Voice and visual search redefines the rules of natural SEO. With the rise of voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri, and visual search tools embedded in Google Lens or Pinterest, Internet users' behaviour is changing rapidly. To remain visible, brands must adjust their SEO strategy to these new habits.
Voice search: more natural and conversational requests
Voice searches tend to reproduce the way we speak naturally. Unlike textual requests, often worded abbreviatedly (e.g.: « Paris weather forecast »), voice requests are longer and more precise (e.g.: « What will the weather be like in Paris this weekend? »).
Consequences for SEO:
- Long-track keywords : focus on complete and natural expressions.
- Optimization for questions : integrate FAQs with spoken language formulations.
- Structured content Use semantic tags to help engines understand the context.
- Loading speed : Voice assistants prefer fast sites.
Visual search: image as a new engine
Visual search allows a user to take a photo or download an image to find similar information. This feature is widespread on platforms like Google Lens, Pinterest Lens or even Instagram.
SEO implications of visual research:
- Image optimization : descriptive file name, relevant ALT tags, loss-free compression.
- Structured data (schema.org) : to facilitate the indexing of visuals in enriched results.
- Quality visual content : sharp, attractive and contextually content-related images.
A convergence of the two types of research
Increasingly, search engines combine voice, text and image in the same user experience. Google, for example, works to merge Google Lens with conversational research in its ecosystem.
Winning strategies:
- Create multimodal content (text, audio, image).
- Think mobile-first and accessibility.
- Focus on research intent: informative, transactional or navigational.
Why brands need to adapt now
With the democratisation of smartphones, connected speakers and smart glasses, ignoring voice and visual search means missing a growing audience. By adapting their SEO strategy, brands improve their visibility, accessibility and relevance to increasingly demanding users.
Conclusion
Voice and visual search radically changes the way Internet users interact with search engines. In 2025, brands that will be able to anticipate these developments by adapting their SEO to more natural and multimodal requests will be ahead of their audience.
