SEO for Google Home and Amazon Echo

SEO Amazon Echo Google Home

Virtual assistants are proving to be popular. Amazon Echo is a voice-controlled assistant that can perform multiple tasks with ease. The tasks include answering questions, creating lists, playing music, ordering takeaways and even controlling your Smart Home devices.  The Echo has already sold 5.5 million units and that figures is expected to rise up to an estimated 41.2 million in 2020. Google Home was released recently in the US and already there are consumers in the UK waiting for it to arrive on our shores.  These are incredible gadgets that save us time, entertain us and change the way we search for information. So what does that mean for SEO?

First of all, SEO isn’t dead (how many times has that been said?). SEO with the search engines in mind continues to be a vital part of marketing online.  What it does mean is that the way you approach SEO will need to adapt to virtual assistant technology in order to remain relevant.  Let’s take a look at some of the steps to take to ensure you’re not left behind.

Understand the Type of Searches Taking Place

There are queries being asked where SEO does have an impact already. These are especially found when searching for local information “Where Can I buy Chinese Takeaway?” for example. Users of virtual assistants are also checking facts and seeking out information. These features present SEO opportunities.  The virtual assistants find the information by searching the web results or local maps and by reading out snippets.  Google Home is has a more efficient search function currently, but there are plenty of occasions where Google Home fails to find the answers. The main point here is to think about the questions being asked, how they are worded and how you can work them into your SEO.

Answer the Questions

Virtual assistants provide answers, they don’t give a series of results like search engine results pages. Therefore you will need to work hard to gain the top spot for your snippets that provide the answers to the questions being asked.  Remember, not only do the virtual assistants read out this information, they can even link to web pages via the app. By upping your snippet game you can increase traffic to your website but also gain authority for your brand.

Promote Your Brand

You will need to be answering questions in order to rank highly, but you can still promote your brand. All you need to do is include some promotional material within the answer.  Work on your snippet copy to ensure it’s a clean mixture of information and promotional material to benefit.