Voice Search & Conversational SEO: Optimizing for Voice Queries
Author: Yılmaz Saraçvoice-searchconversational-seospeakablegoogle-assistantsiri
What Is Voice Search?
Voice search encompasses all queries made through voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, or Cortana. Voice queries are typically longer, more natural-sounding, and more question-based than typed searches.
Characteristics of Voice Queries:
- Average 29 words (vs. 3–4 words for text search)
- Question format: "How," "What," "Where," "When," "Why"
- Local context: "…near me" / "…in Bremen"
- Conversational: "Hey Google, which AI agency is good for SEO?"
- Frequently on mobile devices and smart speakers
Optimizing for Voice Search:
- Natural language: Structure content in question-answer format
- Featured snippets: Aim for position 0 — voice assistants often read the featured snippet aloud
- Local SEO: Maintain Google Business Profile completely
- FAQ pages: Frequently asked questions with natural language answers
- Fast load times: Voice results preferentially come from fast pages
- Schema.org SpeakableSpecification: Mark content as "speakable"
Conversational SEO:
- Optimize content for dialogue-like search patterns
- Integrate long-tail keywords in natural language
- Anticipate and answer contextual follow-up questions
In the CAFE framework, voice search is analyzed as a growing channel — so your brand is represented in spoken AI responses as well.