Voice search and how to optimise for it

Whether on phones or smart devices around the home, voice search is on the rise. In fact, in research conducted by Google in November 2024, more than 20% of mobile searches are made by voice. And, with devices such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home becoming more popular by the day, this volume is almost certain to grow in the coming years. Of course, the advent of voice search presents a number of challenges to those working in search engine optimisation (SEO). We take a look at some of the difficulties faced in SEO copywriting and website SEO, helping guide you to better online performance.

Why voice search matters

As research already indicates, voice search volume is on the rise, with everything from virtual assistants and in-car infotainment systems to ecommerce platforms utilising the technology. As a result, your business’ content needs to be able to connect in a conversational, concise and often hyper-local manner. For instance, think about your own voice searches. Have you ever uttered something similar to, “Find the nearest parking space for me” or “What’s the best Chinese takeaway in Soho?” These kinds of queries are becoming commonplace and, in order to best accommodate them, your website’s SEO strategy needs to evolve in order to be favoured by voice search algorithms. But how can you do this?

1. Embrace conversational keywords

How we talk is vastly different to how we write. As such, voice searches are more conversational and often longer than text-based queries. In order to align with this behaviour, try to incorporate long-tail keywords that focus on natural, question-based phrases. Tools such as Google’s own People Also Ask section will help you to identify relevant opportunities.

2. Prioritise local SEO

Organic SEO isn’t easy, but optimising for local SEO is relatively straightforward. Many voice searches contain local intent – as per the examples above. It pays, therefore, to ensure you have claimed and optimised your Google My Business listing, maintaining consistent name, address, and phone number details across this and all business platforms. Similarly, you can incorporate location-specific terms both within the content and the metadata.

3. Optimise for Featured Snippets

Voice assistants such as Amazon Alexa will often take information from Google’s Featured Snippets to formulate a response. With that in mind, it’s important that you structure content clearly by using concise paragraphs and bullet points or numbered lists. Doing so will increase the chance of being featured in both voice and text search results.

Seo Search Engine Search Engine Optimization Browser

Structured data is another way to help search engines better understand your content, thereby increasing the chance to appear high in voice search results. Implementing Schema Markup – which highlights essential information such as business hours, frequently asked questions, product prices, etc. – and keeping abreast of current standards will enable your website to be crawled more efficiently.

Learn more about voice search

If you wish to learn more about voice search optimisation and how you can better tailor your SEO content to help increase visibility, speak to a member of the Digital Carrera team today. We’ll be able to advise on best practices and help tailor a strategy that has you appearing higher in voice search results.