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We explain the basics of voice search and how to optimise your website for it – step by step!
Voice search has changed how people search for information online. The adoption of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant has made voice search a central part of modern search habits.
This guide explains why voice search is a revolution for search engine marketing (SEO) and how you can prepare your website for it. Let’s get started right away!
Voice search is a technology that allows users to perform searches using spoken commands instead of typing.
If you’ve ever heard someone ask their iPhone voice assistant Siri or their Amazon Alexa to check the weather today or find what films are playing at your local cinema, you’ve already experienced the convenience of voice search in action.
These voice search tools use speech recognition software to analyse and interpret spoken words to deliver relevant results.
Voice search is mostly used via mobile devices, smart speakers or integrated systems in cars and household appliances.
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With voice search usage becoming more widespread, it’s certainly creating an impact on digital marketing. Consider the following aspects:
Voice search creates new and different demands on SEO, as it differs from traditional text searches in various vital aspects. Let’s break down some of these major differences:
With the growing spread of voice search, it is essential for companies to adapt to these new requirements to stay competitive.
We’ve seen how voice search differs from traditional SEO. To ensure your site is optimised for voice search, it’s important to take a different approach and adapt a few strategies to serve the changing search habits of users.
A key difference lies in the way users phrase their searches. Voice searches usually use a more natural way of communication, instead of the terse way people usually search when typing in a search engine.
This means companies should make their content less tech-heavy and more user-centred to achieve effective results. Let’s take a more detailed look at the differences between these two approaches:
Text-based search queries are typically made up of very short keywords or grammatically incorrect, incomplete phrases. Examples:
This type of search focusses on keywords and often avoids unnecessary filler words.
Unlike conventional searches, users often express voice search queries in complete sentences or questions, similar to a normal conversation. Examples:
These search queries are conversational and often have W questions such as ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘why’.
As voice searches use longer and more specific phrases, the focus of optimisation is on long-tail keywords and content that mimics natural language.
The integration of W-questions helps to give relevant answers for the typical questions of voice search users.
The volume of searches for local businesses means that voice search offers a huge opportunity for companies to reach potential customers locally.
Local search questions make up a large proportion of voice searches. Users ask specifically for services, shops or places in their neighbourhood, e.g.:
These searches are often linked to a clear intention to buy or visit, which makes them particularly important for local businesses. According to Google, over 46% of search queries have a local intention.
Most voice searches are carried out via mobile devices or smart speakers, with users taking advantage of their voice assistants while travelling to quickly find local information.
Example: A user is driving in a foreign city and asks: ‘Where is the nearest petrol station?’
Voice searches via smartphone often use location data to provide relevant, localised results.
As a business, you should ensure that your Google My Business profile is complete and up-to-date. Important details such as name, address, telephone number, opening hours and images increase visibility in local language searches.
If you need help connecting your website to your Google My Business profile, we invite you to read our article on connecting your website to Google My Business.
User reviews and frequently asked questions (FAQ) in the profile also play a role. You can learn how to display Google reviews on your website.
Content should be targeted at local keywords, e.g. ‘best pizzeria in [city name]’ or ‘dentist near me’. Landing pages with place names and specific services can help to rank better in the search results.
Semantic search intent is an essential part of voice search. It ensures that search engines not only recognise keywords, but also understand the underlying meaning and intention behind a search query.
Semantic search intent requires a deeper understanding of user needs. But don’t worry: we’ll show you how to significantly increase your relevance for voice searches.
Conventional SEO: More emphasis on keywords
Traditionelle SEO konzentriert sich stärker auf die Optimierung einzelner Keywords und deren Variationen. Die semantische Tiefe spielt hier eine geringere Rolle, da es bei textbasierten Anfragen oft um explizit formulierte Begriffe geht. Nutzer suchen beispielsweise nach „Pizza beste Berlin“ oder „Pizza Bewertung Berlin“, ohne die vollständige Absicht auszudrücken.
Voice search is based on natural and context-based communication. The algorithms of voice assistants not only interpret queries literally but also analyse the context and the user’s intention.
Examples: Users ask: ‘Where can I eat the best pizza nearby?’
Voice assistants consider factors such as location, time or previous search queries in order to deliver relevant results.
To stay competitive in voice search SEO, your content should be comprehensive and informative enough to cover longer, more conversational searches. Topics should not only cover keywords, but also questions, problem solving and related concepts to effectively serve voice searches.
FAQ pages: They are particularly effective for voice searches as they directly address questions such as ‘How does X work?’ or ‘How much does Y cost?’.
Clear structure: Content should be easy to read, with subheadings, lists and short paragraphs that enable quick answers.
Simple language: Voice search users prefer direct and easy-to-understand information.
Use semantic keywords
‘Semantic keyword’ is just a technical term for words that relate to the concept and other keywords you’re trying to target. Instead of focusing on individual keywords, you should also include synonyms and related terms and keywords in your content.
Example: For ‘best restaurants’, terms such as ‘recommended restaurants’, ‘good restaurants near me’ or ‘top reviews’ could be relevant.
Featured snippets are special search results that are displayed above the organic results and often directly give the answer to a search query. Featured snippets are particularly important for voice search, since voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant often draw answers from this highlighted content and read them out to the user.
For a question like ‘how long does it take to cook pasta?’, a voice assistant reads out the short, concise answer from a featured snippet. The answers are designed in such a way that they can give the user the desired information in just a few seconds.
The prominent position of featured snippets (the so-called ‘position zero’) greatly increases the visibility of a website and can improve traffic and brand perception.
Organise your content so that it provides a clear, precise answer to frequently asked questions in 40 to 60 words.
Examples:
A blog about fitness can answer questions such as ‘How do I start jogging?’ as a concise snippet, e.g. with a short checklist.
A restaurant can offer a snippet with ‘How do I find the best sushi in my neighbourhood?’ using location data.
Create content that specifically answers questions
It’s vital to create content that is oriented towards the needs of voice search users.
Examples of useful formats:
By using structured data, search engines can better understand the content and highlight it as a featured snippet.
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Schema markup is a form of structured data that is embedded in the HTML code of a website. It enables search engines to better interpret and display content.
Advantages for voice search:
Information such as opening hours, reviews or prices can appear prominently in the search results. Voice assistants use this structured data to provide precise answers.
Examples:
These tools can help you with the implementation:
Google Structured Data Testing Tool: For testing structured data.
Schema.org: As a reference for the correct markup types.
Mobile optimisation and fast loading times are cornerstones for success in voice search. They improve the user experience and increase your chances of being visible in voice searches and featured snippets.
Most voice searches are made via smartphones. For example, users search for ‘nearest café’ or ‘directions to the nearest petrol station’ while they are on the move. Mobile voice search aims to provide immediate, contextualised answers.
Mobile-friendly websites require:
Website performance: Loading times have a significant impact on rankings, especially on mobile devices. Tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights help to show bottlenecks and improve loading speed.
Image optimisation: Compress images with tools such as TinyPNG to reduce file size.
Caching: Use browser caching and content delivery networks (CDNs) such as Cloudflare to deliver content faster.
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): AMP optimises pages specifically for mobile devices and ensures ultra-fast loading times.
Code: Optimise your CSS and JavaScript code.
SEMrush offers you insights into keywords that are relevant for featured snippets and analyses your competition.
Ahrefs finds content that is already displayed as a snippet and helps you to improve your ranking.
AnswerThePublic helps you to find frequently asked questions on a topic that are suitable for voice search and featured snippets.
Why SSL?
Google favours websites with HTTPS (secure connections) in the rankings. An SSL certificate is particularly important for language searches, as users expect secure results.
Setup:
Technical SEO and practical optimisation steps are essential to remain competitive in an increasingly voice-driven search environment. Voice search opens new opportunities for you to reach your target group even better and more effectively.
By optimising your website for voice search now, you will secure a decisive competitive advantage.
Voice search is a significant advancement in the way users search for information and interact with technology. The increasing prevalence of voice assistants and natural language in search queries make voice search an indispensable element in digital marketing.
Finally, let’s take a look into the crystal ball: With the further development of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP), voice search is becoming increasingly precise and natural.
We hope that this guide has provided you with all the relevant facts and implementation tips on voice search so that your website will land at the top of the SERP in the future!
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