. Used by Pinterest to populate article, product, and recipe rich pins. 6. Used by Google Assistant, creates media actions in Google search. 49
50. Schema.org can = SERP Features Reviews Q/A Article
51. How To Schema.org = Google Action How to markup instructions . 51
52. FAQ Schema.org (QA) = Google Action FAQ page instructions. 52
53. Speakable Schema.org = Google Action Identifies sections within an article or webpage that are best suited for audio playback using text-to-speech (TTS) Instructions here • Rewrite the top of the story to break up information into individual sentences so that it reads more clearly for TTS. • Don’t add speakable structured data to content that may sound confusing in voice-only and voice-forward situations. • Two to three sentences. Per section of speakable structured data *Note* follow the guidelines, test your markup, and submit for inclusion, and no longer just for news sites
54. Alexa Skills Organic Discovery
55. Limited discovery for Alexa Skills • Organic discovery - just triggered by invocation term or CanFillIntentRequest. • Can be found via browsing Amazon.com Alexa Skills section. • Requires a full marketing plan, review generation.
56. Measuring Voice Search
57. Set R& D Goals • Recommend implementing with an R&D mentality - a brand impressions play • Communicate what IS measurable and what is NOT • Supplement with pre- and post-focus group and survey data.
58. Audio/Voice rankings? • None of the SEO software tools report on actual audio rankings ◦ What is read out at for the query to the user. • You have to hand-test yourself on the various devices ◦ Note: Results will become personalized to you and your history, which would skew your results. 58
59. Measure: Customer Focus Groups Recommendations: UserTesting search studies Test/Ask: • Before launch of Google action/FS optimization and after • Real live situational tests based on the searcher’s problem. A test like this, but with voice inputs: 59
60. Voice Sources that are measured as “direct” • Google Assistant & Home • Alexa • Siri • Mobile search apps & widgets • Apple iOS Safari (after version 6) All measured as “direct” in Google Analytics. 60
61. Featured Snippet Rankings 1. You need an SEO tool (Ahrefs, SEMRush, GetStat). 2. Rankings are volatile. 3. They all measure PAAs too. 61
62. Measuring Mobile Rankings Accurately • MobileMoxie Search Simulator • Chrome DevTools • SEOmonitor • AccuRanker • Stat • SERPChecker 62 50% of the time mobile SERPs don’t match desktop
63. Google Action Measurement You can measure: 1. Conversations and length 2. Usage and retention over time 3. How the action was invoked a. built-in intent b. implicit invocation or c. action link 63
64. Amazon Alexa Measurement 64
65. Resources • Google’s guidelines on what content they think is high quality to be read Google Assistant users. • Get all of the voice strategy resources here. ◦ Voice Marketing Strategy checklist ◦ Google Featured Snippets writing guide + checklist ◦ Bing Featured Snippets writing guide + checklist ◦ Page Load Improvement checklist
66. Questions?
67. KATHERINE WATIER ONG 202-930-1744 katherine@wostrategies.com www.linkedin.com/in/katherinewatier www.WOStrategies.com