What started as a novelty – “Hey Siri, will it rain today?” – has become a daily habit.
Voice search is part of how we live, work and buy. And it’s not just consumers asking Alexa to reorder paper towels, your B2B customers are talking to their devices too.
This is a fundamental shift in how people seek and consume information, underpinned by AI advancements and smart speaker adoption. With one in five Google App searches now voice-based, 27% of the global online population using voice search on mobile, and the voice commerce market projected to grow to $151.39 billion in 2025, from $116.83 billion in 2024, the data paints a clear picture: voice search is here to stay.
For B2B brands, there’s an opportunity and a potential cost. Optimising for voice boosts visibility in a mobile-first world and positions your brand to meet the expectations of modern decision-makers. It can also help uncover valuable audience insights and position you as a tech-forward, responsive partner.
Here are five things to bear in mind:
1. Conversational content is essential
When a busy operations director asks their phone, “What’s the best supply chain software for mid-sized manufacturers?” – you want your business to be the one answering.
Voice search is inherently conversational and that means your content can’t be robotic or stuffed with keywords. It must sound like something a real person would say and search for. At Formative, we’re already helping our clients to reframe their content and address these natural-language queries head-on, shaping conversational FAQs, how-to guides and Q&A-style blog posts that solve specific pain points.
2. Long-tail keywords are a good way to get found
Voice search is about real questions from real people. Instead of typing “warehouse software”, today’s B2B buyer might ask, “What’s the best warehouse management system for cold storage facilities?” And that’s where long-tail, intent-driven keywords come into play.
Source: SDMI Global Industry Advisory Council
These longer, more specific phrases better reflect how people speak and search. By aligning your content with these natural-language queries, you can improve your SEO and tap into moments that lead to stronger engagement and better conversions.
3. Think about getting chosen by voice assistants
Smart speakers and voice assistants often pull responses from ‘position zero’ or the featured snippet at the top of Google’s results. If your content isn’t structured to show up there, you might not show up at all.
And that means clarity is key: concise answers, well-organised headers and bullet points that make it easy for search engines – and voice assistants – to understand and serve up your content. It’s not just about ranking, it’s about becoming a trusted voice that decision-makers hear first.
4. You need to optimise for mobile and for local
Voice search happens on the go. Most queries are made with mobile devices and many come with local intent. Whether you're a regional provider or a national brand with local branches, your digital presence needs to show up where your audience is searching.
That means mobile-friendly design, fast load times and content tailored to specific locations. When someone nearby asks, “Who offers IT support for small businesses in my location?” you want your name to be the one they hear. Optimising for mobile and local SEO is a baseline requirement for visibility in the voice-first world.
5. Voice search isn’t just fast, it’s frictionless
For busy professionals, speaking a question is quicker and more natural than typing it. That convenience makes your content more accessible, driving stronger engagement and positioning your brand as responsive, helpful and in tune with how people actually work.
And voice interactions can help reveal how your audience really talks, giving a window to the words they use, the pain points they highlight and the context they care about. Those insights can help you reshape your messaging and make your brand feel more human and more relevant.
Now’s the time to find your brand voice
In the B2B space, voice search is a largely untapped opportunity, and there’s potential for forward-thinking brands to stand out, increase their visibility and establish themselves as responsive and relevant.
This isn’t just about adapting to a trend, it’s about staying ahead of it. By aligning your content with how real people speak and search, you can position your brand to be more accessible, more useful and more engaging to the audiences that matter most.
Want to lead the conversation in your sector? Get in touch to start making your content voice-search ready at hello@formative.agency
