50% of internet searches will be conducted using voice search next year...

Most marketers have heard this prediction before, and whether or not it is completely accurate, there is no denying the immense growth of voice search over the last few years. Smart speakers are becoming an increasingly common household item, and savvy marketers are looking to take advantage of this trend.

Because voice search is still growing in popularity and professional use, you can get ahead of the curve by doing what you can to optimize for voice search now. Let’s dive into how you can start optimizing your digital marketing strategy for voice search.

Optimizing for Voice Search: SEO

Site speed is just as important for voice search as it is for traditional SEO.

Ensure your website loads quickly to increase your chances of ranking higher with voice search:

• Make sure your site is optimized for mobile.
• Build AMP pages for streamlined mobile viewing.
• Utilize website caching to improve page load speed.
• Compress files and images for faster loading.

Traditional SEO has shifted from focusing solely on keywords to creating quality content that speaks authoritatively on the themes behind the keywords you want to target. This shift is especially relevant when optimizing for voice search due to the more conversational tone of voice search queries. As it stands now, a search phrase spoken or entered into a search engine will yield the same results. However, when optimizing for voice search most searches are either questions, or longer search terms. It’s unlikely someone will say “Hey Google, dogs”. It’s more likely they would say something like “Hey Google, show me the best hotel in Cabo San Lucas”.

Include long tail keywords in your SEO strategy to ensure that your content is optimized for voice search. You can further optimize for voice search by adopting a more conversational tone in your website’s meta description and on-page copy.

Information-based searches dominate the voice search landscape. It is important to make sure your local SEO is fully optimized. When creating featured snippets and Google My Business listings, fill out all of the available fields to ensure that basic information about your business can be easily accessed through voice queries.

Optimizing for Voice Search: Paid Media

Take a look at your current search queries report and segment by queries that contain “Siri”, “Alexa” or “Hey Google.” Look for queries that have more than five words, as they are more likely to be the conversational searches you’re looking for. You probably won’t end up adding these queries as keywords to your campaign, but they do provide insights into your audience’s intent and can be useful as topics for articles or blog posts.

React to your audience’s voice search intent by making sure your content contains answers to the most common relevant questions.

Voice search facilitates multitasking and ease of search, and consumers are eager to take advantage, per Google. These are key needs for marketers to fulfill.

Identify which of the search trends listed above apply to your business. While paid ads generally promote your products and services, you might find success in driving traffic to your site with ad copy that also provides answers to commonly searched queries.

Pro Tip: Audit your negative keyword list if you are working on a campaign or account that has been around for a long time. Traditional best practices in the past may have been to include “how to”, “when does”, “where can I”, etc. These queries should be removed from your negative keyword list to accommodate the growth of voice search.

Amazon and Domino’s

Let’s take a look at two companies that are already taking advantage of voice search.

It is no surprise that Amazon currently has the most real estate in voice shopping. Amazon provides a seamless shopping experience for their customers on multiple platforms. A customer can link their account with the Amazon app and the Alexa app. Research, selection, and execution can take place on any of these platforms. For example, a customer can learn about a deodorant on the Amazon website, purchase that deodorant on the Amazon app, and later tell Alexa to “Reorder deodorant.” Alexa will then make a personalized product selection and reorder that same deodorant.

Subscription models are on the rise, and it is no secret that Amazon is taking advantage of this trend. Voice commands integrate well with subscription models because the products in question have already been selected previously. The seamless integration of Amazon Fresh with Alexa makes grocery shopping easier for busy people.

Domino’s is also taking advantage of voice search. Customers can order a Domino’s pizza from any smart speaker, such as Google Home, Alexa, and Siri. Domino’s wants customers to be able to order food from any device at any time, so they can now also order via text, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Twitter, Smart TVs, and more. In addition, customers can connect their user profile to any of these platforms and have favorites ready for easy reordering at any time.

Domino’s approach epitomizes how brands should approach voice search if they want to get ahead. Customers order pizza from Domino’s, and the more pizza they order, the more money Domino’s makes. Domino’s created a way for customers to easily order pizza (and send them money) from any device they may currently be using. If businesses want to take advantage of voice search, they must create connected applications that integrate with their current offers.

What Should I Do Right Now?

Voice search is still growing; as it continues to rise in popularity, countless new approaches and connected applications are bound to be developed that will change the way we think about this technology.

Because this technology is still on the rise, a creative approach to voice search that focuses on new ways to improve the user experience can likely lead to an innovative new marketing strategy.

One thing is certain with voice search optimization: focus on user experience and put together a voice search strategy now so you don’t fall behind.

Considering optimizing for voice search to improve your customer experience? Contact us to see how we can help.

Google Marketing Live just wrapped up in San Francisco, and Titan Growth’s team was invited to attend and participate.

The event kicked off with an introduction from Google’s Senior VP & Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler.

Schindler noted that the innovative new platforms and strategies presented during Google Marketing Live have been created as a result of feedback from the digital marketing community.

Let’s take a look at the new features we’re most excited for.

Discovery Ads

Discovery Ads are native ads that can be delivered across all Google properties. Presented as a swipeable image carousel, these personalized ads have an unmatched reach. Discovery ads can be used to reach hundreds of millions of customers at the moment when they are most open to getting introduced to a new brand or product. Google is using machine learning to better understand the entire customer journey, and Discovery ads will help with the very beginning of that journey to build awareness for brands.

TechStyle is one of the earliest beta users of Discovery Ads and spoke about their success. Discovery Ads quickly became TechStyle’s fastest growing new media channel and allowed them to introduce their brand a scale to a large number of potential customers.

Discovery Ads will roll out for all advertisers later this year.

Gallery Ads

Gallery Ads are a new ad format that highlight the value of the brand while reducing the amount of work needed to find the information.

Gallery Ads appear at the top of the SERP and feature 4-8 images each. Marketers can create and test up to 3 text headlines and place 70-character taglines beneath each image. Gallery ads can quickly tell a more holistic brand story and have the advantage of visual impact. In one case study campaigns using this format have saw a 25% increase in interactions.

Deep linking capabilities with Gallery Ads will also allow advertisers to better optimize the impact of campaigns. To extend the capability of universal links, app links take users directly to an app where their information is already stored, streamlining the purchase process. App conversion reporting in Google Ads will facilitate real-time insights into ad efficiency and purchase behavior.

Brazilian retailer Magalu has already seen the following results since implementing Gallery Ads:

• In-app transactions increased by 110%
• Mobile purchases increased by 40% overall

New Smart Bidding Features

Maximize Conversion Value

Maximize Conversion Value is a brand new smart bidding strategy that gives marketers more flexibility in meeting specific business goals.

Maximize Conversion Value allows for the following simultaneously:

• The ability to choose conversion actions at the campaign level.
• The ability to create a conversion action that can be shared across campaigns.

Seasonality Adjustments

Seasonality adjustments are another new feature that provide marketers with more flexibility in optimizing for their business’ specific marketing goals.

Provide the dates for an upcoming sale or event, and the expected conversion rate during that time, and Google’s Smart Bidding models will automatically adjust bids to account for these changes. Because the performance shifts are temporary, Google will exclude this data from the algorithm once the sale has ended.

Bumper Ads

Bumper Ads are six-second ads that are custom-built for mobile viewing. Six-second ads have proven more effective than 30-second ads because they quickly and creatively articulate your most important selling points.

Bumper Machine

Bumper Machine is a new platform that will be released later this year. At no additional cost, marketers will be able to provide a link to a 90-second YouTube ad, and Bumper Machine will auto-generate 3-4 six-second ads. This allows marketers to repurpose long-form content without breaking the bank.

Display and Video 360

Display and Video 360 is Google’s enterprise media buying solution that is part of the Google Marketing Platform. This solution looks to create new ad experiences that can reach users as they stream music and television on various platforms.

Display & Video 360 will provide access to national, cable, and broadcast networks, as well as thousands of local TV stations. This allows marketers to manage campaigns that reach a diverse group of consumers in a fraction of the time necessary when using traditional methods.

This new platform will allow digital buying teams to work much closer together, as they will be able to buy and optimize all types of TV inventory alongside digital buys.

Google Marketplace & Local Campaign Integration

Google will challenge Amazon by providing opportunities to purchase online, in a local store, or directly from retailers on Google. Using shipping and payment information already stored in Google, users will be able to purchase directly while using Google Assistant, Google Search, Google Images, and YouTube.

Local Campaigns will be integrated with Search, YouTube, Maps, and Display, to provide more personalized experiences for users. In Google Maps, relevant promoted locations will be served as suggestions based off search history and current location. Promoted pins will also be rolled out more broadly in Maps, and marketers will be able to optimize for local actions, such as store visits and phone calls.

Google Travel

Google.com/travel is an interactive platform that provides a cohesive travel planning experience. Here, users can plan and explore potential trip ideas. They can make reservations for flights, trains, buses and restaurants, as well as compare hotel rates and availability.

The platform allows you to bookmark your progress and return to planning at a later time. Price alerts can also be created so users can book a flight or hotel when it is at the lowest rate.

Keeping up with the latest digital marketing trends is an integral part of our process at Titan Growth. Learn more about our services here.

There are many SEO & digital marketing agencies out there who aren’t shy about promising you the world before delivering absolutely no value. “You said you wanted to double your organic traffic, you didn’t say it had to be from people actually interested in buying your product!”

Successful SEO agencies don’t operate this way. Titan Growth was named an All-Star agency by Google (one of only a handful) because we are committed to helping our clients build sustainable SEO strategies.

However, it’s unsurprising that many of our clients come to us with negative experiences in the past from less-reputable agencies. Even if they decide to work with our team, there is usually a bit of skepticism to overcome.

This guide serves to answer and address the 5 SEO objections and questions that we hear on almost every sales call:

1. SEO doesn’t work

SEO does work. It’s that simple. We have data to back it up.

Check out these SEO Case Studies to see firsthand how our agency helped our clients achieve increases in traffic and revenue.

In addition to increasing organic web traffic, the processes involved in an SEO strategy facilitate growth in other ways.

For instance, keyword research is also market research. Creating content for better search rankings is also content marketing. The process of link building serves to spread brand awareness and capture referral traffic. User experience, site speed, mobile accessibility, internal and external linking, and site security all factor into a comprehensive SEO strategy.

SEO works to improve your organic traffic and rankings, and the SEO process helps improve your brand from a holistic marketing perspective.

2. SEO takes too long to bring results

SEO is a long-term strategy. Websites are similar to large buildings in that the foundation must be planned and created with future growth in mind.

After a month of construction, an investor wouldn’t say, “Why isn’t this skyscraper built yet?! You’ve spent all this time planning the architecture, laying a foundation, and waiting for the concrete to cure… but I want a tall building now!” Building on an uncured concrete foundation and using “black hat” SEO to rank quickly are both poor long-term strategies.

It takes time for any site to build sustainable credibility. A reputable SEO agency’s job is to plan and execute a strategy that will slowly but steadily improve your site’s rankings without resorting to spammy or unethical techniques.

SEO is an investment, not a single purchase. Invest in SEO if you want steady growth that compounds over time and builds your website’s authority within your industry.

3. We will never rank on the front page

You may not.

At least, not for the keywords that you think are important.

Let’s say your business sells screen-printed tee shirts. You wouldn’t rank on the first page for “tee shirts” (if you do, let’s talk), but neither would you want to. The majority of people searching for “tee shirts” probably would not be converters on your site. Someone searching for “screen-printed custom cotton tees”, however, would be a much more qualified lead.

An SEO agency can help you develop a themed keyword strategy that will help you bring in qualified traffic.

Build your website’s authority by starting with longer search terms, and then moving toward keywords with higher search volume.

In the meantime, searchers who want your product will be ushered toward your website leading to increased revenue from qualified traffic.

While you may not be ranking for “tee shirts”, you will sell more tee shirts—and that was always the goal, right?

4. I can do SEO in house for cheaper 

It might be easy to do SEO in house. That is, if you have a full team of experts who are sitting around with nothing to do.

If you have an aggressive sales goal, it’s going to be tough to make meaningful progress with an in-house team.

This doesn’t even take into account all of the tools that good SEO agencies use to make them more effective. It’s tough to invest tens of thousands (or more) into buying, developing, and training with tools that you aren’t even sure will make a positive impact.

Without proprietary technology, AI-driven tools, research and development teams, and a large portfolio of other accounts to test, DIY isn’t always the cheapest option, nor is the best way to get the most impactful results.

5. SEO is unpredictable

Search engine algorithms are constantly changing, and no one can predict with complete certainty how and when they will be adjusted.

Discouraged? Don’t be. This is all the more reason to use a reputable SEO agency.

Good agencies thrive on sharing strategies, techniques, and results, because proving the value of SEO is a collective goal. In addition to completing various certifications and trainings, SEOs spend hours daily reading search engine news, analyzing search trends, and testing new techniques.

You want these experts on your team; try to do it on your own, and you might not be able to keep up.

Bottom Line:

Hiring an SEO agency is an investment worth making. Don’t hire an agency to make quick fixes, but to be an integral part of your marketing department that leverages actionable data to improve the aspects of your website that contribute to your bottom line.

If you have additional questions please contact our Vice President, Mike Tretinjak, at [email protected] or 1-800-658-7511.