Thanks to Alexa, Siri and Google Home, consumers are increasingly ditching their keyboard or touchscreen when it comes to their online searches. How?

According to recent research, 40% of all internet searches in the U.S. are voice-based. And with 48% of U.S. households owning a smart speaker, marketers can no longer rely on being seen on a screen.

Talk about brand voice!

As voice search grows in popularity, what should companies be doing to increase voice searchability?

Think like a shopper.
Does your website provide immediate, straightforward answers? Is the content fully searchable by Google? SEO is no longer limited to on-page, off-page, technical and local — we can now add vocal to that list.

So along those lines… 

Use natural language.
Remember, shoppers don’t always talk how they type. In voice search, tend toward the more casual or conversational words or phrases you’d use to ask a question.

The average Google voice search result is written at a 9th-grade level, so focus on simple, easy-to-read content to make the most of voice search SEO.

Focus on keyword length.
Speaking of language, incorporating more long-tail keywords — phrases that are usually more specific (and longer) — makes you more likely to win over a new customer.

For example, instead of using “beauty salon” as a keyword, you can say “top-rated hair and nail spa in Bluffton, SC.” On average, voice searches are 29 words in length, so use them all to your advantage.

Consider local SEO.
Voice-related searches on mobile are three times more likely to be location-based. For businesses with a defined service area, a Google My Business profile is more important than ever.

The next time a potential customer asks Siri for the best landscaping business in town, make sure your profile is optimized for voice.

Traditional online search strategies aren’t enough these days. As the spoken word becomes the norm for product-searching consumers, make sure you’re poised to take full advantage of the business they could bring you.