With the explosion of searches conducted via voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, voice search has become a strategic lever for SEO. It's estimated that over 50% of daily searches are now voice-based across multiple categories, according to Statista . For both service-based and e-commerce businesses, adapting your site for voice SEO is now essential to staying competitive.
In this article, you will discover what voice SEO is, why it is strategic, how to optimize it concretely, and how to intelligently integrate it with the new AI dimensions of SEO, notably via AEO , GEO and AIO .
What is voice SEO?
Voice SEO encompasses all the practices aimed at optimizing a website so that it effectively responds to voice searches. These voice queries differ from text searches in that they are more conversational, longer, and phrased like a question (e.g., "Where can I find an electrician near me?" or "What is the best pizza in Quebec City?" ).
Voice engines use artificial intelligence algorithms that rely on well-structured, localized, and easy-to-interpret content to answer these queries.
Why is voice SEO strategic today?
Users expect clear, fast, and local answers to their voice queries. For your business, this represents a real opportunity to:
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Appear in first position (position zero) with voice responses extracted from your site.
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Generate highly qualified traffic , with strong intentions (buy, call, visit).
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Strengthen your local presence , particularly through your local SEO and your Google My Business listing {:rel=“nofollow”}.
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Improve your conversion rate by directly answering your users' most important questions.
Best practices for optimizing your site for voice search
1. Adopt a conversational and natural tone
Voice searches are phrased as real questions, so your content should answer these questions clearly and in natural language. Keep sentences short and clear. For example:
“What is the best diesel engine oil?”
→ An ideal answer would be: Synthetic 5W-40 oil is often recommended for diesel engines in cold climates.
2. Target long tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are essential for voice SEO. Instead of targeting "hairdresser Montreal," target phrases like "Where can I find a hairdresser open on Sundays in Montreal?"
Integrate them into your content, FAQs and tags.
3. Integrate well-structured FAQ pages
FAQ pages are ideal for voice SEO. Each question should be phrased in the language users would use orally, followed by a concise answer. This is also a good practice for on-page SEO and SXO (Search Experience Optimization).
4. Improve your loading speed
Website speed is critical for voice SEO. Voice assistants favor fast-loading sites to provide instant answers. Make sure your technical SEO optimizations (Core Web Vitals, compression, fast server) are up to date.
5. Optimize for local search
The majority of voice searches are local: “Indian restaurant near here” , “plumber open now” , etc.
Work on your local SEO :
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Complete and up-to-date Google My Business listing
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Customer reviews
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Consistent local citations
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Geolocated landing pages
Artificial intelligence at the service of voice SEO
Voice SEO is closely linked to new AI technologies. Here's how to integrate them:
AEO (Answer Engine Optimization)
The heart of voice SEO is Answer Engine Optimization , which is the optimization of your content to provide accurate answers to voice assistants. This means:
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Structure your content in questions/answers
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Using Schema Markup FAQ
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Provide clear answers in 1 or 2 sentences
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization)
Generative engines like Google Bard and ChatGPT leverage your content to answer complex queries. The voice responses generated by these AIs are based on reliable, well-structured sources with a conversational tone.
AIO (AI Indexing Optimization)
Proper AI indexing is essential for your pages to be recognized as relevant for voice search. This requires good internal linking, well-defined tags, structured data, and a logical structure.
Common mistakes in voice SEO
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Ignoring the natural wording of questions
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Neglecting site speed
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Not structuring your content for direct response
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Forget long tail keywords
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Neglecting structured tags (FAQ, HowTo, etc.)
Conclusion: Speak up on Google with voice SEO
Voice search is transforming the way users access information. By adapting your site to voice queries and intelligent search engines, you increase your chances of being THE answer users hear first.
At Bofu, we help businesses strategically position themselves in voice search, combining performance, AI, and user experience.
