Voice search optimisation is the practice of boosting your online presence by making it easier to find with voice searches. Many people now use digital voice assistants such as Siri or Alexa to find information on search engines such as Google, and the structure and tone of these queries is different to written queries.
Therefore, to make the most of your pharmacy website, it is important to design it for both written and spoken word searches. The voice search is not just a passing trend; it is estimated that around half of all adults use voice search technology at least once a day, and this figure may be even higher for customers with particular healthcare needs.
For example, older people with conditions such as arthritis may find typing on a phone or sitting at a desktop device difficult, but are able to use voice commands. This makes the process faster and easier, helping people to access the products and services that they need. Here are some steps to optimise your website for voice search.
Research relevant keywords
Voice search keywords tend to sound more natural and are longer than text searches. These are sometimes referred to as ‘long-tail keywords.’ They often include question phrases, such as ‘what’s the best treatment for a cold?’ or ‘how do I get a flu jab?’. You can use tools such as Google Analytics or SEMrush to research the best long-tail keywords for your website.
Do not be afraid to include longer phrases that are less popular (as long as they are relevant for your website) because they will have less competition, and may actually help to increase your online visibility.
Use responsive design
Most voice searches are conducted on mobile devices, so it’s important to have a responsive website design that displays and functions well across a range of screen scales and devices. This is not only to enhance your SEO, but is now standard practice for any business that wants to remain competitive in the digital age.
Optimise the page load speed
Voice search is faster than text search, and responds best to sites with fast page loading speeds. Review your website design and minimise the use of non-essential plug-ins and dense scripts that will slow down loading times.
Beware of slow loading images that take up a lot of bandwidth. Specify the proper dimensions of each image in the markup, and use the right formats such as JPEG or PNG. A content delivery network (CDN) can help to speed up image delivery, and boost the overall loading times for your site.
Develop targeted content
When creating content such as blogs, articles, and product descriptions on your site, tailor it for voice searches by using a conversational tone and question and answer formats. All content should be relevant and useful for your target audience and regularly updated to ensure it is picked up in searches and addresses the needs of your customers.