Have you ever used Siri or Alexa to find the best Mexican food place in your neighborhood? Or to give you a top 5 list of the best personal injury attorneys in your city?
With the increasing popularity of voice-activated devices like smartphones, smart speakers, and virtual assistants, voice search is becoming a significant aspect of online searches. Optimizing for voice search is essential for law firms to capture this growing segment of potential clients.
Why voice search optimization matters
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Changing search behavior: People use voice search differently from traditional text searches. Voice queries are often longer, more conversational, and phrased as complete questions. For example, instead of typing “divorce lawyer near me,” someone might ask, “Who is the best divorce lawyer in my area?”
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Increased mobile use: Voice search is particularly popular on mobile devices. As more people use their phones to search on the go, ensuring that your law firm’s content is optimized for voice search can help capture these mobile users.
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Local searches: A significant portion of voice searches are local. Queries like “Find a personal injury lawyer near me” are common. Optimizing for voice search helps ensure that your law firm appears in these local results.
How AI helps with voice search optimization
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Understanding natural language: AI can analyze how people naturally speak and ask questions. This helps in creating content that mirrors these natural language patterns, making it more likely to match voice search queries.
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Long-tail keywords: Voice searches tend to use long-tail keywords. AI tools can identify these phrases and suggest incorporating them into your content. For example, instead of focusing solely on “estate planning attorney,” you might also target “How can I find a good estate planning attorney?”
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Featured snippets: Voice assistants often read out featured snippets (the short answers at the top of Google’s search results). AI can help structure your content to increase the chances of being featured in these snippets. This might involve creating concise, direct answers to common legal questions.
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Conversational content: AI can help generate content that is conversational and engaging, mimicking the way people speak. This can involve using a more relaxed tone, incorporating FAQs, and structuring content in a way that answers questions directly and clearly.
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Local SEO: AI tools can enhance local SEO efforts by optimizing for location-specific keywords and ensuring that all local business information (like addresses, phone numbers, and business hours) is accurate and consistent across all platforms.
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Schema markup: AI can assist in implementing schema markup (structured data) on your website. This helps search engines understand the context of your content better, making it more likely to be used in voice search responses.
Practical steps for law firms
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Create Q&A content: Develop content that answers common legal questions. Use a question-and-answer format that aligns with how people might phrase their queries during a voice search.
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Optimize for local search: Ensure your Google My Business profile is complete and accurate. Include relevant local keywords in your content and meta descriptions.
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Use conversational keywords: Incorporate natural, conversational phrases into your content. Think about how clients would verbally ask questions and integrate those phrases.
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Focus on mobile-friendliness: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as voice searches are predominantly conducted on mobile devices.
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Structured data: Implement structured data markup on your website to help search engines better understand your content and improve your chances of appearing in voice search results.
By leveraging AI and optimizing for voice search, law firms can better meet the needs of potential clients who are using voice-activated devices to find legal services, thereby expanding their reach and increasing their chances of generating high-quality leads. Our experienced team of SEO strategists and senior copywriters stand ready to be your firm’s partner for voice SEO success.
About Arclight Digital
Arclight Digital is a website design and digital marketing agency based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since 2007, our experienced team has been leveraging deep expertise in WordPress website design along with search engine optimization, social media management, custom website development, and branding & identity to execute our clients’ mission-focused strategies.