“Hey Google, why can I not stop sneezing?” or “Alexa, where is the closest urgent care?”
These phrases have now become more common than not in homes, and the utilization of voice search is only poised to grow over the next few years. Today’s society has become infatuated with the theory of automation and fast results, and if your practice isn’t working towards being part of those fast results, you may just fall behind in very little time. While your marketing may seem to be working now, does voice search mean that you should change the way you’re thinking?
If your site’s not fast, it could be last.
Page speed has always been a factor within Google’s algorithm, and will most likely always continue to be. Not to mention, it’s one of the most crucial components when it comes to user experience. After all, people don’t want to wait for your site to load, especially if they’re looking for fast answers.
As devices that use voice search are looking for the most accurate, fast-loading results, it’s important that your site is quick when it comes to gathering results. Have your IT or marketing team take a look at the site to figure out what could cause it to load slower than your competitors and continuously improve upon those things. A thing to remember is that page speed is not a one time fix. Any time you add an item to your site, you risk “weighing it down,” so being both proactive and reactive (when it comes to additions) will help you tremendously in the long run.
No one (or device) wants to gather results from a non-secure site.
We can’t push this enough. Having HTTPS is absolutely vital to the success of your website in multiple ways. Not only is Google continuously making adjustments to benefit secure sites, but the pool of those that aren’t jumping on board is getting smaller and smaller. In the grand scheme, if your site is ranking in that small pool of non-secure practices, you’re getting practically zero value. Instead, it’s now time to jump into the bigger bracket of ranking, secure websites and see valuable growth.
Devices like Google Home and Alexa are focused on getting you only the best answers and from the most credible of sources. Especially when it comes to healthcare, you want to make sure that you’re getting relevant information that has been fully vetted and is true. The assumption now is that with no HTTPS, chances are you’re not concerned about your information, and may potentially not be a legitimate thought leader in the industry. Want to help make yourself one of the first results on voice search? Make your site secure NOW.
Write like people talk.
No brainer, right? If you’re asking a question via voice search, you’re probably not saying “dentist office charlotte nc.” Instead, you’re probably asking “where can I get a cavity filled today in Charlotte, NC?” Because of this, it’s important to make sure that you have created content that is long-tail in its nature. This means that you cannot rely on the old school methodology of cramming keywords into a paragraph and expecting it to rank.
The human element is important with these devices, as they want to really feel like an assistant in your home. If you want your practice’s site to rank well in voice search, make sure you’re appealing to humans, and not attempting to please the robots that you think control all things online!
If you perform well online, you’re probably doing the right thing.
The bottom line is that a device that focuses on voice search is using most of the same data that’s already online. If you’ve taken the time to create a successful online marketing campaign complete with great content, a strong GMB profile, accurate listings, a secure, fast site, and a powerful domain, you’ll probably see some success within the realm of voice search. However, if your site isn’t strong in any of these areas, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
While the time of voice search is well upon us, slacking on your online marketing or attempting to put all of your eggs in one basket can be a huge disaster. Make sure that you have a devoted team of marketers and technical folk around you that are prepared to send your site into another stratosphere of success.
Drop Practis a line today and ask how we can help get your practice competing with the best of them!
