How to optimise a website for AI Overview & voice search?

To rank higher in AI-driven search engines and voice search results, you must optimise your website for voice search by targeting natural language queries, structured data, and mobile compatibility.

According to Backlinko, over 25% of global mobile users use voice search, and 71% prefer speaking over typing. Intelligent assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa love plain, conversational, structured content.

Google’s recent AI overview development also highlights topically relevant, helpful & structured content.

We have seen commercially feasible voice optimisation. Domino’s added voice ordering to Alexa and Google Assistant and saw more engagement, higher conversion rates, and stronger brand presence in voice search. Nike also optimised for “Where can I buy running shoes near me?” using LocalBusiness schema and ranked for “near me” search and drove online and in-store traffic.

Traditional keyword-based SEO is no longer enough to attract traffic from different sources.

Key Points:

✅ Interrogative headings with simple answers rank higher in AI and voice searches due to intent match.

✅ Conversational language and long-tail keywords improve search engine rankings since the AI search prefers human language over robotic sentences.

✅ Structured data increases visibility. FAQ, HowTo, and Speakable schema help content rank in voice search.

✅ Fast-loading and mobile-friendly sites rank higher. 58% of web traffic comes from mobile devices.

✅ Local SEO improves “near me” searches. Update Google My Business and use location-based keywords.

✅ AI tools optimise voice search content. ChatGPT, Jasper, and Surfer SEO help with Natural Language Processing (NLP).

✅ Optimising for voice search helps reach a broader audience and improve accessibility.

AI & Voice Search Optimisation Strategies

To rank higher in AI and voice search results, you need to optimise both technical aspects and content. Voice search optimisation enhances user experience, increases visibility in search results, and drives more traffic and sales.

Content strategy is about natural language, conversational keywords, and structured formatting. Search engines love question-based content, featured snippets, and FAQ sections for quick answers.

The technical strategy is mobile-first indexing, schema markup, page speed improvements, and structured data to enable AI to understand content correctly. Google’s AI-powered search (SGE) and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa prefer well-organised, fast-loading, and semantically relevant content.

How to use conversational tone & natural language?

People use everyday language when speaking to digital voice assistants.

If someone is looking for an SEO agency, they will ask, “What is the best SEO agency near me?” rather than typing “SEO agency London” in Google. AI-powered search engines love answers that match real-life conversation. Google’s algorithm understands sentence meaning by analysing different semantic contexts. Naturally written sentences in spoken language patterns help Google get the desired knowledge from published content.

Research from Backlinko (2023) found that the average voice search result is only 29 words long. So, keep answers short but informative to increase the chances of ranking in a voice search query.

Voice search queries are more conversational and specific, so focus on directly answering user questions to optimise for voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

Always answer the main query & satisfy users’ intent by answering to the point at the beginning of the paragraph.

According to the popular Koray Tugberk, Google initially processes less than 50% of the writings from each heading. Keeping the key answers at the beginning of the paragraph helps get more impressions and traffic.

Best practices to sound natural:

• Write as if talking to a customer.* Keep sentences short and simple.
• Avoid robotic or formal language.
• Make content engaging and direct.

Don’t:

• Complicated sentences.
• Forcing keywords in unnatural ways.
• Technical jargon that confuses users.

Why Long-Tail and Conversational Keywords?

Voice searches are longer and more natural than typed searches. Using long-tail keywords increases the chances of matching user intent, which is beneficial for rich answer snippets.

A person looking for SEO services might type “SEO agency London”, but while using voice search, they would say, “Which SEO agency in London offers the best services?”

Search engines look at the whole question rather than single keywords. It is important to incorporate voice search keywords for optimising content.

A voice search query often involves more specific and conversational phrases, directly answering user questions to enhance recognition by voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

A study by Learn.G2 (2023) shows 71% of voice assistant users prefer speaking over typing. It proves the necessity of voice optimisation while implementing SEO strategies.

Best practices to target long-tail keywords:

• Target question-based phrases instead of short, vague keywords.
• Use phrases that reflect how customers speak.
• Include variations of key search terms to capture different ways users ask.

Don’t:

• Short, unnatural keywords with no context.
• Ignoring conversational phrasing.

How Do Interrogative Headings Help in Voice Search SEO?

People using voice search ask full questions rather than entering fragmented keywords. Structuring content with interrogative headings, research keywords (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How) helps match search queries better. And, matching user intents increases the relevance and quality of the content.

For example, I searched – ‘How to get featured on rich answer snippet?’ before writing this article.

Websites with structured short answers appeared top of the Google search only because of matching my exact keyword intent.

While processing content from a website, Google converts the headings into questions to understand what the page is all about. Using interrogative headings makes the search engine’s job easier.

Studies from Backlinko show 40% of voice search answers come from featured snippets. Structuring content with clear, question-based headings increases the chances of appearing in SERP results mainly by addressing user intents quickly.

Here’s how you can optimise your heading for voice search:

• Full question-based subheadings.
• Answer the question below the heading.
• Keep answers short and structured.

Don’t:

• Vague or generic headings.
• Introductions before answering.

Why Should You Answer Intent Clearly at the Beginning of Sentences?

Voice search assistants prioritise providing direct answers, especially when users employ voice commands. Optimising for a voice search query means content must provide value immediately, answering user questions directly and clearly, rather than forcing users to read through long introductions.

We tested in our blogs for a similar optimisation. We found 400% higher impressions and faster rich snippets only by answering users’ questions straight away at the beginning of the paragraph.

Best Practice:

• The main answer is in the first sentence.
• Expand with supporting details afterward.
• Bullet points or lists when relevant.

Don’t:

• Hiding the answer deep in the paragraph.
• Fluff before getting to the main point.

How Do FAQ Pages Help in AI & Voice Search Rankings?

Search engines love structured data that helps AI understand and extract information easily. FAQs help websites answer common customer questions while improving search rankings. Frequently asked questions bring users’ perception into the content, improving the overall quality of the content.

User perceptions indicate a similar situation of the real users, which effectively brings multiple user intents.

Answering the FAQs in a structured way reduces Google’s cost of retrieval. Alternatively, answering targeted users’ questions with a short, understandable pattern reduces search engines’ effort to look for the best available answers.

Best Practice for answering:

• Create a structured FAQ section.
• Use schema markup (FAQPage schema).
• Short and informative answers.
• Include answers to local voice search queries to improve local SEO.

Don’t:

• No structured data.
• Long answers.
• Robotic languages.

Why Mobile-First Indexing?

Google search indexes mobile versions first. 58% of global website traffic is mobile (Statista, 2024), so being mobile-friendly is key for voice search and the AI overview section.

Over the past couple of years, search engines have been prioritising mobile-friendly webpages to deliver a better search experience for users.

Best Practices:

• Responsive design that adapts to any screen size.
• Easy navigation with clear menus and buttons.
• No pop-ups.
• Test mobile-friendliness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

Don’t:

• Desktop-only website (Google will rank lower).
• Tiny text or buttons.
• Slow loading.

How does Page Speed & Core Web Vitals affect voice search rankings?

Page speed affects user experience and voice search rankings. A fast-loading website with to-the-point answers gets a better rank mainly due to having enough capability to serve the visitors looking for similar or identical questions.

Google prioritises fast websites because users bail on slow pages. We saw that 40% of users will leave a page if it takes more than 3 seconds to load.

Similarly, Googlebot crawls more pages within the given crawl budget (crawl time) for websites having a faster loading experience.

Each time Google crawls our website, renders the page, and gets the idea. Slow web pages cannot satisfy Google’s quality expectations because not being able to be rendered.

Best Practice:

• Compress images with WebP.
• Lazy load images.
• Minify CSS and JavaScript.
• Fast web host and CDN.

Don’t:

• Large images.
• Too many plugins and scripts.
• Slow hosting.
• Using images as the background of CSS (Google does not index it).

How does structured data help voice search?

Structured data helps search engines understand page content. AI-powered search engines and voice assistants use structured data to extract and display information.

For example, if you search for the steps of achieving topical authority, Google will either look for steps or, ‘how to’ schema.

With structured data implementation, a website can establish effective communication with the search engine by helping the search engine understand the content from a different angle.

Following a structured data strategy can help:

• FAQ schema for question-based content.
• HowTo schema for step-by-step guides.
• Speakable schema for voice-friendly content.
• Test schema with Google’s Rich Results Test.

Don’t:

• No structured data.
• Incorrect schema.

How does semantic search & entity recognition help SEO?

Google’s AI algorithms look at search intent rather than keywords. Semantic search understands related concepts, not exact phrases. Semantic SEO aims to optimise content around a broad topic by addressing semantically related phrases/search queries of a topic.

Semantic SEO ensures that the web page covers synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and other forms of context variation, which helps search engines to get the answers for unique queries.

Optimising for voice search is not different. Following the semantic SEO guideline, a website needs to write semantically related queries in a conversational tone.

Here’s how to optimise for semantic search:

• LSI keywords related to the topic.
• Synonyms and contextually relevant phrases.
• Natural language.

Don’t:

• Exact match keywords.
• Content not matching user intent.

How to Optimise for “Near Me” Queries?

Voice search users look for services near them, asking questions or local queries like “Which SEO agency is near me?” or “Where can I find an SEO consultant near me?”

Google ranks businesses that specifically mention their location and optimise for local intent by using local keywords.

For example, we optimised the website below for Cardiff, which achieved a rank for both Cardiff and other UK-based areas.

We created necessary proximity-based signals and optimized the web pages with an intent-first strategy and voice search tone.

Best Practice:

• Include location-based keywords naturally in the content.
• Optimize website meta titles and descriptions with location-based keywords.
• Ensure NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone number) across all platforms.
• Create location-specific landing pages with detailed service areas.
• List the business in local directories (Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps).

Don’t:

• Use vague location information (e.g., just “UK” instead of specific cities).
• Not updating the address across multiple listings.

Why Google My Business Increase Voice Search?

Google My Business (now called Google Business Profile) is key for local business SEO and voice search ranking. Having an optimised GMB means that you are a real business. And, it provides a proximity-based signal to Google.

Keywords containing ‘near me’, open now’ , and ‘best + location’ would attract business with a GMB profile.

Optimised GMB listing also appears in Google Maps, local search results and AI-driven voice searches.

Best Practice:

• Update all business details (name, address, phone, website).
• Choose the right business categories (e.g., “SEO agency” instead of just “Marketing”).
• Add high-quality images and videos for services.
• Encourage and reply to customer reviews to boost credibility.
• Post updates and offers to keep the listing active.

Don’t:

• Leave incorrect or outdated business information.
• Ignore customer reviews or not reply to them.

How to Voice Optimise for Zero-Click Searches & Featured Snippets?

Zero-click searches happen when Google answers a query directly on the search results page, eliminating the need for users to click a link.

Featured snippets are the most common source of voice search results, with 40% of voice search answers coming from featured snippets (Backlinko, 2023). Optimising for a voice search query involves creating content that is conversational and directly answers user questions, which can help in achieving featured snippets.

Best Practice:

• Answer the question in the first sentence (under 50 words).
• Use bullet points, numbered lists and short paragraphs to make it scannable.
• Frame headings as questions (e.g., “What is the best SEO agency?” instead of “SEO agency benefits”).
• Use structured data markup to tell AI-driven search engines what’s important.

Don’t:

• Bury the main answer deep in the content.
• Long paragraphs without formatting.
• Too many unnecessary keywords.

How to structure content for AI-generated answers?

Having a clear content hierarchy, interrogative headings, intent-matching answers, and naturally written answers helps the content appear in the AI overview of the Google search.

AI-powered search engines generate answers from structured and well-organised website content. To get visibility in AI-generated answers, websites must:

Best Practice:

• Use a clear structure with properly formatted headings (H1, H2, H3).
• Include definitions, lists and step-by-step guides that match AI processing.
• Ensure facts are accurate and cite sources (Google’s AI prioritises trustworthy info).
• Use tables where necessary to organize data.

Don’t:

• Unstructured or vague content without a clear format.
• Long, complex sentences that are hard for AI to summarize.
• Content without logical flow or segmentation.

For example, we used an interrogative heading for our previous accounting firm client (Rx Virtual Finance). A few weeks after the website went live, generative ai started picking up queries to the snippet. We could achieve this only because we answered the main intent immediately at the beginning of the paragraph.

How can AI-generated insights & content tools help voice search optimisation?

AI-driven tools like ChatGPT, Jasper, and Surfer SEO can help businesses optimise content for natural language processing (NLP), speeding up the research process, paraphrasing, and other tasks.

Best Practice:

• Find voice-friendly keywords and long-tail phrases.
• Improve readability and natural flow to match AI preferences.
• Generate structured content for search queries.
• Analyze competitors’ content for ranking opportunities.

Don’t:

• Rely too much on AI tools without human editing.
• Use AI-generated content without verifying facts.

How do e-commerce sites optimize for voice search?

E-commerce websites need to include voice-friendly keywords within the content and add valuable information that customers may ask.

For example, I asked Google – Which shoes are best for toe comfort?

Websites having ‘toe comfort’ descriptions and other topically relevant information would indicate to Google to bring the website for similar queries.

62% of smart speaker owners are making voice-based purchases (eMarketer, 2023). E-commerce businesses need to optimise product descriptions and FAQs for spoken queries.

Best Practice:

• Use natural language in product descriptions.
• Optmise product titles and meta descriptions for long-tail queries.
• Include voice-friendly FAQs (e.g., “What are the best running shoes for flat feet?”).
• Use schema markup for product descriptions and reviews.

Don’t:

• Short and vague product descriptions.
• Skipping FAQs that answer customer queries directly.

Which Are the Most Popular Voice Assistants?

Voice assistants help us search, automate tasks and interact with devices hands-free. The most widely used assistants are built into smartphones, smart speakers and AI-powered search engines, making them essential for both personal and business use.

1. Google Assistant

Google Assistant is the most used voice assistant on Android devices and smart speakers. It supports multiple languages, conversational AI and complex search queries making it the leader in voice search technology.

2. Apple’s Siri

Siri powers Apple devices including iPhones, iPads, Macs and HomePods. It integrates seamlessly with iOS apps, Apple services and smart home devices offering personalised voice interactions.

3. Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa dominates smart home voice control through Echo speakers and third-party integrations. It’s used for music streaming, shopping and automation.

4. Microsoft Cortana (Declining Usage)

Cortana was Microsoft’s AI assistant for Windows and Office 365 but was discontinued in 2023.

5. Samsung Bixby

Bixby is Samsung’s voice assistant for Galaxy devices and smart appliances. It’s focused on device automation and Samsung ecosystem integration.

6. OpenAI’s ChatGPT Voice Mode & Google Gemini AI

AI-powered assistants like ChatGPT Voice Mode and Google Gemini AI are changing voice interfaces. These advanced AI tools offer more conversational and real-time responses for better voice search accuracy and user experience.

Generative Search vs. Traditional Search

Generative AI search is changing how we find information by providing direct AI-driven answers instead of a list of links.

Unlike traditional search which relies on keywords and ranking algorithms to create content, AI-powered search engines like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) and ChatGPT generate responses using machine learning models.

Differences in Search Experience:

• Traditional search provides multiple blue links, users need to click and read different pages.
• Generative AI search delivers concise, contextual answers directly on the results page reducing the need for manual searching.

Impact on SEO:

• AI search prioritises well-structured content over keyword-stuffed pages.
• Websites need to focus on E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) to rank in AI-generated search results.

Written Search vs. Voice Search: Key Differences

Voice search is different from written search by being longer, more conversational, and intent-driven. A voice search query mimics natural speech and often starts with who, what, where, when, why, or how, unlike written queries which are short and keyword-focused. Voice search queries are designed to be effectively recognized and read aloud by voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, emphasizing the need for longer, more specific phrases and a focus on directly answering user questions.

How Users Search Differently:

• Written Search: “Best SEO Agency UK” (short and direct).
• Voice Search: “Where can I find the best SEO agency in the UK?” (full sentence).

Users often use different approaches when searching online. For instance, a written search might be concise and to the point, such as “Best SEO Agency UK.” In contrast, a voice search query tends to be more conversational and specific, like “Where can I find the best SEO agency in the UK?” This difference highlights the importance of optimizing content to cater to both types of searches, ensuring that it is effectively recognized and read aloud by voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant.

User Behaviour Differences:

• Voice queries are longer and phrased as complete questions.
• Users expect quick, spoken answers instead of a list of links.

Content Optimisation Impact:

• Websites need to use natural language, structured data, and FAQ formats.*
• Optimising for featured snippets increases the chance of being a voice search result.