Voice Search in 2025: What’s Changed & How to Stay Ahead 

If you’re old enough (and I am talking in your 40s), you may remember researching something to buy by looking at the catalogue, or asking friends, or if it was a gadget of some description, buying a magazine to read a review.  

If you’re in your 30s, you may have done your research by joining a forum, asking people online and reading reviews.  

Now, if you’re in your 20s or younger your native way to search will have been to throw something into Google, or Instagram or TikTok and see what comes up. But in as little as the last three years, how we search has changed totally. Once we typed, now we speak and ask.    

Thing is, voice search isn’t a passing trend—it’s reshaped how Australian’s search, shop, and interact with brands they love. The proliferation of smart speakers that exist everywhere from our countertops and office spaces to voice assistants on our mobiles, means we are using voice more and more to search and expecting the results to be shaped by AI so we receive hyper-personalised answers. 

So what’s next?  

Last year, in one of our blogs, we broke down the fundamentals of voice search optimisation—what it is, why it matters, and how to get started. But even since then, the tech has evolved and user behaviour has shifted. It’s no longer just about having a few FAQs and local keywords in place, it’s about ensuring you’ve created a rich environment of contextually rich content that search engines can crawl, interpret and rewrite to answer questions for users around the globe.   

But how can you make sure your content stays visible, relevant, and ready to answer when someone says, “Hey Google…”?  

There’s no silver bullet, no simple one-off answer, rather, there are a number of things you may want to consider, adapt and mix for your business, to enable you to build a web presence that is optimised for voice-driven search. 

 

The Shift in How People Search 

As mentioned above, how we search has changed. Once it was manual and time intensive, then it became about keywords and clicks, and now, in today’s voice-led environment, it’s about context, conversation, and convenience. 

Consumers are no longer searching—they are asking and wanting answers they can act upon – almost instantly. That’s because more than ever, when questions are asked they are often asked mid-task, using natural language, with expectations that the answer will help drive their next action.  

Whether someone is driving through Brisbane and wanting to know where to stop for the best coffee, or cooking dinner in Sydney and looking for a rare ingredient, or planning a weekend away in Perth, people are increasingly using voice commands to get instant answers without stopping what they’re doing. 

We are seeing first-hand how this shift is changing everything from content structure to keyword strategy—and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. 

 

Voice Search in 2025 

If you built your website as little as 18-months ago and if you have not done much since, then these tips are aimed directly at you. We’ve compiled a quick laundry list that will help you with what you need to know. Some of the below you can action, some of it will be tips you need to consider when writing content, or framing answers.  

AI-Powered Responses Are Sharper Than Ever

Voice assistants and AI in general is not only learning from LLLM but are now capable of remembering previous interactions with us and adjusting results accordingly. They use a mix of real-time data, personal preferences, and contextual cues to tailor responses. 

Voice Shopping Is Taking Off

Voice-activated purchases are more seamless, with users placing orders, tracking parcels,  and comparing prices—all through spoken commands. This trend has made voice SEO essential for e-commerce businesses. 

Cross-Device Usage Is the New Norm

Voice search isn’t limited to smartphones anymore. It’s being used across TVs, cars, wearables, and smart home devices. Your content needs to be accessible, adaptable, and readable across all these touchpoints. You can no longer expect that a person conducting a search is looking at their phone, or even a computer. They could be driving and asking their Volvo assist to help them with something.  

Precision in Local SEO Matters More

The irony is the world has become more accessible for us, irrespective of where we are, but more than ever, we are looking to source what we need, quickly and easily from local sources. More and more we are using location-specific commands to get the answers we need; from “Where’s the nearest 24-hour chemist?” to “What’s the best Thai place open now?”, local SEO has become and will likely stay, central to voice optimisation. 

 

How to Optimise for Voice Search in 2025 

 

Here’s a breakdown of where to focus your efforts this year:

Use Natural, Conversational Phrasing

When people use voice search, they speak the way they talk in real life—not in keyword fragments. That’s why your content should reflect natural speech patterns. Think about how someone would ask a friend for advice: “What’s the best laptop for under $2,000?” rather than “best budget laptop.” Incorporating full questions and phrases into headings, subheadings and FAQ schemas makes your content more voice-friendly.  

We also recommend that you considering sprinkling conversational (casual) transitions and filler words to long-tail keywords. Tools like AnswerThePublic, AlsoAsked, and Google’s People Also Ask section are great for finding real-world phrasing. This isn’t about keyword stuffing and algorithms—it’s about writing for people, and what they actually want. 

Build More Purposeful FAQs

FAQ sections aren’t just helpful—they’re strategic assets for voice SEO. Users often ask questions like “How long does delivery take?” or “Can I return this item?” out loud, expecting immediate answers.  

This is where FAQ Schemas and smart Heading development is critical. Structuring your core landing pages with clear question-and-answer formats helps voice assistants pick up and repeat this content easily.  

To that end, where you are not using FAQs, make sure headings are concise and point to what the section underneath solves. This ensures voice answers are concise which is critical as voice assistants tend to read out around 30-40 words.  

When using headings, H2 or H3 headings are good indicators for search engines and AI engines. Keep it direct, helpful, and easy to scan both visually and audibly. 

 Optimise for Local Discovery

Voice searches are often location-based—think “cafes near me” or “What dentist is open now.” What it translates to is your local SEO strategy needs to be bullet-proof.  

There are a few things to do (or ask Three Piece Marketing about how we can help with Local search)  

• Claim and verifying your Google Business Profile 

• Make sure your address, phone number, website, and business hours are accurate. 

• Ensure you have selected the right industry for your business 

• Encourage customers to leave reviews (and make sure your team are respond to all of them, good or bad) to build credibility.  

• On your website, include location-based parameters such as suburbs, regions, and landmarks that people would search for.  

Adding structured data for location, opening hours, and services gives search engines even more context. When someone nearby searches for what you do, you’ll want to be first in line. 

 Speed Up and Streamline Your Site

Speed is everything in voice search. If your site is slow to load or clunky to navigate, voice assistants may skip over it entirely. Mobile users expect snappy results—and so do AI engines and Google’s algorithm. The industry standard is still Google, so look to use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to audit your site’s performance.  

Optimise images by compressing them, reduce unused code, and consider using lazy loading for larger elements. And, we also recommend that you enable browser caching and use a reliable content delivery network (CDN).  

Even if voice search is not your target market, a faster site means better user experience for everyone, not just voice users—and that helps reduce bounce rates and improve conversions. 

 Add Schema Markup Strategically

Schema markup gives search engines context about your content, allowing the search result pages to display richer, more accurate results. This is particularly important for voice search, where assistants rely on structured data to select and deliver precise answers.  

Implement FAQ schema, local business schema, and product schema depending on your business type. Adding markup to details like business hours, services, customer ratings, and event dates increases your visibility in featured snippets and knowledge panels.  

Tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper make it easier to get started, even if you’re not a developer. 

 Make Voice Part of Your E-Commerce Strategy

If your site aims to convert people into sales, then your site structure is critically important. If people are searching with their voice, then answers need to be forthcoming.  

For eCommerce businesses, this means your product pages should be optimised for spoken queries. Use conversational copy for product titles and descriptions, answer common questions in bullet points, and make important details easy to skim. Add structured data to your product listings and make sure your checkout process is mobile-first and lightning-fast. Think about your customer service too—voice assistants can guide users to support articles if they’re structured correctly. Make the path from query to checkout as smooth as possible. 

 

The Long and Short of it: Voice Search Is Evolving 

How we engage online is changing, voice search is a key part of this. From smarter home assistants to AI-powered chatbots, businesses are being discovered and interacted with in new, hands-free ways. 

To stay visible and accessible in this shifting landscape, brands need to move beyond traditional SEO and embrace voice as part of a broader digital strategy. That means content that’s not just optimised for search engines—but created for real-life conversations. 

 

Need a Voice-First SEO Strategy? 

If you’re ready to make voice search work for your brand but aren’t sure where to begin, Three Piece Marketing can help. 

We’ll review your current SEO, update your content for conversational queries, and make sure your business is positioned for how people search in 2025—across all devices. 

Contact us today to learn more about our SEO services and how we can give your business a competitive edge.