Voice Search Is Changing the SEO Game – Here’s How to Keep Up

Do you remember the first time you used voice search? For me, believe it or not, I really did start using it on my phone until a couple years ago (crazy, I know). It was an experiment, really. Siri was not answering what I needed, so I opened up Safari, but it was a long thing to type, so I clicked the little microphone instead and said what I wanted to search for out loud. I’d say when searching on my phone for something now, I use voice search at least 80% of the time, and I’m sure I’m not alone.

The number of the voice search users in the U.S. is projected to grow to 157.1 million by 2026. (source)

Voice search is super convenient on a mobile device. I went looking for just how popular and found that National public Media reported back in 2022 that 62% of Americans 18 and over used a voice assistant on any device, so I’m sure those number have gone up.

And for people searching the web on their mobile device, it’s got to be the go-to method. This shift has serious implications for how we should be thinking about website optimization.

Why Voice Search Demands a Different Approach

Traditional SEO and voice search optimization have a lot in common, but the biggest difference is people are brief when they type and more conversational when they talk to search. For example, if you’re typing, you might put in: “Italian restaurant NYC” or “best running shoes.” But when speaking, you’d probably saying something more like: “Hey Google, where can I find a good Italian restaurant that’s open now?” or “What running shoes are best for marathon training?”

There are three key points here:

#1 voice searches tend to be full questions using natural language. Think about how you’d ask a friend for information and that pretty much how people talk to their devices.

#2 people using voice search usually want immediate, actionable information. They’re often looking for quick answers, directions, or contact details they can use right away.

#3 voice searches are frequently location-based. For example, “near me” queries exploded with the rise of voice search because people often use that phrase when they’re mobile.

Of course businesses like hotels, restaurants, attractions, and brick and mortar stores should be highly focused on voice searches, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it.

Think about the example of the running shoes. People will use voice search when they’re doing research. Service-based businesses can benefit as well as non-profit organizations. Basically, everyone should be thinking about voice searches now.

So how do you make you’re website voice-search friendly?

Just like with good “old fashioned” SEO, it’ll take a some experimentation to see what might give you the best results. Below are some quick guidelines to get you going in the right direction.

Target conversation-style keywords.
You can start with using a tool like AnswerThePublic to discover what questions people are actually asking about topics related to your business. This will give you some ideas of phrasing to use on your site. But like I advice with regular, best practice, SEO, keep humans in mind, not bots. It’s humans asking the questions, so keep your content natural, conversational and very readable for humans.

Build out your FAQ section.
Doesn’t have a FAQ page? Definitely consider writing one where you can address common questions related to your business. Using natural language is key. So is structuring each question with its own header followed by a clear, concise answer.

Go after featured snippets.
Google often pulls voice search answers from these prime positions. I’ve found the sweet spot is providing straightforward answers of around 30 words to common questions. You can’t “game the system” here as it’s up to Google to choose the snippets, but if you happen to get one, you’re traffic is going to skyrocket. I had a client get a very short blog post that answered a question in a snippet and her traffic to that page went from like a couple hundred to over 15k a month.

Double down on local SEO.
Make sure your Google Business Profile is 100% accurate with correct hours, updated photos and accurate location data. I cannot stress enough how much customer reviews matter. Basically, Google likes activity here. One word of caution though…don’t go hitting up your existing customers or clients all at once and asking them to review you on your Google Business Profile. You really want these to trickle in naturally.

Fix any mobile issues on your website.
At this point in time, your website should be working flawless on mobile devices. If it isn’t, it’s non-negotiable that you get whatever doesn’t work fixed asap. You can start with running your URL through Google’s Page Speed Insights to uncover any serious issues. Basically, your site has to load quickly and look great on mobile devices since that’s where most voice searches happen.

Add structured data.
Structured data is a way of organizing information on your website so that search engines can easily interpret it. By adding these specific tags to your pages (such as details about products, events, or reviews) you help search engines like Google display your info more effectively in search results. If you’re using WordPress for your site, schema markup, a form of structured data can be easily added to your pages with the help of plugins.

The wrap up…

You don’t need to throw out your existing SEO playbook, it just needs to evolve it and get with the times. I believe the websites that perform best for both traditional and voice search are those that focus on solving real problems for real people using natural language (not content written for the search bots).

What questions do your customers or clients ask most frequently? Start there and follow the tips above.