What is voice search and why it matters
Every day, more people are using voice search through assistants like Google Assistant (36% market share), Siri (36%), and Alexa (25%). It’s simpler and faster for users to speak their queries or questions instead of typing them.
Voice search is a technology that enables users to find information on the internet using voice commands. The user speaks their query into a microphone instead of typing it, and the system processes it to deliver the most relevant result.
According to statistics, 67% of the global population (approximately 5.4 billion people) has internet access. Consequently, the global market for voice assistant applications is growing and improving daily (more details in the article “Global Voice Assistant Application Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032“ by Expert Market Research).
Forecasts predict that by 2025, the number of digital voice assistants will reach 8.4 billion, exceeding the global population (source: www.statista.com). This implies that each user will have multiple virtual devices they actively use almost daily. The use of these “smart” devices is gaining popularity in speakers, cars, household appliances, and smartphones.
Here is some interesting statistical data about voice search usage:
- 50% of users prefer using voice commands to find local businesses or organizations;
- 82% use voice search to find stores;
- 18% of local voice searches result in a purchase within the day;
- 62% of people search for local businesses while driving;
- 52% search for products or services;
- 56% use voice search on their smartphones to gather information about a brand;
- 35% searched for food delivery using voice commands in 2023;
- 27% of users immediately visit a website after a voice search;
- 27% of the global population uses voice search on their phones.
Voice commerce is projected to grow by 54% by the end of 2024, according to official data.
All of this highlights the importance of adapting websites to new search algorithms today.
Voice search, combined with AI, has already become an integral part of our lives.
Differences between voice and text queries
Let’s compare and explore the significant differences between voice and text queries. These two types of searches vary substantially. We write in a more concise and specific manner, whereas voice queries tend to be longer and more conversational.
For instance, instead of typing “Kyiv weather,” a user might voice a question like, “What’s the weather in Kyiv right now?”
Key differences:
- Voice queries often include questions and have a natural conversational tone.
- Text queries are usually shorter, more concise, and lack additional words.
Below are more examples illustrating the differences between voice and text search in a table:
| Voice Search | Text Search |
|---|---|
| How to quickly cook borscht? | Borscht recipe fast |
| How many calories are in an apple? | Apple calories |
| What are the best movies of 2024? | Best movies 2024 |
| Where can I find a dentist near me? | Dentist nearby |
| How much does a train ticket to Lviv cost? | Train Lviv ticket price |
| Where to find cheap hotels in Bukovel? | Cheap hotels Bukovel |
| Why doesn’t the car start in winter? | Car won’t start winter |
| How to change settings on my iPhone? | iPhone settings |
The differences are clear, emphasizing the need to add more questions and conversational-style content to websites.
Optimizing your site for conversational keywords
To optimize a website for voice search, structure your headings and subheadings as questions. This can increase the chances of being featured in “Featured Snippets” or voice answers.
Here are some tips on how to do it:
1. Find Question-based Queries using tools like Serpstat, Semrush, and Ahrefs. Common words include “how,” “what,” “why,” and “when.”
In Ahrefs, use Keywords Explorer, input a query, select the country, and navigate to the “Questions” section.
Similarly, in Serpstat, go to “Keyword Research” and select “Search Questions.”
In SEMrush, use Keyword Overview to input your query and access the “Questions” section.
2. Using SEO tools, you can also identify which keywords have already appeared in Featured Snippets (the so-called zero position in Google). This allows you to adapt your website to these search queries to increase the likelihood of appearing in voice search results.
If you need to check in Ahrefs which keywords have already appeared in Featured Snippets, go to Organic Keywords, enter a general keyword, and select the Featured Snippet filter. This way, you can also analyze other types of SERP features, use queries for site or page optimization. Voice assistants often retrieve information specifically from these features.
In the Serpstat tool, you can filter keywords by selecting Featured Snippet in the filter, as shown in the image below.
To obtain information about Featured Snippets keywords in Semrush, you need to use the Keyword Magic Tool and select the appropriate filter, as shown in the image below.
3. Focus on long-tail keywords with medium or low competition.
You can find very long keywords in Ahrefs Keywords Explorer by applying the Word Count filter.
After identifying all the keywords, you need to optimize your website pages: include them in titles, add them to meta tags, alt attributes, and the text on the site.
Benefits of using structured data for voice search
Structured data allows for clear marking of information. It helps search engines understand what is described on a page: an article, recipe, FAQ, etc.
For example, for a recipe page, setting up the Recipe microdata helps search engines understand faster that the content matches recipe-related queries. As a result, these queries will appear in voice search answer results.
Voice assistants often read content from Featured Snippets, considering them the most relevant. If a page has schema.org, its chances of appearing in these blocks are significantly higher. Therefore, as we can see, structured data and rich snippets are very important for optimizing for voice search.
Optimization for local SEO
By analyzing voice search keywords, we can conclude that many of them include queries such as “near me,” “nearest,” and local keys. Therefore, it is very important for local businesses to do local SEO optimization: have and promote a properly set up Google Business Profile, use geographic keywords on the company’s website, and provide up-to-date contact details about your business location.
For example, when we search for “bookstore near me,” we get results from various optimized Google My Business profiles within the closest range to us (in this case, 1.6 km as shown in the photo).
Site loading speed and mobile optimization
Another important factor in optimization is adapting the site for mobile devices because most voice search queries are made from smartphones. The site must be as fast and user-friendly as possible for mobile users.
As of 2024, about 27% of users perform voice searches on mobile devices, mostly people aged 18 to 34. According to an analysis conducted by Google, if there is a delay in page loading time from 1 to 3 seconds, the likelihood that the user won’t wait is 32%.
Creating content for frequently asked questions
Creating “question-answer” blocks or separate FAQ pages is also a type of optimization for voice search. This format is popular because it has a natural language flow and accuracy of answers. Voice assistants prefer sites that provide clear answers to questions.
FAQs can appear in the “Google’s Featured Snippets,” and virtual assistants often retrieve information from there. A broad FAQ section allows you to respond to many typical voice queries.
Voice query analysis in SEO analytics
It is important to track the results of your voice search optimization. This can be done using Google Analytics 4 (GA4) or Google Search Console. For example, in Google Search Console, you can view queries in the “Performance” section. Signs that your site appears in voice search include:
- 4-7 words or more in the search query;
- Presence of queries with “what,” “how,” “where,” “why,” and “who” questions;
- Phrases that have a natural, conversational appearance.
To evaluate the effectiveness of your voice search optimization efforts, monitor the CTR and average position of pages for these queries. It is also important to note if the number of impressions and clicks from voice search queries is increasing.
In 2025, voice search optimization will become even more important for business promotion. The key aspects will be formulating content as questions, using structured data, and optimizing for mobile devices and local SEO.
So, don’t delay optimizing your site for voice search — contact LuxSite agency to improve your business visibility in search results and enhance user interaction effectiveness.