Story Based Question
You run a popular blog about sustainable living, and you’ve started noticing a trend. More and more visitors are finding your content via voice search. Curious, you ask your voice assistant, “What are some eco-friendly lifestyle tips?” and your blog post titled “10 Simple Eco-Friendly Tips for Everyday Life” pops up first. This makes you think: “What types of content perform best for voice search, and how can I create more of it to boost my visibility?”
Exact Answer
The best types of content for voice search are concise, conversational, question-based, and local-focused. These include FAQs, how-to guides, listicles, product-related content, and structured data that directly answers user queries.
Explanation
Voice search is different from traditional search in how users interact with search engines. When people use voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, they typically ask questions in a conversational tone. Because of this, the content that performs best for voice search is designed to match these conversational queries and provide clear, direct answers. Here’s what you should focus on:
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Voice search queries are often questions. People ask, “How do I…?” or “What is…?” or “Where can I find…?” Content that addresses frequently asked questions is ideal for voice search. Answering questions in a natural, concise way ensures your content gets picked up when voice assistants pull up information.
- Example: If you run a cooking blog, having an FAQ page with direct answers to common questions like “How do I make vegan pancakes?” can increase your chances of appearing in voice search results.
- How-to Guides and Step-by-Step Instructions
- Voice search is often used to find solutions or learn something new. How-to guides that break down processes into clear steps work well because they align with common voice search queries like “How to build a birdhouse?” or “How do I plant tomatoes?”
- Example: A gardening website could create a post titled “How to Grow Organic Tomatoes in Your Backyard,” with easy-to-follow steps that directly answer the voice query.
- Listicles and Quick Facts
- Content that presents information in listicle format (e.g., “Top 10 eco-friendly habits”) works well for voice search. Users often ask for recommendations or summaries, and listicles are ideal for providing concise, digestible answers in a quick format.
- Example: A blog about eco-friendly living could create a post like “5 Easy Ways to Save Water Every Day” to match voice searches like “What are some ways to save water?”
- Product-Related Content and Reviews
- Voice search is often used for shopping-related queries, so product pages and reviews that provide specific, clear answers to questions about a product (e.g., “Is this eco-friendly?” or “How does this product work?”) perform well.
- Example: An e-commerce website selling sustainable home goods could optimize its product pages with questions like, “How does this bamboo toothbrush compare to plastic alternatives?”
- Local Content and Business Information
- Many voice search queries have a local intent, such as “Where can I find organic coffee near me?” or “What’s the best eco-friendly restaurant in [city]?” Content that includes local information, like business listings, local guides, or “near me” queries, performs well.
- Example: A local coffee shop could optimize content around the query “Where can I find eco-friendly coffee near me?” by ensuring they’re listed on Google My Business and their website provides quick answers for nearby users.
- Structured Data (Schema Markup)
- Implementing structured data or Schema markup on your website helps voice assistants better understand your content and present it in an easily accessible format. Structured data makes your content more likely to be featured in position 0 (the featured snippet).
- Example: A health and wellness blog can implement structured data to help voice assistants recognize when a recipe or health tip is well-organized, increasing the chances it will be read aloud in response to relevant voice queries.
Example
Let’s say you manage a blog on sustainable living, and you want to create content that performs well for voice search. Here’s what you could do:
- Step 1: You create an FAQ page answering common questions like “What are the benefits of using eco-friendly cleaning products?” and “How do I start a compost bin at home?” These concise, question-based answers align with voice search behavior.
- Step 2: You write a how-to guide titled “How to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint in 7 Simple Steps” with clear, actionable steps. People asking, “How can I reduce my carbon footprint?” will find your guide through voice search.
- Step 3: You publish a listicle called “10 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic” that provides quick, actionable tips, making it easy for voice assistants to provide a short and informative answer.
- Step 4: You create product pages for your eco-friendly merchandise with direct answers to questions like, “Is this product biodegradable?” or “How long does this product last?” These answers can be easily pulled by voice assistants when someone asks, “Is this eco-friendly?”
- Step 5: You optimize your blog with local search content by adding location-based keywords to your posts, like “Best eco-friendly restaurants in [city].” This helps voice assistants find your blog when users ask about local eco-friendly options.
- Step 6: You implement Schema markup to help Google understand your content, so your eco-friendly tips show up as featured snippets in response to voice search queries like, “What’s the best way to recycle plastic bottles?”
By tailoring your content to match voice search patterns, you increase the chances of being found through voice assistants and providing valuable, direct answers to users.
Content that performs best for voice search is conversational, concise, and answer-focused. By creating FAQs, how-to guides, listicles, product pages, and local content that aligns with voice search queries, you’ll improve your chances of ranking in voice search results.