Christ, I hate traffic. Last Tuesday I was crawling through that absolute nightmare on the Southern Motorway – you know, where everyone decides to merge at the last bloody second near Greenlane. Phone’s somewhere in my bag under a pile of receipts, and I’m running late for a client meeting in Parnell.
Needed coffee. Desperately. But you try finding your phone while some idiot in a BMW cuts you off.
So I just said it out loud: “Hey Google, where’s decent coffee near Parnell that’s actually open?”
Three seconds later, I’m getting directions to this little place called Allpress. Phone tells me they’re open, they’ve got oat milk, and I can park nearby. Boom. Problem solved without taking my hands off the wheel or my eyes off the road.
That’s when it hit me – this is exactly how your customers find you now. Not through some complicated website search. Not by scrolling through Yellow Pages (remember those dusty things?). They’re literally having conversations with their phones like they’re talking to their mate who knows everything about Auckland.
And most business owners? They’re still living in 2015, trying to rank for “plumber Auckland” while their customers are asking completely different questions in totally different ways.
Look, when I first heard marketing consultants banging on about “voice search optimization” four years ago, I thought they were full of shit. Just another fancy term to justify charging more money.
Then I started actually paying attention to how people were finding my clients.
Turns out I was dead wrong. Last year I tracked where new customers were coming from across twenty different businesses I work with. Nearly two-thirds started their journey with voice search. Not all of them finished with voice – plenty switched to looking at websites afterward – but that’s how they began.
Makes perfect sense when you think about it. When do you actually use voice search? When you’re busy. When you’re driving, cooking dinner, wrestling with the kids, trying to fix something around the house. Basically when you’ve got a problem that needs solving RIGHT NOW and you can’t mess around typing on your phone.
That’s gold for local businesses. You’re catching people at the exact moment they need help.
Been tracking search patterns for my clients for years now. Here’s what actually happens during peak times:
7-9 AM – absolute carnage. People are commuting, running late, dealing with morning disasters. Voice searches are brutal and immediate: “Shit, where can I get my car fixed today that won’t screw me over?” “Is there a doctor near Takapuna who can see me this morning?” “Can someone fix this bloody hot water thing before I freeze to death?”
Nobody’s casually browsing. They need solutions immediately.
Evening searches? Different story. People are planning ahead – dinner reservations, weekend activities, booking services for later. Still urgent, but they’ve got time to think.
Weekends are where the real money gets made. Saturday mornings are prime time. People wander around their houses, notice things that are broken or need attention, and immediately ask their phone for help. Sunday afternoons they’re planning the week ahead.
Here’s something interesting – different suburbs search differently. Someone in Ponsonby has different concerns than someone in Manukau. Different problems, different reference points, different ways of describing what’s wrong.
Most businesses spend years trying to rank for stupid robot language. “Electrician Auckland.” “Best restaurant Ponsonby.” “Cheap accountant.”
When did you last call a mate and say “Electrician Auckland” instead of “Do you know anyone who can sort out these power points without charging me a bloody fortune?”
The businesses cleaning up with voice search get this difference. They’re not trying to rank for keyword soup – they’re answering real human questions.
Perfect example: dentist I work with in Newmarket. Smart guy, good at his job, been there for fifteen years. We spent ages getting him ranking for “dentist Newmarket,” “dental clinic,” all that standard stuff. Worked okay – steady website traffic, couple new patients each month.
But bookings were inconsistent. Some months great, others barely enough to cover the bills.
Then we started listening to how people actually talked about finding dentists. Recorded phone calls, read inquiry emails, sat in the waiting room eavesdropping on conversations (don’t tell anyone).
Turns out nobody was searching “dentist Newmarket.” They were asking: “Can I get my teeth cleaned somewhere this week that won’t bankrupt me?” “Is there a dentist near the Newmarket mall who’s good with people who hate dentists?” “Where can I take my kid for a checkup without them having a meltdown?”
Soon as we started answering these actual questions instead of trying to rank for dental industry keywords, everything changed. Bookings up 67% in four months. Same dentist, same skills, same location. Just started matching how real humans actually search.
Here’s the scary part about voice search – when someone asks their phone a question, Google usually gives them ONE answer. Not ten blue links. One.
If you’re not that one answer, you might as well not exist for that search.
This changes everything. Being somewhere on page one isn’t good enough anymore. You need to be THE answer to specific questions your customers ask.
Cannot stress this enough – if your Google Business Profile looks like garbage or has wrong information, you’re hemorrhaging money every day. Voice search pulls huge amounts of info from these profiles.
Here’s what needs to be spot on:
And respond to your bloody reviews! Google notices which businesses actually engage with customers.
This is where most businesses completely screw up. They write website copy like they’re submitting some university thesis instead of having a conversation with someone who needs help.
Terrible: “Our organization delivers comprehensive plumbing solutions utilizing industry-leading methodologies and state-of-the-art equipment.”
Actually good: “If your toilet’s blocked at 2 AM and you’re worried about it flooding your bathroom, call us. We’ll be there within an hour to fix it properly.”
See the difference? Second one answers a real problem using words that actual humans use when they’re stressed and need help.
I sit with my clients listening to customer phone calls, reading their emails, sometimes even hanging around during consultations. The questions customers ask in person are absolute gold for voice search content.
Every single piece of content should answer a specific question that real customers have genuinely asked. Not questions you reckon they should ask – questions they actually bloody ask.
Start collecting these from:
Then write dedicated pages or sections that answer each question directly, like you’re explaining it to your neighbor over the fence.
Voice searches happen on mobile. If your website takes forever to load, Google won’t recommend it. End of story.
Get your site tested – Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool is free and will tell you exactly what’s slowing things down. Usually it’s massive photos that nobody bothered compressing, or some fancy widget that looks cool but kills performance.
Gets a bit technical here, but you need something called “structured data” that tells search engines exactly what your business does, where you are, what hours you’re open.
Most decent website builders include this automatically now. If yours doesn’t, have a chat with whoever built your site about getting it sorted.
I get it – you want to sound professional and trustworthy. But if your content reads like it was written by a committee of lawyers, it’s useless for voice search.
People ask questions using casual, everyday language. Your answers need to sound the same way.
Generic content that could describe any business anywhere won’t work for local voice search. You need to sound like you actually live and work in Auckland.
Talk about local landmarks, mention specific suburbs, reference local events or issues. Make it obvious you’re not some call center in the Philippines – you’re part of the community.
Auckland changes fast. New construction, road closures, businesses opening and shutting down. If your online info isn’t current, customers will find someone who keeps their details up to date.
Sarah runs a house cleaning business across the North Shore. When we met, she was getting maybe 2-3 inquiries per week, mostly from Trademe ads and friends telling friends.
Instead of trying to rank for “house cleaning North Shore,” we focused on the actual questions her potential customers were asking: “How much to get my house cleaned properly in Albany?” “Can someone clean my place today in Takapuna?” “What exactly do you clean when I hire you?” “Do house cleaners bring their own stuff or do I need to provide it?”
Six months later? She’s booked solid and turning work away. Most new customers found her through voice search while dealing with specific situations – party coming up, recovering from being sick, new baby and no time to clean.
They weren’t searching “house cleaning North Shore.” They had immediate problems that needed solving.
Instead of fighting every lawyer in Auckland over “lawyer Auckland,” target the specific problems people voice search about: “What do I do if my partner won’t move out after we broke up?” “Can I sue someone for backing into my car and driving off?” “What happens if I can’t afford my mortgage payments?”
These longer, problem-specific searches often have less competition but higher conversion rates.
If you work across multiple Auckland areas, write separate content for each that addresses local concerns and uses familiar landmarks.
Someone in Devonport searches differently than someone in South Auckland. Different problems, different reference points, different ways of describing issues.
Your customers don’t call it a “hot water cylinder” – they say “the thing that heats the water.” They don’t need “comprehensive automotive diagnostics” – they want someone to “figure out why the car’s making that bloody awful noise.”
Use exactly the same words your customers use when they ring you up or send emails.
Google Business Profile shows you how customers find your listing and what they do afterward. Look for increases in:
Old school but it works. Ask everyone who contacts you how they first heard about your business. You’ll start noticing patterns – “I asked Google” or “my phone told me you were closest.”
Use Google Search Console to see which pages appear in featured snippets. These are the answers that get read out in voice searches.
Look for increases in traffic from longer, question-based search terms. These are often voice searches that people then typed into Google.
Voice search keeps evolving. Here’s what I’m watching for:
Voice Shopping: People will start buying stuff through voice commands. Not huge in New Zealand yet, but worth thinking about if you sell products.
Other Languages: Auckland’s multicultural, so there’ll be opportunities for businesses to optimize voice search in languages other than English.
Voice Plus Camera: Pointing your phone at something and asking about it. Like pointing at a restaurant and asking “is this place any good?”
Businesses that start preparing now will have massive advantages when this stuff becomes normal.
Voice search isn’t rocket science. Starts with understanding how your customers actually talk about their problems and making sure you provide helpful answers in normal language.
Do this week:
Competition for voice search is still pretty light compared to traditional SEO. Companies that move now will dominate while their competitors are still trying to figure out what voice search means.
How long before I see any results?
Most businesses notice improvements within 2-4 months, depending on how competitive your industry is and how well you execute. Good news is voice search competition is still lower than traditional SEO, so results can come faster.
Do I need to hire some technical wizard to set this up?
Nah. Most important stuff – writing conversational content and keeping your Google Business Profile current – doesn’t require technical skills. The techy bits like structured data might need help, but they’re not essential to start.
What’s the biggest stuff-up businesses make?
Writing for robots instead of humans. If your content doesn’t sound natural when someone reads it out loud, it won’t work for voice search. Focus on answering real questions the way you’d explain things to your mate.
Should I ditch traditional SEO and only do voice search?
Hell no. Voice search should work alongside your existing SEO, not replace it. Many voice searches still end up with people looking at screens, so you need both working together.
How do I know if my customers are using voice search?
Ask them. Simple as that. When new customers contact you, ask how they found your business. You’ll be surprised how many mention voice search, especially for urgent stuff.
Does voice search work for business-to-business companies?
Absolutely. B2B voice searches often happen during commutes or when people are researching work problems. Focus on professional challenges and industry questions rather than personal emergencies.
So, stop trying to sound like a robot for Google’s sake. The real goldmine is in sounding like a helpful local. Start by listening to how your actual customers talk about their problems and answer them directly on your website. Get your Google Business Profile in order, use the words real Aucklanders use, and you’ll be the answer the next time someone says, “Hey Google…” while stuck on the Southern Motorway. It’s not about complex tech; it’s about finally having a genuine conversation.
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