Unless you’ve been living in an Amish community for the last 30 years, or you’re just really loyal to Bing, you’ve in all liklihood seen this image before…
Now hopefully there should be nothing too mindblowing at this point.
Sure, you know that Google exists and you know that it has an autosuggest feature which tries to predict what search you might actually be looking for, based on previous searches that other users have made.
But did you ever think about how those auto suggestions actually get onto Google?
And even more importantly, did you ever consider that you might be able to game the system?
Those are all rhetorical questions of course, no one in their right mind would ever ponder these things besides someone who does SEO for a living.
So I’ve been doing some digging and I have a pretty good idea that not only is it possible, but it’s fairly easy to get into the autosuggestion system, as long as you can get enough people to do you small favour.
So let’s quickly break down the method, then you can get started right away, before I do the boring explanation of how it works at the bottom.
Step 1 – Search For The Term You Want…
So the first thing you’ll need to do is actually search for the suggestion that you want to secure.
You need to be very specific with this search term, so follow the pattern set below:
“The popular search term” + “Your VO brand name”
So if you want to start being suggested for “New York Voiceover” and your name is “Brian Drew Voiceover“, then your final search term will be “New York Voiceover Brian Drew Voiceover”.
Once you’ve finished all that, then hit enter to search for it.
Step 2 – Copy The Search URL That Google Generates
Whenever you make a search on Google, Google has to generate a url, much like any website does.
As you can see, any Google search URL is very, very long. It contains our initial search terms followed by a staggering string of numbers and letters.
But the good news is, we only want the part which specifies the key search terms, so copy and paste the relevant part. Using our earlier example, our link would be: https://www.google.com/search?q=New+York+Voiceover+Brian+Drew+Voiceover
And just to make sure you’ve copy and pasted it correctly, try going to that URL. If it’s worked, it should just link you back to your original search.
And with all that, we now get on to the important part…
Step 3 – Get Loads Of People To Click On It
Now this is one of those “easier said than done” steps, but this is where you’re going to have to get clever.
The currency of the internet is clicks, so the more people you can get clicking on that link, the more Google will associate it as a popular search term and eventually place you as an autosuggest for that more even more popular search term.
So get out there and get that link out to your mailing list, social media followers or however you can get lots of clicks as quickly as possible.
A quick fact, 23% of all Google searches are made using autosuggest…so it’s worth your time!
And remember, don’t just click the link a lot by yourself. Google can see when clicks are from the same IP address, so it won’t count them. Just thought I’d save both you and your index finger a lot of hassle.
Good luck, and if you care about the theory behind this, then stick around for a short breakdown.
So… How Does All This Work?
Many of you have probably worked out how this all works just from the steps alone, but it’s good to run through the theory so that you can understand why each step is important.
In short, Google creates its auto suggests based on similar searches to your search. That shouldn’t surprise anyone.
What we’re effectively doing is shortcutting that process. We take a popular search and combine a search for our own company on to the end of it.
When we get someone to click on the search link we copy and pasted, we make Google think that a search term has been made for our own voiceover business in conjunction with a search for another more popular keyword.
By providing a link straight to search term page, every single person who clicks on that link appears to be a “search” for those terms from Google’s perspective.
The more people who make that search, the more commonality that Google connects between that popular keyword and your own business keywords.
The trick is to find a popular keyword that you can realistically piggyback off. Remember, Google auto suggests are a limited resource and Google can only display a certain number. You need to be certain that you can provide enough activity to be in the top 6 related searches to that keyword, or else you won’t appear as an auto suggest.
This is precisely why the popular core keyword you go for should be something regional or genre specific.
Are you going to be in the top 6 searches related to “Voiceover” – Absolutely not (unless you could garner tens of thousands of clicks)
Are you going to be in the top search related to “Anime Voiceover” – Once again, most likely not because it’s an extremely popular topic with loads of big names that people also search for.
But if you’re going for “Corporate Voiceover” or “Indiana Voiceover“… now you’re talking.
And Now For A Little Sales Pitch
Here at Voiceover Websites, we make websites for voiceovers. That shouldn’t shock anyone.
What makes us different is that our working history has provided us with experience from across dozens and dozens of different businesses, great and small.
When we build your voiceover website, we can bring all of that experience to help you run your website not just as a portfolio for your work, but actually use it as a practical tool to start securing yourself buisness.
Our goal from start to finish is to give you everything you need from your website to run a successful voiceover business.
From your branding, your website design, social media templates, SEO, copywriting and hosting – everything is handled by us for one single cost. Our 2-person team take care of every part of your website, so all you have to do…is tell us what you want!
So if you fancy a chat with us, we can discuss your dream website, or review your existing one; And together we can work to building the voiceover website you need to take your business further.
Good luck getting yourself to the top of Google’s autosuggest and we look forward to chatting if you have any other questions.
All the best, from Harvey and Jasmin.
