Why Voice Search is Crucial for E-commerce
Voice search has rapidly transformed how customers interact with technology, and e-commerce is no exception.
As smart speakers, voice assistants, and mobile voice search become everyday tools, businesses need to adapt or risk falling behind. In 2024, voice search is no longer a trend—it’s a primary way people shop and search for information.
Why Voice Search is Exploding
Voice search is growing at a pace that can’t be ignored. Consumers love the convenience—it's hands-free, faster than typing, and especially useful when multitasking.
Whether they’re driving, cooking, or even shopping while watching TV, people are embracing voice search for its efficiency.
Voice commerce is projected to be worth $40 billion globally by 2024.
Nearly 71% of consumers prefer using voice search over typing for online shopping, especially for quick product lookups and reorder requests.
Given this upward trend, optimizing your e-commerce store for voice search is essential to stay competitive in 2024.
How Voice Search Impacts E-commerce Stores
Voice search fundamentally changes how people search for products. Instead of typing short, fragmented keywords, users are asking complete, conversational questions.
For example, rather than typing "best running shoes," a voice search user might ask, “What are the best running shoes for women in 2024?” This change in user behavior calls for a new approach to search engine optimization (SEO) — Voice Search Optimization (VSO).
Without adapting to this shift, e-commerce stores risk losing visibility, traffic, and ultimately, sales.
Nearly 58% of consumers have used voice search to find local businesses or product information online.
As more consumers use voice commands to shop, now is the time to implement strategies to make your Shopify store discoverable via voice.
Understanding How Voice Search Works for E-commerce
Voice search works a bit differently from traditional text-based search engines. When a user asks a voice assistant for a product recommendation or store information, the assistant pulls the most relevant result, often from a limited set of top-ranked pages. The key to optimizing for voice search is understanding how this process works.
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
At the heart of voice search technology is Natural Language Processing (NLP). NLP allows voice assistants to understand and interpret user queries just as a human would.
This means that voice search queries are more conversational, context-driven, and often longer than typical typed queries.
- Example: Instead of typing “men's shoes discount,” a voice user might ask, “Where can I find the best discounts on men's shoes right now?”
For your e-commerce store to rank well in voice search results, you'll need to optimize for these longer, more conversational search phrases.
Featured Snippets & Voice Search
One key element of voice search is its reliance on featured snippets—the short, direct answers that Google pulls to the top of search results. In voice search, assistants like Alexa or Siri often read these snippets aloud as the answer to a user’s question.
To increase your store’s visibility in voice search, aim to structure your content so it can be selected as a featured snippet.
This might mean directly answering common customer questions within your product descriptions or blog posts, keeping in mind the natural conversational language of voice queries.
Tip: Use question-based headers in your content like “What is the best way to clean leather shoes?” to align with how users are phrasing their voice search queries.
Local SEO for Voice Search
Voice searches tend to be more local-focused. In fact, 58% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information, making local SEO crucial for any e-commerce business that operates in specific regions or offers local pick-up services.
Be sure to keep your Google My Business profile updated with accurate contact information, hours, and location details.
“Near me” searches have increased by 500% in the past two years.
By implementing strategies such as conversational content, focusing on natural language, and staying up-to-date with local SEO practices, you’ll be well-positioned to capture traffic from voice searches.
Key Differences Between Voice Search SEO and Traditional SEO
As voice search grows in popularity, it’s important to understand how optimizing for voice search differs from traditional SEO practices.
While both forms aim to increase your store’s visibility in search engines, voice search introduces a new layer of complexity that requires a more conversational and localized approach.
1. Longer, Conversational Keywords
In traditional SEO, users typically search with short, fragmented keywords like “best running shoes.” In voice search, the queries tend to be longer and more conversational, like “What are the best running shoes for hiking?” This shift impacts how you should structure your content.
Voice search optimization (VSO) requires the use of long-tail keywords that mimic natural speech patterns. Your store’s product descriptions, blog posts, and FAQ sections need to account for these changes.
Focus on adding keywords that reflect how people naturally ask questions out loud.
- Example: Instead of optimizing for "men's jackets sale", consider phrasing like "Where can I find men's jackets on sale this weekend?"
2. Question-based Search Queries
One of the major differences in voice search SEO is the prevalence of question-based queries. Users frequently phrase their searches as questions, asking things like “What’s the best Shopify store for organic skincare?” or “Where can I find the best Black Friday deals?”
To optimize for voice, ensure your e-commerce store's content answers these questions clearly. This is where structured content comes in handy, particularly using question-and-answer formats throughout product pages or blog posts.
Include H2 or H3 headers that ask a question and immediately follow it with a clear, concise answer. This helps search engines identify your content as relevant for answering voice-based queries.
Tip: Use tools like AnswerThePublic to discover the most commonly asked questions about your products or services.
3. Focus on Featured Snippets
In traditional SEO, you’re often competing to be among the top 10 results on a search engine results page (SERP). With voice search, the stakes are even higher.
Voice assistants usually pull information from featured snippets, or the short pieces of content that appear at the top of the SERP.
To improve your chances of being featured, optimize content to give direct, succinct answers to potential questions.
Voice search tends to favor short, structured responses that can easily be read aloud by a voice assistant. Aim to provide clear answers within 40-50 words wherever possible, such as in product FAQs or blog intros.
Over 75% of voice search results come from one of Google’s top 3 search results, making it crucial to aim for these top spots.
4. Local SEO is More Important Than Ever
Another key difference with voice search SEO is the increased importance of local SEO. Many voice searches are location-based, especially when users are looking for products or services nearby. For example, a shopper might ask, “Where can I buy organic coffee near me?”
To optimize your store for local voice searches:
1. Ensure your Google My Business listing is fully optimized and updated with accurate details such as store hours, location, and contact info.
2. Include location-based keywords in your content, especially if you offer local services or in-store pick-up.
46% of all voice search users look for local business information at least once a day.
Voice Search vs. Traditional SEO Checklist:
- Use conversational, long-tail keywords
- Optimize for question-based queries in your content
- Target featured snippets with direct answers
- Leverage local SEO to capture nearby customers
Understanding these key differences between voice search and traditional SEO will set you up for success when optimizing your Shopify store for voice queries in 2024.
Optimizing Your E-commerce Store for Voice Search: Actionable Steps
Now that we’ve covered the fundamental differences between traditional SEO and voice search SEO, let’s dive into how to actually optimize your e-commerce store for voice search.
Voice search presents a unique opportunity for stores to capture a growing number of customers who rely on voice-activated devices. Here's how you can stay ahead of the curve.
1. Improve Your Website Speed
One of the most critical factors for ranking in voice search is page speed. Voice assistants are programmed to provide quick answers, which means they prefer websites that load fast.
Websites that load in under 2 seconds have a 15% higher likelihood of being chosen by voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant.
2. Optimize for Mobile Usability
Voice searches are often conducted on mobile devices, so having a mobile-friendly e-commerce store is essential. Google prioritizes websites that are optimized for mobile, so you need to ensure your site is easy to navigate on smaller screens.
- Use responsive design to ensure your Shopify store adapts seamlessly to any device.
- Test your website on mobile to ensure text, buttons, and images are well-aligned and easy to interact with.
Over 60% of global searches are performed on mobile devices, and a significant portion of voice searches are mobile-based.
3. Leverage Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Since voice searches are more conversational, your content should be written in a way that mirrors how people naturally speak.
This is where NLP (Natural Language Processing) comes into play, helping voice assistants interpret and deliver more relevant search results.
- Include long-tail keywords and questions that sound more conversational.
- Use tools like Google’s NLP API to better understand how your content is being interpreted by search engines and how it can be improved for voice search.
Tip: Write product descriptions, blog posts, and FAQ answers using complete sentences and natural phrasing, rather than stuffing in short, robotic keywords.
4. Create a Comprehensive FAQ Section
When optimizing for voice search, having a detailed and well-organized FAQ section on your website is a must. This provides a clear opportunity to rank for the common questions that users ask via voice search.
- Research the common questions your audience may ask, such as "What’s the best online store for sportswear?"
- Use structured data (Schema Markup) to help search engines understand and prioritize these questions and answers for voice search results.
Voice searches are 3 times more likely to be question-based than typed searches, making a strong FAQ section crucial for your e-commerce site.
5. Optimize for Local Search (if applicable)
If your business has a physical presence, optimizing for local voice search is crucial. Users frequently ask voice assistants for nearby services, using queries like “Where’s the nearest organic grocery store?”
- Update your Google My Business listing to ensure it contains accurate information about your hours, address, and phone number.
- Incorporate location-specific keywords in your content, especially if you offer local services or in-store pick-ups.
Tip: Be sure to enable Google Reviews and encourage satisfied customers to leave feedback. Positive reviews increase the chances of your store being recommended in voice searches.
6. Use Schema Markup
Schema Markup, also known as structured data, helps search engines like Google understand the content of your e-commerce site better. For voice search optimization, structured data is especially useful for product information, FAQs, and reviews.
- Implement FAQ schema to help Google serve your answers in voice search results.
- Use product schema to provide detailed product information that voice assistants can pull when a user makes a search related to a specific product.
Quick Checklist for Voice Search Optimization:
- Ensure your website loads in under 3 seconds.
- Make sure your website is mobile-optimized.
- Use natural language and long-tail keywords.
- Build an FAQ section and use structured data to help rank for voice search.
- Optimize your store for local search if you have physical locations.
By focusing on these steps, you’ll set your e-commerce store up to attract the growing number of voice search users, improving your store’s visibility and driving more conversions.
Enhancing Your Content for Voice Search Queries
Now that we’ve covered the technical aspects of voice search optimization, let’s shift the focus to content strategy. The way users interact with voice search is different from traditional text-based queries.
Voice search tends to rely on natural, conversational language and often revolves around questions. This shift presents both a challenge and an opportunity for e-commerce stores to adapt their content strategy effectively.
1. Focus on Natural Language and Conversational Tone
When creating content for voice search, it’s essential to adopt a more conversational tone. Users don’t speak the way they type, which means you need to create content that sounds more like everyday speech.
- Instead of optimizing for short-tail keywords like “best running shoes,” think of how users would ask voice assistants, such as “What are the best running shoes for marathon training?”
- Use long-tail keywords that match how people speak and ask questions.
Tip: Try adding questions throughout your content to address common queries. For instance, "Why is voice search important for my Shopify store?" This helps voice assistants quickly identify relevant content for users.
2. Optimize for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets, also known as "Position Zero," are highly coveted in voice search. Voice assistants often pull from snippets to answer user queries directly, making it essential for your e-commerce store’s content to rank in this spot.
- Use structured content with bullet points, short paragraphs, and clear headings to increase the chances of ranking as a featured snippet.
- Ensure that key questions related to your products or services are clearly answered within the first few sentences of a paragraph or section.
Nearly 40.7% of all voice search results come from featured snippets, making them a critical element of any voice search SEO strategy.
3. Include Common Customer Questions
One of the most effective ways to optimize your content for voice search is by anticipating customer questions and providing clear, concise answers. Voice assistants are designed to respond to user queries quickly, so make sure you are addressing these questions throughout your website.
- Create a dedicated FAQ page or integrate FAQs into relevant product pages to cover a wide range of questions, from product details to shipping policies.
- Write answers in a natural, conversational tone, and keep them brief but informative.
Tip: Use tools like AnswerThePublic or Google’s “People Also Ask” section to discover what users are searching for in your industry and then address these questions in your content.
4. Use Localized Content if You’re a Local Business
Voice search often includes location-based queries, such as “Where can I buy winter boots near me?” If your e-commerce store operates locally or offers local services, make sure you’re optimized for these types of queries.
- Create localized landing pages or blog posts that include geo-specific terms to help capture voice searches for local customers.
- Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing with accurate business hours, a description of your services, and up-to-date contact information.
5. Keep Your Content Fresh and Relevant
Search engines prioritize fresh, up-to-date content. Regularly updating your website’s blog, product pages, and FAQ sections will keep your content relevant and more likely to be chosen for voice search results.
- Regularly update your blog to reflect new trends, product launches, or seasonal changes in your industry.
- Make sure that any statistics, product details, and company information are accurate and current.
Tip: Plan to refresh content every 6-12 months to stay relevant in a fast-evolving digital landscape.
Structured Data and Schema Markup for Voice Search
Voice search heavily relies on structured data, also known as schema markup, to understand and interpret the content on your website more accurately. This plays a critical role in enhancing your e-commerce store's visibility in voice search results.
1. What Is Structured Data?
Structured data refers to the practice of tagging elements on your website using specific codes that help search engines understand the content better.
It provides context for search engines, which in turn improves the chances of your content being featured in voice search results.
For example, structured data can help search engines understand whether a product is in stock, what its price is, or even where your store is located.
All of this information is vital when voice assistants, like Google Assistant or Alexa, answer user queries.
2. Key Types of Schema Markup for E-commerce
To optimize your e-commerce store for voice search, you should focus on implementing schema types that are highly relevant for online stores. These include:
- Product Schema: Adds important information like price, availability, and reviews to your product listings, ensuring voice assistants can easily access and deliver this information.
- FAQ Schema: This is especially useful for voice search because it can directly answer user queries. If your FAQ sections are marked up with structured data, it increases the chance that your responses will be selected as the answer for voice search results.
- Local Business Schema: For e-commerce stores with a physical presence, this schema helps search engines understand your business details, such as location, business hours, and contact information. This is especially important for capturing local voice search queries like “Where can I find a bakery near me?”
Tip: Tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper can make it easier to implement these tags on your Shopify store without needing advanced coding knowledge.
3. Benefits of Using Schema for Voice Search
Incorporating schema markup into your website has several benefits when it comes to voice search optimization:
- Improved Visibility: Schema helps search engines display rich results, including product listings, reviews, and pricing information, all of which are crucial for voice search.
- Higher Rankings: Websites with properly implemented structured data are more likely to be selected for featured snippets, the top answer spots for voice searches.
- Better User Experience: Structured data makes it easier for users to find the information they need quickly, especially when shopping via voice assistants.
Research shows that only 17% of websites are using structured data, giving a massive opportunity to those who implement it.
4. How to Implement Schema Markup on Your Shopify Store
Shopify makes it relatively easy to add schema markup, either through built-in features or by using apps. Here’s a simple process to get started:
- Use Shopify apps like JSON-LD for SEO or SEO Manager to automatically add structured data to your store.
- If you’re tech-savvy, you can manually edit your store’s code to include schema tags. However, this can be tricky and might require a developer’s help.
- Test your structured data using Google’s Rich Results Test Tool to ensure everything is properly implemented and visible to search engines.
Tip: Start by focusing on product pages, as they are the most likely to appear in voice search results when users ask for product recommendations or details.
Optimizing for Long-Tail Keywords in Voice Search
One of the fundamental differences between traditional typed search and voice search is the length and structure of the search queries.
When users speak to voice assistants, they tend to use conversational, natural language, leading to more detailed and longer search queries. This is where long-tail keywords become crucial for your voice search optimization efforts.
1. What Are Long-Tail Keywords?
Long-tail keywords are search phrases that are more specific and typically longer than general, high-competition keywords.
For example, while a user might type "running shoes" into a search bar, in voice search, they might ask, "What are the best running shoes for flat feet under $100?" These longer queries are easier to rank for because they face less competition than shorter, broader keywords.
For your Shopify store, optimizing for long-tail keywords means anticipating the types of natural language queries your customers might use when speaking to voice assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa.
2. Why Long-Tail Keywords Are Key to Voice Search SEO
Long-tail keywords are especially important for voice search optimization because they match the way people naturally speak. When people use voice search, they're likely to ask full questions rather than typing a few keywords. Optimizing your store’s content for these more specific queries increases your chances of showing up in the top results for voice searches.
Here’s why focusing on long-tail keywords is essential:
- Better Match for User Intent: Long-tail keywords are more descriptive and tend to reflect the specific needs of users. For example, someone asking, "What are the best eco-friendly water bottles for hiking?" is clearly interested in a product that meets specific criteria. If your store sells eco-friendly water bottles, having a blog post or product page optimized for that long-tail phrase could drive highly targeted traffic.
- Lower Competition: While ranking for highly competitive keywords like "shoes" or "bags" may be difficult, targeting more specific long-tail keywords like "affordable waterproof hiking shoes for women" offers a greater chance of ranking higher, especially in voice search results.
- Increased Conversion Rates: Long-tail keywords often indicate that the user is further along in their buying journey. Someone searching for "best eco-friendly water bottles under $50" is likely ready to make a purchase, whereas a user searching for "water bottles" may just be browsing. This means long-tail keywords not only improve your rankings but also increase the likelihood of conversions.
3. How to Find Long-Tail Keywords for Voice Search
To optimize your Shopify store for voice search, you'll need to focus on identifying the right long-tail keywords. Here’s how you can find these keywords:
- Google’s “People Also Ask”: Check the "People Also Ask" section in Google search results for inspiration. These questions provide real-world examples of what users are searching for, many of which can be adapted into long-tail keywords.
- Voice Search Tools: Tools like Answer the Public or SEMrush can help identify common questions and phrases related to your products. These tools provide insight into the specific queries users are asking, which can help guide your keyword strategy.
- Leverage Customer Queries: Another way to find long-tail keywords is to pay attention to the questions your customers ask. If you run a customer service team or chat function, review the types of questions customers ask most frequently about your products. These real-world queries can be optimized into long-tail keywords.
4. Where to Use Long-Tail Keywords
Once you've identified the right long-tail keywords for your store, it’s important to incorporate them strategically throughout your website. Here are a few key places to optimize:
- Product Descriptions: Use long-tail keywords in your product descriptions. If someone is asking about specific product features, make sure those features are clearly described using natural, conversational language.
- Blog Content: Writing blog posts that directly address common customer questions is a great way to incorporate long-tail keywords. For example, a post titled “The Best Sustainable T-Shirts for Women in 2024” targets a specific long-tail keyword that’s likely to come up in voice searches.
- FAQ Pages: FAQ sections are ideal for voice search because they are written in question-and-answer format, mimicking the conversational nature of voice search queries. Structure your FAQ page to answer the types of questions users might ask via voice search, and include your long-tail keywords in both the questions and the answers.
- Meta Descriptions and Titles: Ensure that long-tail keywords are reflected in your meta titles and descriptions, as these elements help search engines determine how relevant your page is to a voice query.
Tip: Don’t stuff your keywords unnaturally. Make sure the long-tail keywords flow smoothly in your content so that both users and search engines view it as high-quality, natural language.
Future-Proofing Your E-commerce Store for Voice Search
Optimizing your e-commerce store for voice search isn’t just a trend—it’s an essential strategy for staying relevant in the evolving online landscape. Voice search is becoming a preferred way for people to browse and shop, and as these technologies get smarter, they will only grow more integrated into everyday shopping behavior.
With big players like Google, Amazon, and Apple continuing to invest heavily in voice-activated tech, and nearly 40% of online consumers expected to use voice search regularly by 2025, ensuring your store is prepared means you’re not just keeping up—you’re getting ahead.
Voice search isn’t about complicated tactics; it’s about making your content natural and accessible, thinking like your customers, and ensuring your store delivers answers quickly and efficiently.
By focusing on strategies like making your content more conversational, enhancing your local SEO, and optimizing for mobile, you’ll be positioning your business to thrive as shopping habits shift.
Voice search might still be new to many, but adapting now will help you engage with shoppers in ways that feel more natural to them—and ultimately, that’s what will drive more traffic and sales.
The future of voice search SEO is here, and getting your store ready now means you’ll be in the best position to capture new audiences as these technologies become an even bigger part of the way people shop.
Voice Search Optimization FAQs
1. Why is voice search important for e-commerce stores?
Voice search is becoming a major part of how consumers interact with technology. By 2025, nearly 40% of consumers are expected to use voice search regularly, making it critical for e-commerce stores to optimize for voice to meet changing customer habits and stay competitive.
2. How does voice search impact SEO?
Voice search focuses on conversational queries and long-tail keywords. Optimizing for voice search means creating content that answers specific, spoken questions, improving your store’s visibility on search engines and helping you rank for voice-related queries.
3. What are the best practices for voice search optimization in 2024?
Key strategies include using natural, conversational language in content, focusing on long-tail keywords, optimizing for mobile and local searches, and ensuring your site loads quickly. Enhancing these areas helps your store perform well in voice search results.
4. How does voice search differ from traditional search?
Voice searches are typically longer and more conversational than text-based searches. They often include questions or commands such as "What’s the best place to buy running shoes?" This means content needs to address user intent more clearly to succeed in voice search results.
5. Is optimizing for voice search relevant for small businesses?
Absolutely! As voice search becomes more common, even small e-commerce stores can benefit from optimizing their websites. A well-optimized voice search strategy can help smaller businesses attract new customers and compete with larger retailers by providing quick, relevant answers to user queries.