Voice Search
Search where the query is spoken instead of typed, processed through voice assistants on smartphones, smart speakers and in cars.
Also known as: Voice Query, Spoken Search
Voice search describes search queries spoken instead of typed. The query is sent to a voice assistant on a smartphone, a smart speaker or in vehicle infotainment. Common assistants are Google Assistant, Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana. The answer comes back either as a spoken reply, as a read out of a search result or as an app action.
What voice queries look like
Voice queries are longer and more natural than typed ones. Instead of two words like weather Hamburg, the user asks what is the weather today in Hamburg. This produces questions with question words or direct requests. Answers typically come from structured sources like featured snippets, knowledge panels or dedicated data schemas on a website.
What can be optimised for voice search
Content that serves voice search answers concrete questions fully in two or three sentences. FAQ sections with clear questions and answers, definitions at the start of glossary entries and cleanly marked up data using Schema.org help assistants generate a reliable answer. For local queries, current opening hours, addresses and phone numbers in a Google Business Profile are decisive.
In everyday marketing
Voice search is not a standalone channel with its own ad inventory, it is an input method that changes organic visibility. Anyone optimising for voice should review the most important long tail questions around their topic and make sure each question is answered in a clearly bounded paragraph. A featured snippet for an important question is often the precondition for a voice assistant to read out your source.