What is Voice Search? And Why It’s Not What You Think

What is Voice Search? And Why It's Not What You Think

For years, you've heard that voice search is the “next big thing.” You've probably seen the same tired statistics, usually predicting that 50% of all searches would be voice by 2020.

Well, it's 2025. That didn't happen.

This failure of prophecy has led many business owners to either dismiss voice search as overhyped tech that never arrived or to be completely paralysed by the confusing, often contradictory advice on how to “optimise” for it.

The truth is somewhere in the middle. Voice search isn't the sci-fi revolution we were promised. It has become something far more mundane, and therefore, far more critical: a utility. It's a feature, not a separate universe.

We’re going to ignore the hype and focus on what voice search is today, why it matters for your business, and the practical steps you can take to make sure customers find you when they ask for help out loud.

What Voice Search Is in 2025

Voice search is simply using a spoken command to ask a question or find information on a search engine, rather than typing it.

That’s it. It’s not magic.

When you say, “Hey Siri, what's the weather like?” or “Okay Google, find petrol stations near me,” you are using voice search. A device listens, converts your words to text, runs a search, finds the most likely answer, and then either shows it to you or reads it aloud.

The Technology (The 30-Second Version)

You don't need a degree in computer science, but understanding the basic mechanics helps demystify the process. It happens in three quick steps.

1. Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): This is the first part. A device's microphone captures your speech, and an ASR system converts the sound waves into digital text. It’s the modern version of a transcriptionist.
2. Natural Language Processing (NLP): This is the brain. NLP algorithms analyse the transcribed text to determine your words' intent. It distinguishes between “play the song Light My Fire” and “find me a place that can light my fire.”
3. The Search Engine: Once your intent is understood, the request is sent to a search engine like Google. It then scours its index to find the best, most direct answer and sends it back to be displayed on your screen or read aloud by a synthetic voice.

The Devices (Where It Happens)

Here is one of the biggest misconceptions business owners have. The hype around Amazon Alexa and Google Home led everyone to believe voice search was a battle for the living room.

It’s not. Not for most businesses, anyway.

Smartphones are the main event. According to 2024 data, over 70% of voice searches are conducted on mobile phones. This makes perfect sense. People use their voices when on the move—driving, walking, or with their hands full. They are looking for immediate solutions to immediate problems.

Smart Speakers are the supporting act. These devices (Amazon Echo, Google Nest) are used primarily for simple, home-based commands: playing music, setting timers, checking the weather, or managing a shopping list. While some transactional searches happen here, they are a fraction of the mobile volume.

In-Car Systems & Wearables are the niche players. Integrated systems in cars and devices like smartwatches are growing, but they serve particular, contextual functions, almost always related to navigation or quick communication.

For a business owner, this is a critical distinction. You aren't trying to get Alexa to recommend your consultancy firm. You are trying to ensure that when someone is in their car and says, “Hey Google, find a highly-rated graphic designer near me,” your business is the answer.

Why You, a Business Owner, Should Care

Forgetting the futuristic hype is the first step. The real reason to pay attention to voice search is that it reveals a fundamental shift in how your customers look for information. It’s a symptom of a larger change in user behaviour.

The Shift from Keywords to Questions

We were trained to speak to search engines in shorthand for twenty years.

A typed search might look like this: “emergency plumber Manchester.”

A voice search for the same need sounds like this: “Hey Google, can you find an emergency plumber in Manchester who is open right now?”

The voice query is longer, more specific, and uses natural, conversational language. It's a full question, not a string of keywords. This is incredibly valuable because the user's intent is crystal clear. They don't just need a plumber; they need one now, for an emergency, in a specific location.

The Rise of the Zero-Click Search

When Google can provide a direct answer to a question, it will. A zero-click search is one where the user's query is answered directly on the search results page, so they never have to click through to a website.

When a voice assistant reads an answer aloud, that is the ultimate zero-click search.

For businesses, this is both a threat and a massive opportunity. It’s a threat if you rely on website traffic for ad revenue or brand discovery. But it’s an opportunity if you can position your business to be the answer. Your goal is no longer just to rank #1, but to be the source of truth that Google serves up directly.

It's All About Local, Local, Local

This is the most critical takeaway for any small business. Voice search is overwhelmingly local. Data consistently shows that mobile voice searches are 3 times more likely to be for something local than their text-based counterparts.

People aren't using voice for deep, academic research. They are using it for immediate, real-world needs.

• “Where is the nearest post office?”
• “Call Inkbot Design.”
• “What time does that new cafe on the high street close?”

If you run a business that serves a specific geographic area—a shop, a restaurant, a trade service, or a local consultancy—ignoring voice search is like having an unlisted phone number. You are making yourself invisible to a growing group of customers with high purchase intent.

How Search Engines Choose the “One True Answer” for Voice

There isn't a secret “voice search algorithm.” Google uses its primary ranking systems but heavily emphasises a few key signals to find a single, definitive, speakable answer. It’s not about a list of ten blue links; it’s about finding the one correct response.

The Holy Trinity of Voice Search Ranking Signals

To become the chosen answer, your content must excel in three areas.

1. Directness & Brevity: The average voice search answer is just 29 words long. Google seeks a concise, straight-to-the-point answer that can be read aloud without sounding awkward. It needs to be a clear solution, not a long-winded essay.
2. Authority & Trust (E-E-A-T): This is just fundamental SEO. Google isn’t pulling an answer from a spammy, low-quality, untrustworthy website. It will source its answers from pages demonstrating strong Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
3. Technical Clarity (Structured Data): You have to make it painfully easy for a machine to understand what your content is about. This is where structured data, or Schema markup, comes in. It's a way of labelling your information so Google doesn't have to guess. More on this below.

The Power of Featured Snippets (Position Zero)

A featured snippet is the box that sometimes appears at the top of Google's search results, providing a direct answer to a query. It's often called “Position Zero” because it sits above the traditional #1 ranking.

The link between featured snippets and voice search is undeniable. One study by Backlinko found that over 40% of voice search answers came directly from a featured snippet.

This makes perfect sense. The snippet is already formatted as a direct, concise answer to a question, making it ideal for a voice assistant to read aloud. Therefore, one of the most effective strategies for winning in voice search is first winning the featured snippet for relevant queries in your industry.

The Practical Playbook: How to Optimise for Voice Search

This is where the rubber meets the road. Forget the abstract theories. Here are four practical areas to focus on. To make it concrete, we'll use a fictional example—”City Centre Plumbing” in Manchester.

Step 1: Master Your Local Presence (The Non-Negotiable)

For local queries, your Google Business Profile (GBP) is not just a listing; it's your voice search homepage. Google trusts its data first. When someone asks, “Find a plumber near me,” the information in your GBP is the first place it looks.

Your checklist is crucial but straightforward:

• Claim and fully verify your profile. It's the first step.
• Ensure NAP consistency. Your Name, Address, and Phone number must be 100% identical across your website, GBP, and any other online directory. No variations.
• Choose the right categories. Don't just list “Plumber.” Use specific categories like “Emergency Plumber” and “Boiler Repair Service.”
• Upload high-quality, recent photos. Show your work, your team, and your vans. It builds trust.
• Actively get and respond to reviews. Reviews are a massive trust signal for both Google and customers. Aim for a steady stream of recent, positive feedback.
• Use the features. Use Google Posts to share updates and answer questions in the Q&A section. This shows Google you're active and engaged.

Step 2: Answer the Public (Literally)

Remember, voice searches are questions. The most straightforward way to get found is to provide the best answers to your potential customers' questions.

Start by brainstorming every question you've ever been asked.

• “How much does it cost to fix a leaking tap?”
• “Why is my boiler making a banging noise?”
• “Do you offer a 24-hour call-out service?”

Create a dedicated FAQ page on your website, or build Q&A sections into your service pages. For City Centre Plumbing, a “Leaky Tap Repair” page should have a section answering the top 5-7 questions about that specific service. Structure your content with the question as a heading and the direct, concise answer right below it.

Step 3: Speak the Machine's Language with Schema Markup

Schema markup sounds technical and intimidating, but the concept is simple. It’s a vocabulary of code that you add to your website to explicitly tell search engines what your content is about. Think of it like adding price tags and descriptive labels to items in a shop—it removes all ambiguity for the shop assistant (Google).

For a small business, you only need to focus on a few key types:

• LocalBusiness Schema: This explicitly tells Google your business name, address, phone number, opening hours, and kind of business. It's a structured version of your NAP data.
• FAQPage Schema: When you create an FAQ page, wrapping the questions and answers in this schema tells Google, “This content is formatted as a Q&A.” This makes it incredibly easy for Google to pull it for a featured snippet or a voice answer.
• HowTo Schema: If you have step-by-step guides (e.g., “How to bleed a radiator”), this schema structures the steps so a voice assistant could potentially read them out in order.

You don't need to be a developer to implement this. Modern SEO tools and WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math have built-in features that make adding basic schema markup a point-and-click process.

Step 4: Focus on Core Web Vitals and Mobile Experience

Voice search is mobile search—end of story. You've already lost if your website is slow to load or difficult to navigate on a smartphone.

Page speed is a confirmed Google ranking factor. The data backs this up for voice: the average voice search result page loads in 4.6 seconds, 52% faster than the average webpage. Speed matters.

Your site must be responsive, with clickable phone numbers and easy-to-use navigation. If a user gets a voice search result that sends them to your site, the experience has to be seamless.

If your site is lagging or looks like it was designed in 2010, that's a foundational problem that impacts everything, not just voice search. Our approach to digital marketing always starts with a solid technical foundation because, without it, everything else is a waste of effort.

A Reality Check: What Voice Search Won't Do for Your Business

It's just as important to understand the limitations. Setting realistic expectations will save you from chasing pointless trends.

It will not replace your website. People still need a place to see your portfolio, read detailed service descriptions, meet your team, and fill out a contact form. Voice is a discovery channel, a way for people to find you. Your website is where you convert them.

It's not for complex sales. No one uses voice search to make a considered, high-value B2B purchase. You won't hear, “Hey Google, find me a new accounting firm that specialises in mid-cap manufacturing and has experience with international tax law.” Those are journeys that involve research, comparison, and multiple touchpoints. Voice is for immediate, lower-consideration needs.

Building a custom Alexa Skill is probably a waste of money. For 99% of small businesses, investing thousands in developing a custom “skill” for a smart speaker is a terrible use of resources. First, we must focus on being findable in the massive ecosystem of Google Search and Apple Maps. Don't build a private road when you haven't even paved your driveway.

The Future Isn’t Spoken, It’s Understood

The real takeaway from the last decade isn't about “voice” as a technology. It's about the bigger trend toward semantic search.

Search engines are trying to move from matching keywords to truly understanding intent and context. They want to know what you mean, not just what you type (or say).

Your goal as a business owner shouldn't be to “optimise for voice search.” Your goal should be to become the clearest, fastest, most helpful, and most authoritative source of information for your specific niche and location.

Do that, and you'll find you're not just ready for voice search. You're prepared for whatever comes next.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Voice Search

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The way customers find businesses is constantly changing. Voice search isn't a fad to be chased, but a signal that clarity, speed, and authority are what matter most. If your current digital marketing isn't built on that foundation, you're not just falling behind on voice but on search itself.

Look at how easily a machine—and therefore a customer—can get a straight answer from you. If you're unsure what you see, perhaps it's time for a conversation. You can request a quote or explore more of our insights on the Inkbot Design blog.