VEO in 2025: How Voice Optimization is Transforming Search

Have you noticed how our dialogue with technology has changed? We’ve moved from the era of choppy keywords typed on a keyboard to that of natural conversations with our assistants. We no longer type “weather Paris,” we ask: “What will the weather be like in Paris this afternoon?”

This mutation is not just a simple convenience; it’s a silent revolution redefining online visibility. With more than 8.4 billion voice assistants in use worldwide and nearly one in five people (20.5% of global users) adopting this technology, ignoring this phenomenon means losing a growing share of your audience.

This is where Voice Engine Optimization (VEO) comes in, the essential discipline of 2025. It’s not simply an annex to traditional SEO, but an entirely redesigned digital communication strategy. Follow this guide to understand why you must now fight to own the answer that the voice assistant will choose to share.

Introduction

In the 15 years I’ve been developing web solutions, I’ve observed a constant: each major evolution of the web brings with it a redistribution of power positions. The transition from text to voice is no different. And this time, the stakes are even more decisive, because we’re no longer simply talking about visibility, but about being the only source that the voice assistant will select to answer your users.

VEO vs. SEO: From Clickable to Conversational

To fully grasp the scope of VEO, let’s start with the fundamental distinction between the two disciplines.

Traditional SEO focuses on optimization for text input. It targets short and concise keywords. A user types “iPhone price” and receives ten blue results to choose from.

VEO, or Voice Engine Optimization, refers to the process of optimizing your web content specifically for voice searches. The distinction is crucial: VEO adapts to conversational, long, and natural queries spoken aloud. The user’s intent and understanding of natural language then take priority over classic keyword optimization techniques.

The Winner-Takes-All Rule

Here’s the analogy that captures the essence of VEO: In classic SEO, the search engine offers you ten blue links, giving you a choice. In VEO, the voice assistant (Google Assistant, Alexa, Siri) typically only reads one answer.

Your goal is no longer to be in the top 10, but to be the single source selected to be read aloud.

Imagine that instead of browsing a list of restaurants, you asked Alexa: “What restaurant do you recommend for a birthday in Lyon?” Alexa doesn’t list twenty options. It chooses one, usually the best sourced and structured. That’s exactly what you need to understand for VEO.

Genesis and Domination: From Bell to the 2025 Ecosystem

The history of voice search is much older than the iPhone. It dates back to the early 1950s.

Technical Beginnings

In 1952, Bell Labs created “Audrey,” capable of recognizing only spoken digits. A giant step at the time. In the 1960s, IBM developed “Shoebox,” which could understand about 16 words. These pioneering innovations paved the way for decades of research, particularly with the use of statistical models and hidden Markov models in the 80s and 90s.

These works laid the technical foundations to one day achieve reliable voice recognition. But it required patience.

The Consumer Breakthrough (2011-2016)

The real turning point came in 2011 with Apple’s launch of Siri. This breakthrough inspired other giants: Google launched Google Assistant in 2016, and Amazon revolutionized the connected home with Alexa and the Echo speaker the same year. These advances enabled voice recognition accuracy of 95% for Google in 2020, making voice search reliable enough for mass adoption.

The Mature Ecosystem of 2025

Today, the ecosystem is mature. More than 50% of adults report using voice search daily. Satisfaction is at 93%, as results load 52% faster than traditional search. It’s no longer a marginal experience; it has become a main channel.

The Three Giants of VEO

Google Assistant: With voice recognition accuracy reaching 95%, it excels in contextual search and natural language processing, drawing its answers from Google’s Local Pack. It’s the undisputed leader.

Amazon Alexa: It dominates the home device ecosystem (67% of smart speaker owners in the United States own an Echo). Alexa primarily uses Bing and Yext for its searches, and its accuracy reaches 93.7%. Its advantage: deep integration into homes.

Apple Siri: Integrated into the Apple ecosystem, Siri uses Google’s search engine for its results and particularly highlights Yelp reviews for local searches. Its domain: seamless integration into Apple devices.

The 3 Technical Pillars to Master VEO in 2025

Voice optimization requires structuring your content so that it is directly “consumable” by a machine. Here are the three fundamental pillars.

Pillar 1: Adopt Conversational “Long-Tail” Language

VEO is the consecration of the long tail. Instead of targeting “iPhone price,” you must answer “What is the best price for the iPhone 16 Pro in Paris?” This difference is not cosmetic; it changes everything.

Identify Real Questions

Content must be structured around the real questions your audience asks. Use tools like AnswerThePublic and AlsoAsked to discover natural formulations. These platforms show you exactly how users formulate their voice queries: with words like “how,” “why,” “what,” “where.”

For example, instead of creating content around the keyword “iPhone repair,” create content answering: “How do I reset my iPhone if I forget the PIN code?” or “Where can I find a certified iPhone repair shop near me?”

Conversational and Natural Tone

Adopt a conversational and natural tone, as if you were talking to a friend. Short and direct sentences are preferred. Avoid corporate jargon or overly academic style. Your content should seem natural when read aloud by an assistant.

A simple test: read your content aloud. If it seems awkward or too formal, restructure it. The ear is the best judge.

Pillar 2: Target “Position Zero” (Featured Snippets)

This is the central tactical objective of VEO. Why? Because more than 40% of voice search results come from these Featured Snippets. Some experts estimate this figure at 80%. Position Zero is no longer optional; it is the target to aim for.

Conciseness is Queen

The average length of a voice answer is about 29 words. Therefore, aim for a direct answer of 40 to 60 words right after a clear question (Hn tag). This conciseness forces you to be essential and is perfectly suited to voice consumption.

Concrete example:

• Question (H3): “How long does the iPhone 16 Pro battery last?”
• Answer (40-60 words): “The iPhone 16 Pro battery offers 27 hours of battery life for video playback, about 2 hours more than the previous model. In standard use, expect 18 to 20 hours of continuous operation. Apple announces a 30% improvement in energy efficiency thanks to the A18 Pro process.”

Structure for Extraction

Voice assistants like information that is easy to read. Use bulleted or numbered lists for tutorials (“How to…”) and tables for comparisons. This structuring signals to search engines that your content is extractable and suitable for a voice answer.

Example with lists:

### How to optimize your images for VEO

1. Reduce file size (under 100 KB if possible)
2. Use descriptive and natural alt attribute
3. Name the file descriptively (not image1.jpg)
4. Place the image near the text it illustrates

Example with table:

Pillar 3: Schema Markup (The Technical Translator)

Structured data (Schema Markup) is the essential technical language for engines to understand and extract the context of your page. It’s the bridge between your human content and machines.

Why is it crucial? Because without Schema Markup, search engines and especially voice assistants see your page as raw text. With Schema Markup, they understand the structure, intent, and can extract the relevant information to generate a reliable voice answer.

FAQ Schema: The Most Crucial for VEO

This is the most crucial for VEO. It allows you to tag your question-answer pages, facilitating extraction by voice assistants. What makes all the difference: a well-structured FAQ in Schema Markup is 10x more likely to be selected as a source by Google Assistant or Alexa.

Required structure of a FAQPage Schema:

• @context: “https://schema.org” (vocabulary context)
• @type: “FAQPage” (page type)
• mainEntity: Array of structured questions
  • Each Question with name (the question) and acceptedAnswer
  • Each Answer with @type: “Answer” and text (the answer)

Official documentation and validation tools:

• Schema.org FAQPage - Complete specification
• Google FAQPage Guidelines - Google recommendations
• Rich Results Test - Google validation tool

Note: This article automatically generates a valid FAQPage Schema from its front matter faq: (see the 6 questions at the bottom of the page).

GEO and VEO: The Critical Intersection

You’ll notice that this Schema Markup approach exactly matches the philosophy of GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) - the one we detail in our PrestaShop guide on BusinessTech. The difference?

Classic SEO talks to textual search engines. GEO and VEO talk to generative AIs and voice assistants. They require the same structural rigor, the same reliable data, but with a context understandable by the machine.

In PrestaShop e-commerce, this structuring has become critical. That’s why we offer a specialized GEO Suite module that automates precisely this task. The module:

✅ Automatically generates FAQPage Schema for your products ✅ Creates LocalBusiness Schema optimized for voice commerce ✅ Validates your E-E-A-T with generative AIs ✅ Optimizes your product descriptions for VEO + GEO ✅ Maintains Schema consistency across the catalog

For those who code in PHP: Schema validation is done simply via Google Structured Data Testing Tool or JSON-LD.org. But automation remains the major gain.

Local Business Schema

Vital since 58% of voice searches concern local needs. It guarantees NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information consistency, the cornerstone of local voice SEO. Here’s an example for a restaurant:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Restaurant Le Sophora",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "42 rue de la Paix",
    "addressLocality": "Paris",
    "postalCode": "75000",
    "addressCountry": "FR"
  },
  "telephone": "+33123456789",
  "priceRange": "€€€",
  "openingHoursSpecification": {
    "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
    "dayOfWeek": "Monday",
    "opens": "12:00",
    "closes": "23:00"
  }
}

How-To Schema and Speakable Schema

How-To Schema helps structure step-by-step tutorials. Speakable Schema (in beta) allows you to tag text portions optimized for reading aloud. Both approaches improve the chances of voice extraction.

The Future of VEO: The Era of Generative AI and Voice Commerce

Voice optimization is not a trend, it’s the future mode of interaction. The projections are eloquent.

The Domination of Voice and Commerce

By 2030, more than 50% of all searches are expected to be conducted by voice, thus surpassing traditional text queries. This shift is inevitable and rapid.

The voice commerce market is experiencing explosive growth. Valued at $49.6 billion in 2024, it is projected to reach $147.9 billion by 2030 and up to $636.54 billion by 2035. Already, 50% of consumers have made a purchase via a voice assistant, and 24% of voice shoppers spend more than expected. This last figure is revealing: the convenience of voice encourages buying more.

The Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence

The integration of GAI (via models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini) will profoundly transform voice search.

Sophisticated Dialogues: Search will evolve towards sophisticated multi-turn dialogues. The assistant will have memory of past interactions and understand the user’s underlying intent. Imagine telling Alexa: “I want a recipe” then “with chicken” then “quick to prepare” — the assistant will understand the cumulative context.

The Canonical Objective: This evolution leads to an increase in zero-click searches. When generative AI provides the answer directly, the issue is no longer the click, but ensuring that AI chooses your content as a reliable source. Being cited as a source becomes more valuable than getting a click.

The Increased Importance of E-E-A-T: To be selected by generative AI, E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) will become even more crucial. Only sources deemed most reliable and expert by AI models will be used to formulate answers. Your expertise and credibility are now first-order competitive assets.

Persistent Challenges

Despite this growth, VEO faces real challenges.

Concerns about privacy and passive listening remain a barrier to adoption for certain segments of the population. Some users still refuse voice assistants for fear of constant surveillance.

Linguistic diversity and accents still pose problems, limiting global accessibility fairly. A Quebecois, Marseillais, or Swiss accent can still pose recognition challenges.

Measurability remains complex; it is difficult to precisely assess the return on investment of voice queries, as they generate little analytical data accessible via traditional tools. Google Analytics is silent on the exact sources of voice traffic.

Conclusion

Voice Engine Optimization is not a fad, it’s the necessary adaptation to tomorrow’s dominant mode of communication.

Success relies on the immediate adoption of a VEO strategy. This means: moving from a “keyword” mentality to a “conversational answers” mentality, rigorously optimizing for Position Zero, and ensuring that your technical structure via Schema Markup is impeccable.

Those who master the art of concise and reliable answers today will position themselves to dominate this new digital era where we no longer type, but converse. Be not only read, but above all heard.

Article published on November 25, 2025 by Nicolas Dabène - PHP Expert & Web Architect with 15+ years of experience in digital optimization