Law Firm Marketing Agency
Hey Siri, Okay Google, Alexa…where can I find a good lawyer? Robot assistants have made verbal queries easier and more popular than ever. But what does this mean for attorney websites? Is it really necessary to optimize your law firm’s website for voice search?
You can and you should optimize—because voice search is not going anywhere. Besides, it’s not as difficult as you may think to please the robot overlords and find new clients online. Once you understand the basics of how it works, you can apply the power of voice search to finetune your website and connect with people online who want to find you.
What is voice search and why does it matter?
A voice search is when someone speaks a query into a search engine, smart speaker, or smartphone instead of typing it. Currently, about 40% of adults in the U.S. use voice search at least once per day.
Here’s why it matters: People phrase things differently when speaking versus typing. So, in order to succeed with SEO and appear at the top of the first Search Engine Results Page (SERP), your website needs to optimize for both spoken and written phrases.
For instance, when speaking, you might ask your smartphone, “Hey Siri, what’s the nearest Thai food restaurant?” If you are typing a query into Google, you might search for “Thai restaurants near me.” The key phrases are related—but different.
Voice search is here to stay—optimization is not optional
In the past two years, technology has improved drastically. Wearable devices, smart speakers, and algorithms all got smarter and faster. Plus, more people were forced to stay home due to the global pandemic. The result has been a major increase in voice searches since 2020.
Here’s the reality: You can’t avoid this trend as voice searches will only continue to grow in popularity. The good news is that it is possible to optimize your site for voice search if you know a few simple strategies.
Tips for how to optimize for voice search
From using the right language to getting help from a web developer, here are five tips for how to optimize a website for voice search:
1. Use conversational language. People tend to use casual language in voice queries so the text on your website should reflect this. No legal jargon!
2. Include long-tail keywords—especially questions. In addition to “motorcycle accident lawyers in Seattle”, include “How do I find the best motorcycle accident lawyer in Seattle?” Hint: FAQs are a great way to smoothly include keywords that are questions.
3. Focus on local SEO. Claim and complete your Google My Business listing. This can help you place in Google’s Map Pack and reach locals who are looking for an attorney.
4. Optimize your site for mobile users. Your website should be fully responsive with fast load times for mobile visitors.
5. Ask your web developer for help. Developers can enhance the backend of your website with things like a schema markup that will make a big difference to voice search and SEO. Your visitors won’t notice this, but your invisible audience (search bots) will!
Review and next steps
You can get ahead of the competition by embracing the power of voice search for your law firm’s website.
- Voice search queries are usually slightly different than typed queries—and both matter.
- Voice searches are currently 40% of all online queries, and this number is growing.
- Optimizing your website for voice search requires using the right language, focusing on local SEO, and delivering a mobile-friendly experience.
Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone! Reach out to the Omnizant team and find out how your firm could take advantage of this powerful tool.