Siri, How do I Optimise for Voice Search? VSO for iGaming Brands and Affiliates

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Voice search is becoming more and more popular. In fact, according to the Search Engine Journal, 41% of adults already use the medium on a daily basis. Not only is voice search more convenient for mobile users in particular, but iGaming brands and affiliates can also achieve better traditional search rankings if they effectively use voice search optimisation (VSO).

Here, we look at why VSO is important and how it overcomes the limitations of search engine optimisation (SEO).SEO Challenges On its own, traditional SEO isn’t enough anymore. Search engine results pages (SERPs) are not static and fluctuate regularly. Searches aren’t universal, either – users are presented with locally-relevant suggestions, so optimising at a local, national and international level is vital for increased visibility.

However, it’s not just voice search that is increasing in popularity. 60% of all searches are now carried out on mobile devices, according to Hitwise. This correlates with the rise of voice search because it’s easier for individuals to get an instant answer by speaking to their smartphone than it is to type on its keyboard.Why VSO? Voice search is much more accurate than it once was. In fact, results accuracy has jumped from under 70% up to 92% in the space of just two years. Increasing reliability coincides with the rising number of voice searchers, emphasising the importance of optimising for this medium. This will likely continue and, according to group.co.uk, half of all searches (50%) will be by voice by 2020. Not many brands or affiliates currently pay attention to VSO, so you’ll gain a competitive advantage by optimising now.How to Optimise for Voice Search Understanding How People Use Voice Search Most voice searches start with one of the following words: what, who or how. Generally, it’s quite easy to distinguish whether a searcher is researching a topic or looking to buy a product.

If somebody asks a question like: “what is the difference between forex and binary options”, they are likely researching (the “interest phase” of the sales tunnel). If the question is along the lines of “how much is the minimum casino deposit” or “who offers the best football odds”, however, they are much further down the sales funnel – closer to taking action (the “decision phase”) and depositing money with a brand.Conversational Keywords By nature, voice search is more conversational than keyboard. Therefore, the use of long-tail phrases can lead to better VSO and higher rankings in this medium.

Producing evergreen content is also important. Along with SERPs’ tendency to fluctuate regularly, this is largely because informative content with long-tail keywords aids search rankings. Creating Q&A pages is the one of the easiest VSO methods, because they are also naturally conversational.Mobile Optimisation Voice search is practically exclusive to mobile. Microsoft’s Cortana is an exception, though not many people use the laptop or desktop version. This means that mobile optimisation should be a priority for brands and affiliates. Considering that most searches take place on mobile, as we touched upon earlier, VSO also improves traditional search results.Testing Like SEO, optimising for voice search is an iterative process. Search queries that brands wish to optimise for must be tested and adjusted, according to where their pages rank in search results.Looking Ahead… We can only expect to see the medium increase in popularity over the coming few years. As voice search gets more widely used, it will evolve. Brands and affiliates must be prepared to optimise accordingly. As laptop and desktop technology advances, voice search is also likely to become more popular on these platforms too.


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