Voice Search SEO: How to Optimise for Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa

"Hey Siri, find a plumber near me."

Voice search has been "the next big thing" for years. But in 2026, it's no longer emerging. It's how a significant portion of searches actually happen.

Here's what NZ businesses need to know about optimising for voice search and AI assistants.

How Voice Search Actually Works

When someone asks Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa a question, these systems:

• Convert speech to text
• Interpret the query intent
• Search for the best answer
• Either read a response or show results

For simple questions, they often pull from featured snippets or AI-generated summaries. For local searches, they use Google Business Profile data and local search results.

The key difference from typed search: voice queries are conversational and often location-based.

Voice Search vs Text Search

Typed: "plumber auckland"

Voice: "Who's a good plumber near me that's open right now?"

Voice queries are:

• Longer and more conversational
• Often phrased as questions
• Frequently include "near me" or local intent
• More likely to expect a direct answer
• Often action-oriented (calling, directions, hours)

This changes how you should structure content.

Why Voice Search Matters for Local Businesses

Voice search skews heavily toward local intent. People use it when they're:

• Looking for nearby businesses
• Needing immediate service
• Driving and can't type
• Multitasking at home

For NZ service businesses, voice search is often the first point of contact. Someone's toilet is flooding and they're asking their phone for an emergency plumber. That's a high-intent query you want to capture.

How to Optimise for Voice Search

Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile

This is the single most important thing for local voice search. When someone asks for "a cafe near me," Google pulls from Business Profile data.

Ensure your profile has:

• Accurate business name, address, phone (NAP)
• Correct business hours, including holidays
• Services and products listed
• Photos of your business
• Regular posts and updates
• Responses to reviews

Incomplete profiles get skipped.

Target Conversational Keywords

People don't speak in keywords. They ask questions.

Traditional keyword: "accountant wellington"

Voice query: "Who's a good accountant for small businesses in Wellington?"

Create content targeting these natural language queries:

• How much does [service] cost in [location]?
• Where can I find [service] near me?
• What's the best [service] for [specific need]?
• Who offers [service] in [location]?

Create FAQ Content

FAQ pages are perfect for voice search because they're structured as questions and answers. This matches how voice queries work.

Create FAQ pages that answer:

• Questions customers actually ask you
• Common queries about your industry
• Location-specific questions
• Pricing and process questions

Structure each answer to be direct and concise. Voice assistants prefer answers they can read in 2-3 sentences.

Use Schema Markup

Schema helps search engines understand your content structure. For voice search:

FAQPage schema: Marks up your questions and answers so Google can feature them directly.

LocalBusiness schema: Provides structured data about your business that voice assistants can use.

Speakable schema: Specifically identifies content suitable for text-to-speech.

Answer Questions Directly

Voice assistants pull answers from featured snippets. To capture these:

• Start sections with the question as a heading
• Answer in the first sentence or two
• Keep the initial answer under 40 words
• Expand with detail below

Example:

"How much does a website cost in NZ?"

"A professional business website in New Zealand typically costs $4,000-$15,000. Basic brochure sites sit at the lower end, while e-commerce or custom functionality costs more. Here's what affects pricing..."

Optimise for "Near Me" Searches

Near me queries are common in voice search. Optimise by:

• Including your location throughout your website naturally
• Creating location-specific pages if you serve multiple areas
• Mentioning suburbs, regions, and landmarks
• Having consistent NAP across all platforms

Improve Page Speed and Mobile Experience

Voice searches often happen on mobile devices. If your site is slow or mobile-unfriendly, you're less likely to be featured.

• Load in under 3 seconds on mobile
• Easy to navigate with one hand
• Click-to-call functionality works
• Information is accessible without excessive scrolling

Voice Search and Local SEO Work Together

Most voice search optimisation is just good local SEO:

• Google Business Profile optimisation
• Consistent NAP across directories
• Local content and keywords
• Reviews and reputation management
• Mobile-friendly website

If you're doing local SEO well, you're already optimised for most voice queries.

What Voice Assistants Actually Use

Google Assistant: Primarily uses Google Search results, featured snippets, and Google Business Profile data.

Siri: Uses Apple Maps for local queries, Google for general queries, and various partnerships.

Alexa: Uses Bing for search, Yelp for local businesses, and various skill integrations.

For NZ businesses, Google is the priority. Most voice searches here go through Google Assistant, and Apple Maps uses Google data for local results.

Measuring Voice Search Performance

Voice search traffic is hard to track directly. Google Analytics doesn't separate voice from typed queries. But you can look at:

• Growth in long-tail, conversational queries (Search Console)
• Increase in mobile traffic and calls
• Featured snippet appearances
• Google Business Profile insights (calls, direction requests)

Common Voice Search Mistakes

Ignoring Google Business Profile: This is foundational. Everything else is secondary.

Writing for robots, not humans: Natural, conversational content works better than keyword-stuffed text.

Not answering questions directly: Burying answers in long paragraphs means voice assistants can't extract them.

Forgetting about mobile: Voice searches are primarily mobile. Desktop-optimised sites miss the point.

Ignoring local content: Voice search is heavily local. Generic content without location context doesn't compete.

Getting Started

If voice search optimisation is new to you:

• Claim and complete your Google Business Profile
• Create FAQ pages answering common customer questions
• Add LocalBusiness and FAQPage schema
• Ensure your site works well on mobile
• Include location context naturally throughout your content

These fundamentals capture most voice search opportunities.

Need help optimising for voice search and local SEO? Get in touch and we'll audit your current presence and show you what's missing.