Short answers to the voice search questions we are asked most, each written to be read aloud. For the full guide, read Voice Search in 2026.
What is voice search optimisation?
Voice search optimisation is making your content easy for voice assistants to find, read aloud and attribute, usually by giving short, direct answers to the questions people ask out loud. At Question.Marketing we treat it as the spoken layer of answer engine optimisation (AEO).
How is voice search different from typed search?
Spoken questions tend to be longer and phrased as full questions, and they usually get one spoken answer rather than a page of links. That means being one of several options is rarely enough: you need to be the answer.
Is voice search the same as AEO?
It overlaps. AEO covers visibility in any AI answer, on screen or spoken. Voice search is the spoken part, where the assistant usually has room for only one name.
Which voice assistants matter in 2026?
Gemini, which Google is rolling out in place of Google Assistant on phones and paired devices; Siri, which can pass questions to ChatGPT with your permission; Alexa+, Amazon's generative AI Alexa; and the voice modes in ChatGPT and other AI assistants.
What is speakable schema?
Speakable is structured data that marks the parts of a page best suited to being read aloud. Google lists it as a beta feature for news content, available to US users with Google Home devices set to English, so treat it as a hint rather than a guarantee.
How long should a voice answer be?
Aim for one or two sentences that fully answer the question before any detail follows. Google's speakable guidance suggests around 20 to 30 seconds of content, roughly two to three sentences, per spoken section.
Does local SEO affect voice search?
Yes. Many spoken questions are local, such as "near me" or "open now", so an accurate Google Business Profile, consistent business details across directories and reviews that mention your services all matter.
Where do voice assistants get their answers?
It varies by assistant and changes often. Generative assistants draw on web search, their own partners and licensed sources, so the safest approach is to be clearly and consistently described on your own site and on trusted third-party sites, rather than chasing one assistant's sources.
How do I measure voice search visibility?
Ask a fixed set of 20 to 50 customer questions aloud each month on each major assistant, and log the date, the device, who is named and whether you are recommended. Keep the questions the same so the trend means something.
Can a small business win voice answers?
Yes. Assistants favour clear, specific answers and consistent facts over size, so a small business that answers its customers' real questions plainly and is described the same way across trusted sites has a genuine chance of being named.