Voice search
Short definition
Voice search is searching by speaking rather than typing, with the answer often read aloud, on phones, smart speakers and assistants.
A person asks their phone or smart speaker a full question: 'is there a spa near me open at the weekend'. Typed searches tend to be short keywords, whereas spoken ones are longer, more natural and often carry a clear intent.
Spoken answers are usually given from a single source in a short sentence, so pages that answer plainly and keep location and opening hours current can have an advantage. For local businesses it also matters that address, phone number and hours match everywhere they appear.
Voice search is not a separate ranking list; it is a way of using search where classic SEO, local SEO and answer-focused writing meet. Which source an assistant reads from varies by device and over time, so no particular result can be promised.
Why it matters
Someone searching while walking, driving or with busy hands is often close to deciding. A page written to suit a spoken answer, with up-to-date details, can help your business be the one name mentioned at that moment.
Illustrative example
An event equipment rental business updated its address, opening hours and common questions, and wrote one-sentence plain answers. It became better suited to spoken queries such as 'stage lighting hire near me'.
