Would you like to know about voice search and why it’s important?
With over 1 billion voice searches made every month, optimizing for verbal search queries is an important part of any SEO strategy. Otherwise, failure to do so will make your content invisible to users who prefer using voice commands to search for information on the Internet.
In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about voice search, including tips on optimizing for it.
In This Article
What is Voice Search?
Voice search is a technology that allows users to perform searches by speaking into their devices rather than typing. It works by converting the user’s voice into text, which is then processed by search engines to deliver relevant results. This technology has been around for a while, but it has only recently gained widespread adoption due to advancements in natural language processing (NLP) and the growing popularity of smart speakers and virtual assistants.
Why Voice Search Matters for SEO
As voice search continues to grow in popularity, it’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to optimize their online presence for this new way of searching. Here are a few reasons why I believe your brand should include voice search optimization in your digital marketing strategy:
1. Impact on Consumer Behavior
Voice search is changing how consumers search for and interact with businesses online. Users are more likely to perform local searches, ask for recommendations, and make purchases through voice-enabled devices.
2. Increased Visibility
Businesses that optimize for voice search can gain a competitive edge by appearing in voice search results, often limited to a few top choices. It increases your search visibility.
3. Improved User Experience
Voice search provides a more convenient and hands-free way for users to find information, making it easier for them to engage with businesses.
How Voice Search Differs from Traditional Search
While there are similarities between voice search and traditional text-based search, there are also some key differences. Here are the top 3:
1. Conversational language: Voice search queries tend to be more conversational and natural, often in the form of questions or commands rather than a series of keywords.
2. Long-tail keywords: Voice search queries are typically longer and more specific, making it important for businesses to target long-tail keywords that match the way users speak.
3. Local focus: Many voice searches are location-based, with users looking for nearby businesses or services. This makes local SEO an important consideration for voice search optimization.
How to Optimize for Voice Search
Now that you know what voice search is and why it’s important, let me show you how to optimize it. Don’t worry. Most of these strategies are easy to implement.
1. Use the Right SEO Tool
One of the first steps to optimizing for voice search is to use the right SEO tool. For WordPress users, there’s no better tool than All In One SEO (AIOSEO).
AIOSEO is a powerful, easy-to-use SEO plugin with over 3 million active users. Because it’s regularly updated, you can rest assured the plugin stays abreast of changes in SEO best practices and keeps up with WordPress versions.
Millions of smart bloggers use AIOSEO to help them boost their search engine rankings and drive qualified traffic to their blogs because the plugin has many powerful features. These are designed to help you properly configure your SEO settings.
Regarding voice search, some of the SEO modules you can use include:
Next-gen Schema Generator

This powerful module helps search engines better understand your content, making it easier for search engines to give better results to searchers.
FAQ Block
FAQs are a great way to help voice assistants respond to users’ queries. Adding them to your content makes it voice search ready.

Because most voice searches are question-based, having FAQs on your site will help you have content voice assistants can use to answer them.
Other examples of features you’ll find in AIOSEO include:
- Keyword Rank Tracker: Check your keyword rankings right from your WordPress dashboard.
- Cornerstone Content: Easily build topic clusters and enhance your topical authority and semantic SEO strategy.
- Author SEO: Boost your Google E-E-A-T signals right in WordPress, giving you an edge over competitors.
- Search Statistics: This powerful Google Search Console integration lets you track your keyword rankings and see important SEO metrics with 1-click, and more.
- SEO Revisions: Track any changes you make to your site and see their impact on your SEO. Plus, you get to see on a timeline how Google updates affect your site.
- Link Assistant: Powerful internal linking tool that automates building links between pages on your site. It also gives you an audit of outbound links.
- And more.
AIOSEO also has many other features to help you boost your local SEO, on-page SEO, and technical SEO. Plus, if you’re a WooCommerce user, AIOSEO has a tailor-made WooCommerce SEO module to help you rank your online store higher in search rankings.
For step-by-step instructions on how to install AIOSEO, check our detailed installation guide.
2. Keyword Research
Every online search starts with a keyword, including voice-based searches. Keyword research involves understanding the words, phrases, and questions your target audience inputs in a search engine when searching for information relevant to your business or product. It also involves strategic tasks like checking keyword difficulty and whether targeting those keywords is feasible.
That’s why keyword research is a foundational aspect of voice search optimization. The only difference with traditional keyword research is that voice-based searches usually involve long-tail keywords.
And this is where keyword research tools like LowFruits come in handy.

The key to voice search optimization is to focus on conversational keywords and long-tail phrases that match how users speak.
There are many other keyword research tools you can use to discover the keywords to target in your content. Some of the most popular ones are Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner, to name a few.
Check out our list of recommended keyword research tools for more options.
3. Content Creation
One of the most important aspects of SEO is content. It forms the basis of your SEO campaigns. Because of this, you should never compromise on content quality. Instead, bring your A-game when it comes to content creation.
What should you focus on as you create content for voice search?
To optimize a site for voice search, it’s essential to understand how users interact with voice-activated devices. Start by focusing on conversational keywords and long-tail phrases that reflect the natural language people use when speaking. This means shifting away from traditional keyword strategies and instead thinking about how a user might verbally ask a question or make a request.
Next, create content that directly answers common questions and queries. Use clear, concise language and structure your content with headings, lists, and definitions to make it easier for search engines to understand. Other tips for creating content optimized for voice search include:
- Conduct in-depth keyword and topic research
- Cover the topic thoroughly
- Meet user intent/search intent
- Create scannable content
- Include statistics and facts
Ensuring that your content is optimized for voice search should be an important part of your SEO content strategy. It will help ensure that your brand is visible for both traditional and voice searches.
4. Target Featured Snippets
Voice assistants often read out featured snippets as answers to voice search queries. This is why targeting featured snippets is another excellent way to optimize for voice search.
The featured snippet is another SERP feature that can help you drive organic traffic faster. Also called position zero, it’s a special type of search result displayed at the top of SERPs that provides users with a concise answer to their query.

One way to do this is to structure your content to increase your chances of being featured by using clear headings, lists, and concise definitions.
A few other ways to land the featured snippet include:
- Implementing schema markup
- Using a table of contents
- Adding FAQs to your content
- Creating the best piece of content on the topic
For more tips on optimizing for this valuable spot on SERPs, check out our tutorial on getting the featured snippet.
5. Optimize for Local Searches
If your business is location-specific, you’ll want to ensure you follow local SEO best practices. Plus, most voice searches are location-specific.
That’s why the next step in voice search optimization is to set up local SEO.
Local SEO is a term for strategies businesses use to improve online visibility to reach a location-specific audience. The main difference between local SEO and “regular” SEO is how you target customers. Some of the ways you can improve your local SEO include:
- Optimizing for local on-page SEO
- Targeting location-specific keywords
- Getting listed on business directories like Google Business Profile
- Add local business schema (more on this in a moment)
For more information, check out our guide on creating a local SEO strategy that works.
6. Use Schema Markup
Schema markup, often called Schema.org markup or structured data, is a semantic vocabulary (code). Schema markup helps search engines understand the context and meaning of your content, which can improve your chances of appearing in voice search results.
In short, schema markup makes it easier for search engines to understand your content.
That’s why adding schema markup to your content should be the next step in nailing your voice search optimization.
Even though schema markup is code, you don’t need coding knowledge to implement it. You simply need to use an SEO plugin that supports it.
Adding schema markup is super easy with AIOSEO’s Next-gen Schema Generator. This no-code module adds the schema code for you in the background. It’s as easy as choosing your schema type in the Schema Catalog.

Once you’ve chosen your schema type, simply fill in the relevant information for your page:

Besides optimizing for voice search, adding schema markup is also a great way to enhance your chances of getting rich snippets and featured snippets. These are powerful SERP features that can increase your organic clicks and traffic.
7. Optimize for Mobile
Since many voice searches are performed on mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and fast-loading is important. This is called mobile optimization and is another critical factor in voice search optimization.
Research shows that mobile users are 3X more likely to use voice search. This makes mobile optimization a non-negotiable when optimizing for voice search. A few ways to do this include:
- Use a responsive design
- Optimize images and videos specifically for mobile devices
- Adopt a mobile-first approach in every element of your site and content design
- Use conversational language
- Answer common questions in your niche
- Use FAQ schema
For more information, check out our article on mobile SEO vs. desktop SEO.
8. Target the People Also Ask Section (PAA)
Voice assistants often pull answers from the People Also Ask (PAA) section of search results. The PAA section refers to the SERP feature showing related questions searchers may have about your topic. It usually appears at the top of SERPs, making it a prominent place that increases your search visibility.

Optimize your content to appear in this section by answering common questions directly and concisely.
Appearing in the People Also Ask (PAA) section is also important as this is another place search engines pull answers from. A few tips for ranking in this SERP feature include:
- Publish high-quality content
- Provide value
- Create question-based content
- Answering questions directly
- Use schema markup (especially HowTo schema, FAQ schema, etc)
You should also make sure to follow SEO best practices so your content ranks higher in search results.
For more information, check out our guide on optimizing for Google’s PAA section. Besides optimizing for the PAA, you can also optimize your content for the people also search for section.
The Future of Voice Search
As we look ahead to 2025, it’s clear that voice search will continue to play a significant role in the world of digital marketing. Here are a few predictions for the future of voice search:
1. Increased adoption of smart speakers and virtual assistants: By 2025, it’s estimated that there will be over 8 billion voice assistants in use worldwide.
2. Advancements in natural language processing: As AI and machine learning technologies continue to evolve, voice search will become more accurate and capable of understanding complex queries.
3. Integration with other technologies: Voice search will become increasingly integrated with other technologies, such as smart home devices, wearables, and augmented reality.
As you can see, you can’t ignore voice search if you want your SEO strategy to be relevant. Voice search is no longer a futuristic concept but a reality that businesses must adapt to to stay competitive.
By optimizing your online presence for voice search, you can gain a significant advantage in reaching and engaging with your target audience.
Voice Search: Your FAQs Answered
What is a voice search?
Voice Search is a technology that allows users to search for information using their voice rather than typing. It’s made possible by speech recognition software that can accurately transcribe spoken words into text, which is then used to perform a search query.
How do you optimize a site for voice search?
To optimize a site for voice search, focus on using conversational keywords and long-tail phrases that align with how users naturally speak. Additionally, structure your content to target featured snippets, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, and keep your local listings updated to enhance visibility in location-based searches.
What are the benefits of voice search optimization?
The benefits of voice search optimization include improved user engagement and satisfaction, as it provides quick and relevant answers to queries. This optimization can lead to increased traffic, higher retention rates, and a competitive edge by ensuring your business appears prominently in voice search results, especially for local searches.
We hope this post has helped you know what voice search is and how to optimize for it. You may also want to check out other articles on our blog, like our guide to common SEO mistakes to avoid or our article on the benefits of SEO for small businesses.
If you found this article helpful, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You’ll find many more helpful tutorials there. You can also follow us on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, or Facebook to stay in the loop.
The post Voice Search is Becoming More Popular: Do This Now in 2025! first appeared on AIOSEO.
Source link