Maximize your chances of appearing in local voice results

Voice search optimization services help companies improve their online content so they’re well-positioned to appear in voice search results. Some voice search solutions might focus on getting their clients’ content to appear as featured snippets in SERPs, while services like Semrush’s Listing Management help local businesses improve their positions and review management so they appear in more local voice searches.

For local businesses hoping to improve their visibility in voice search, Semrush’s Listing Management tool offers a complete range of features designed to get you a strong return on your local voice search optimization efforts, including listings distribution, duplicate suppression, review management, and local ranking tracking. The wider Semrush platform also offers tools to help your content appear in featured snippets to be easily found by virtual assistants, such as Keyword Magic Tool and Position Tracking.

The number of users turning to voice search to get information is fast increasing, and typical SEO that doesn’t factor this in just won’t cut it. Users need results that are written in plain English so it sounds natural when read by a virtual assistant like Siri, Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. New devices like smart speakers are making voice search more common in the home as well, sparking a rise in savvy businesses investing in voice search optimization rather than leaving profit on the table.

Yes. When people ask virtual assistants questions like, “what’s the best Indian restaurant near me?,” Google will highlight reviews in the results that specifically say “the best”. A 2021 Semrush study found that the number of reviews a business has is more important for ranking in local search results than the star rating, so your voice search optimization strategy should include a solid review generation campaign.

Voice search assistants are often looking for the most important information about businesses, such as their location, phone number and opening hours. Semrush’s Listing Management tool gives assistants plenty of opportunities to discover the data by distributing listings to top directories - and makes sure they don’t come across errors and inconsistencies.

Yes! Beyond Semrush’s Listing Management features, the Position Tracking tool will show you if your content appears as a featured snippet. Voice search assistants often use these featured snippets to read back to the user as they are often considered the best results for the query.