Whether you prefer Siri, Cortana, Alexa or Google Voice Search, there’s no denying that speech recognition technology has taken off. It’s no surprise the trend has gained momentum: voice assistants and smart speakers give people the option to quickly and conveniently find the information they need, without the hassle of trying to type queries on a small mobile device.
With 20% of all searches made in the Google app now conducted with voice, voice search is quickly becoming one of the most important SEO trends your hotel needs to be aware of in 2018.
In today’s blog, we’ll look at how you can optimise your website to ensure you rank highly for guests using voice search to plan their breaks online.
Get Conversational
Speaking is a more natural way to interact with a search engine than typing a query and as a result, the majority of voice searches tend to be conducted in more conversational language, with searchers using full sentences and questions rather than a few keywords. For example, while someone may type into a search engine, “Brisbane hotels,” a person using a voice assistant may ask, “where should I stay tonight in Brisbane?” Because of this, the use of key phrases commencing with ‘who’, ‘how’ ‘what’ or ‘where’ are on the incline.
A great way to incorporate more conversational language into your hotel’s website is by thinking about the kind of questions travellers typically have about your property, which you may get asked over social media, email, web chat or in person at reception. You can then add a FAQ section addressing these concerns. This will help build trust and authority with your audience, while simultaneously incorporating plenty of conversational content into your website.
Target Long-Tail Keywords
Compared to shorter, high demand phrases like “Brisbane hotels”, long-tail keywords consist of four or more words and are more specific, for example “budget family hotels Brisbane”. Guests using voice search are more likely to use these more targeted search phrases, and they’re potentially more valuable to your hotel since they demonstrate that the traveller in question knows exactly what they’re looking for and are likely to be further along the booking funnel. Including long tail keywords in your content can help you get noticed and clicked on more, as they better represent the direction SEO is moving in with the advent of voice search.
Build A Mobile Friendly Website
Since the growth of voice search and the continued growth of mobile go hand in hand, it goes without saying that ensuring your hotel’s website is optimised for travellers browsing from a smaller screen is an absolute necessity.
Check your website now using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. If your website is not optimised for mobile, then it simply will not rank as highly, which translates directly to less clicks, traffic and bookings.
Local Listings
Almost 25% of people using voice search are on the hunt for local information, so it’s crucial to consider local SEO strategies as part of your hotel’s search marketing campaigns. If you haven’t done so already, claim your Google My Business listing and ensure it is fully complete with your business address, telephone number, opening hours and more. This way, if a traveller asks a voice assistant to “find hotels near me”, they can find your listing, get directions and call you all within a few taps. Your website content and meta data should also be optimised for important city and location based keywords, such as “hotels in Mermaid Beach.”
Voice search is expected to account for 50% of all search queries by 2020, according to ComScore. Don’t get left behind. Start optimising your website for mobile users making more conversational, longer-tail searches today.
How have you adapted your hotel’s SEO strategies in the wake of voice search? Let us know in the comments below!
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