Talking to your phone used to look daft. Now it’s normal. We’ve gone from shouting “CALL MUM” at Nokia handsets in the 2000s to asking Alexa whether it’s raining in Dundee. Voice search is here, and it’s not going away.
According to Google themselves, 27 percent of the global online population is already using voice search on mobile. And PwC found that 71 percent of people would rather talk than type when searching. That’s a lot of customers you’re ignoring if your site only caters to keyboard searchers.
With that said our experience is that voice searches are slowing growing but intent to purchase searches are generally very low amongst voice searches. We have access to analytics of thousands of sites and for the moment we are currently recommending clients to not spend time optimising for voice search. You will often get agencies showing data like below. So what? Smart speakers ownership has been growing and yes more children are using voice search but that doesn’t not mean that people are purchasing using voice search.
BUT if you still want to go there here is the guide!
Why Voice Search Matters
Typed searches are short, clunky, and blunt: “best pizza Edinburgh.”
Voice searches are longer, natural, and often local: “Where’s the best pizza place open near Haymarket right now?”
That difference is everything. If you’re only targeting short, generic terms, you’ll never appear when someone’s actually asking the question aloud.
And here’s the kicker: voice search results usually pull from just one page, not a full list. You’re either the chosen answer, or you don’t exist.
Optimise for Natural Questions
People speak in full questions, not keyword soup. This is where FAQ content earns its keep.
Practical steps:
- Add FAQs to cornerstone and service pages.
- Write headers as actual questions: “How much does a plumber in Glasgow cost?”
- Keep the first sentence of your answer short — 30 words or less. Google loves a clean snippet to read out. Then expand below with detail for humans.
Example: An electrician in Aberdeen could have a page with:
- “What should I do if my fuse box trips at night?”
- “Do electricians in Aberdeen offer emergency callouts?”
Every one of those is a voice search waiting to happen.
Local Intent: The Real Goldmine
Most voice searches are local. Someone isn’t asking Siri about barbers in London if they’re standing on Union Street in Aberdeen.
Here’s what to do:
- Make sure your Google Business Profile is fully optimised.
- Use natural language on your site. Instead of “SEO agency Edinburgh,” write: “We’re an SEO agency based just off Princes Street in Edinburgh, working with local cafés, law firms, and retailers.”
- Include landmarks, neighbourhood names, and colloquial terms. People don’t say “ATM Glasgow City Centre.” They say “cash machine near Buchanan Street.”
BrightLocal reports that 58 percent of consumers use voice search to find local business information. If you’re missing key local details, you won’t be the one Google picks.
Site Speed and Mobile
Nobody waits for slow websites, especially in voice search. If Google has to decide which site to serve, speed wins.
Run your site through PageSpeed Insights. Compress images, strip out clunky code, and check your hosting isn’t slower than a ScotRail service on a windy morning.
And don’t forget mobile. Nearly every voice search is done on a phone. If your site still looks like a 2005 desktop relic on mobile, you’re invisible.
Structured Data Helps You Get Picked
Google prefers clear, structured answers it can parse. Schema markup (the hidden code that explains what your content is) helps here.
If you’re writing recipes, use Recipe schema. If you’ve got FAQs, use FAQ schema. Even LocalBusiness schema boosts your chances of being the one answer chosen.
Tools like Google’s Structured Data Helper make this less intimidating — no coding degree required.
Keep It Conversational
This one sounds obvious, but too many businesses still write like robots. Voice search prioritises answers that sound natural when spoken aloud.
Test this: read your content out loud. If it sounds like something you’d actually say in the pub, you’re on the right track. If it sounds like it was written by an accountant who swallowed a thesaurus, rewrite it.
Final Word
Voice search SEO isn’t magic. It’s about writing the way people talk, making sure your local info is bulletproof, and keeping your site fast and mobile-friendly. Do that, and you won’t just show up — you’ll be the one answer people actually hear.
At Hot Igloo, we’ve helped everyone from Highland B&Bs to Dundee plumbers adapt to voice search. The formula is simple: keep it human, keep it local, and let Google do the shouting for you.
Want more SEO advice, then check out our complete UK SEO guide here.