Voice search and conversational questions: how to write pages that answer them

Spoken questions sound different from typed ones

When you type, you tend to be brief: "dentist open sunday". When you speak, you ask a whole question: "Which dentist near me is open on Sunday?" Spoken searches are often full sentences that start with words like who, what, where, when, how, can or is.

People also speak when their hands are busy, for example while driving, cooking or carrying shopping. They want one short answer, not ten links. This post makes no claim about how many people use voice. The advice here simply makes your pages easier to understand, whether someone types, speaks or reads.

Turn your headings into the questions people ask

A heading that matches a real question tells both the reader and the search engine what the section answers. Compare these pairs.

• Instead of "Our timings", write "When is the clinic open on weekends?"
• Instead of "Delivery", write "Do you deliver to my area, and how long does it take?"
• Instead of "Services", write "What kinds of repairs can you do at my home?"
• Instead of "Booking", write "How do I book a table for a large group?"

Answer in the first two sentences

Under each question, give the answer first. Then explain. A good answer is short enough to read aloud in one breath.

For example, imagine the question "Do you make cakes without eggs?" A good opening is: "Yes. We make eggless versions of our most popular cakes, and we ask for one day's notice." After that, add the details: flavours, sizes, how to order. If the answer is hidden in the fourth paragraph, a reader or a machine has to dig for it.

Use local, everyday words

Customers describe places by neighbourhood, landmark and everyday names, not by the official name of a district. Mention the areas you serve, the landmark people use to find you, and the words they use for your service.

Write your address, phone number and opening hours as real text on the page, not only inside an image. Local questions are often answered from business listings as well as websites, so keep your Google Business Profile accurate too.

Keep fast-changing facts fresh

Hours, holiday closures, new services and delivery areas change. A wrong answer is worse than no answer, because a person may act on it. Choose one person to check these facts on a regular day, and update the page whenever something changes.

A five-minute page check

• Does at least one heading read like a question a customer would ask?
• Is the answer in the first two sentences under it?
• Are the words plain, with no long or fancy terms?
• Are the hours, address and phone number written as text?
• Does the page load quickly and read well on a phone?

Checking whether AI answers mention you

AI Marketing Master has an "Are you in AI answers?" check. It asks a web-searching AI a question written the way a customer would ask it, then looks at whether the answer names your business or links to your site. Treat it as a spot check on one question at a time. It is not a ranking and not a voice test.