There has been much debate about voice search, and its place within affiliate marketing and marketing in general. We dive in to take a look at where it is headed in 2019, giving tips on how you can incorporate it into your SEO efforts.
What is voice search?
As always, we will start with the basics. No longer do players need to type a search query into your desktop or mobile device, with the help of the likes of Siri and Alexa – they can simply ask a search engine a question directly and get the answer almost instantly. This internet progression has meant that marketers have re-evaluated their SEO strategy to include more conversational search terms. For example, instead of merely searching “online sports betting” – the user is more likely to ask: “what’s the best online sports betting site to bet on.” Google has reported that 65% of voice search queries have this type of conversational tone – which means you need to think about how your affiliate portal is being searched for as the number of voice search queries increases.
The growth in voice search
Of course, traditional search is still strong and significant; however, there is no doubt that voice search is growing at a fast rate. According to this blog we found on group.co.uk, half of all searches (50%) will be by voice by 2020. Thats a pretty big statistic. Initially, voice search hadn’t really been embraced by marketers or indeed affiliates, kind of like. how mobile wasn’t really endeared when it first came out, but with 2 in 5 adults performing a voice search at least once a day – it’s hard to ignore and very much real. Amazon Echo and Google Home devices are currently at the top of everyone’s shopping list – and research shows that come 2020, 50% of all searches will be voice searches. You need to be prepared to get your site ready to take on the market share.
How can affiliates take advantage of voice search?
There are lots of ways in which you can get your affiliate portal voice search ready. First of all, you should be creating content that keeps a conversation going rather than puts a stop to it, and importantly – make sure it answers a query or a question. Guides and FAQ sections are a great way to get voice search traffic, as well as long-tail keyword traffic. If there’s not a way to incorporate the search term into an FAQ, then make sure it’s highlighted somewhere in a blog. Think about how that user will ask the question and the context behind it. It’s also essential that you keep the content clear and simple. Bear in mind, people who are using voice search are doing so because it’s a more convenient method of search – they want to be able to easily find the information they are looking for when they get to your landing page. Be succinct in your message to the user for the best chance of being ranked for your chosen query.
As an affiliate – you’re keeping up to date with digital disruption it’s a key part of your job to follow the latest SEO and content marketing trends, and if voice search isn’t something you have included as part of your strategy so far – then make sure you think how you can use our tips to your advantage. Affiliate marketing is becoming much more sophisticated than ever before, so don’t take a backseat when it comes to new trends. Voice search is on the rise and you need to be adopting it.
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