Optimizing Content for Voice Search [LNIM125 Transcript]

by | Feb 7, 2017 | Internet Marketing Podcast Transcripts | 0 comments

Optimizing Content for Voice Search [LNIM125 Transcript]

This is the full transcript for Episode 125. For the show notes and audio, see LNIM125 Show Notes.

Marketing Lessons from an Escape Room

I recently took my team from my day job to Escape Expert in Plano, Texas for a team building exercise. The marketing strategy at this escape room business was textbook:

  1. As soon as you walk in, they ask you to check in on Facebook. Big signs with the Facebook logo are everywhere.
  2. When you escape, they give you fun signs (“I'm a genius,” “I crushed it”) and take a photo.
  3. They post the photo to Facebook so you can tag yourself and share it.
  4. On the way out, they ask for a Yelp review.

Two lessons here. First, always ask for the conversion you want. They asked for the check-in, the share, and the review. Second, create something shareable. The goofy victory photo made people want to share it. If you can create content or experiences that are fun, valuable, or worth talking about, organic social media marketing becomes much easier.

Call to Action Fatigue

Cliff Ravenscraft raised an important issue on his podcast about what he called product launch fatigue. His real concern was about call to action fatigue: the experience of having most of your content channels polluted with constant promotion. When every piece of content is designed to sell, it stops feeling like content and starts feeling like advertising.

My perspective: the only way I can help you is if I get you to do something. A call to action is not inherently bad. The question is whether you honestly believe the action will benefit the person you are asking. If the answer is yes, you should make that call to action confidently. If the answer is “I just want the commission,” you have a problem.

Voice Search Optimization

Google reported that approximately 20% of mobile searches were done by voice, and that number was growing rapidly. Between Amazon Echo devices, Siri, and Google Assistant, voice search was becoming a fundamental part of how people find information.

Featured Snippets Are the Prize

When someone searches by voice, the device typically reads back a featured snippet from Google's search results. These snippets appear at the very top of the results page and can take up 40% or more of the visible screen on desktop. The click-through rate for these positions is enormous.

How to Optimize for Voice Search

  1. Add FAQ sections to your content. Include questions phrased the way people actually speak, not the way they type. “How do I update the firmware on my Canon 7D?” rather than “Canon 7D firmware update.”
  2. Use H-tags for questions and provide concise answers. Google looks for clear question-answer pairs formatted with proper heading structure.
  3. Include relevant images near your answers. Google often pulls an accompanying image into the featured snippet.
  4. Focus on who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. These are the natural conversational queries people use with voice assistants.
  5. Think conversationally. Voice search queries tend to be longer and more natural than typed queries. “How do I bake a cake?” versus “cake recipe.” Structure your content to match how people actually talk.

Key Takeaways

  • Voice search queries are conversational and longer than typed searches
  • Featured snippets are the primary result for voice search responses
  • Add FAQ sections with conversational questions and concise answers to your content
  • Use proper heading structure (H-tags) for questions
  • Include images near question-answer sections for richer featured snippets
  • Create shareable experiences and always ask for the conversion you want

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this episode in February 2017. Voice search has grown dramatically but differently than expected. Smart speakers (Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple HomePod) became mainstream household devices. However, voice search has not replaced typed search as aggressively as many predicted. Instead, voice tends to be used for quick factual queries, smart home control, and hands-free situations rather than for extended research.

Featured snippets have evolved significantly. Google now shows a wider variety of snippet formats including tables, lists, and video snippets. The core advice about structuring content with clear Q&A formatting remains the best approach for earning these positions. Google has also introduced AI Overviews (formerly SGE) which generate synthesized answers from multiple sources, making well-structured, authoritative content even more important.

Conversational search has expanded beyond voice. Google's understanding of natural language queries has improved dramatically. Whether someone types or speaks their query, Google processes conversational language effectively. Optimizing for natural question-based queries benefits all search, not just voice.

The Yoast article on voice search that Mark references has been updated multiple times and remains a useful resource at yoast.com/voice-search.

Resources Mentioned

Related Episodes

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/. Have a question for Mark? Call the digital recorder at 214-444-8655 or drop a comment below.

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