Voice-First Marketing: Preparing for the Conversation Commerce Revolution

What's your preferred method?

1. Short Video

2. Detailed Article

"Hey Siri, order more coffee beans."

And just like that, your customer just bypassed your website, your social media, and your carefully crafted email campaigns. Voice commerce is quietly revolutionizing how people shop, and most businesses are completely unprepared for Voice-First Marketing.

The Evolution of Voice-First Marketing

Voice-activated devices and AI assistants are becoming primary interaction points for product discovery and purchasing. Voice search optimization is evolving beyond traditional SEO into conversation optimization, where natural language processing determines which businesses get mentioned in voice responses.

What This Means for Small Businesses

• Traditional keyword optimization is becoming less relevant than conversational query optimization

• Voice commerce removes visual brand elements, making audio brand recognition crucial

• Product recommendations through voice assistants are becoming increasingly influential

• Local businesses have advantages in voice search due to proximity-based queries

The Opportunity

Voice search is still emerging, giving early adopters a chance to establish authority in conversational commerce before it becomes saturated. Small businesses can optimize for voice faster than large corporations with complex technical infrastructures.

Domino's Pizza revolutionized their business by optimizing for voice search before most restaurants understood its importance. They recognized that pizza ordering was perfect for voice commands: "Order my usual pizza" or "Get me a large pepperoni delivered."

Domino's developed voice ordering capabilities across multiple platforms—Alexa, Google Assistant, and their own app. But the key was optimizing their content for voice search queries like "pizza delivery near me" and "best pizza place open now." They ensured their Google My Business profiles were complete with real-time hours, menu information, and location details.

The results? Voice orders now represent over 65% of Domino's digital sales in some markets. Customers love the convenience, and Domino's benefits from reduced call center costs and higher average order values (voice orders tend to include more items). Their early investment in voice commerce positioned them as the leader when competitors were still figuring out basic online ordering.

3 Key Action Steps

1. Voice Search Content Audit

• Research the questions your customers ask about your industry using tools like AnswerThePublic or Google's "People Also Ask"

• Identify long-tail, conversational keywords (how people actually speak vs. how they type)

• Create a list of common voice queries related to your business: "Where can I find...", "What's the best...", "How do I..."

• Audit your website content for natural, conversational language vs. formal business language

AI Tool Recommendations:

Research & Discovery Tools

• AnswerThePublic - Visual keyword research tool that maps out questions people ask

• Semrush Question Database - AI-powered tool that identifies question-based keywords

• ChatGPT / Claude - Ask: "What questions would customers ask about [your industry]?" for conversational query brainstorming

• Google 's People Also Ask - Free tool within search results showing related questions

• AlsoAsked - Extracts and visualizes "People Also Ask" data automatically

Content Analysis Tools

• Clearscope - AI content optimization that analyzes conversational vs. formal language

• MarketMuse by Siteimprove - AI-driven content intelligence platform for topic gaps

• Grammarly Business - Tone detection to identify formal vs. conversational language

• Jasper.AI - Generate conversational content alternatives for existing formal copy

2. Conversation-Optimized Content Creation

• Create FAQ content that directly answers common voice queries in natural language

• Write blog posts that answer specific questions people would ask voice assistants

• Optimize for featured snippets by structuring content in question-and-answer format

• Include location-specific information for "near me" voice searches

• Use schema markup to help search engines understand your content structure

AI Tool Recommendations:

Content Generation Tools

• Copy.ai - Specialized templates for FAQ content and voice-optimized copy

• Writesonic - AI writer with specific voice search optimization features

• Frase - AI content tool that structures answers for featured snippets

• ChatGPT/Claude - Prompt: "Write natural FAQ answers for [your business] that sound conversational"

SEO & Schema Tools

• Surfer SEO - AI content editor with featured snippet optimization

• Schema Pro - Automated schema markup generator

• Yoast SEO Premium - AI-powered content analysis for question-answer format

• RankMath - Free WordPress plugin with schema markup automation

Location-Based Content Tools

• BrightLocal - Local SEO tools for "near me" optimization

• Whitespark - Local citation and Google My Business optimization

• ChatGPT - Generate location-specific content variations

  
  

3. Voice-Friendly Technical Setup

• Ensure your Google My Business profile is complete and optimized for voice search

• Create voice-friendly product descriptions that sound natural when read aloud

• Optimize website loading speed (voice search prioritizes fast-loading sites)

• Test your content by asking voice assistants questions about your business

• Set up Google Search Console to monitor which voice queries are finding your content

AI Tool Recommendations:

Google My Business Optimization

• Podium - AI messaging platform that optimizes GMB interactions

• BirdEye - AI-powered reputation management with GMB optimization

• Reputation.com - Automated review and listing management

Content Testing & Optimization

• VoiceBot.ai - Voice assistant testing and analytics platform

• Dashbot - Conversational AI analytics for voice interactions

• Google Search Console - Free monitoring of voice search performance (built-in AI insights)

Speed & Technical Optimization

• GTmetrix - AI-powered website speed analysis and recommendations

• PageSpeed Insights - Google's free speed optimization tool with AI suggestions

• Cloudflare - AI-powered CDN for faster loading speeds

• Core Web Vitals - Google's AI-driven performance metrics

Voice Testing Tools

• Amazon Alexa Developer Console - Test how your content sounds on Alexa

• Google Assistant Simulator - Test voice queries with Google Assistant

• Voiceflow - Design and test voice interactions before implementation

Voice commerce isn't about talking to customers—it's about being the answer when customers are talking to their devices. Optimize for conversation, and become part of their daily dialogue.

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Coming up next week: "Pre-Product Launch Marketing: Building Hype Before You Launch"

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About the author:

Pooja Chitnis is a Chartered Marketer with a proven track record of driving growth across tech/SaaS, tourism, insurance, real estate, fashion, and more. She is the co-author of Modern Marketing Using AI and creator of a zero-cost marketing course that helps businesses scale—even on limited budgets.

Recognized as one of the “20 Amazing Women in Tech in Canada” and among the “5 Inspirational Leaders to Watch in 2025,” Pooja has served as an Expert Advisor for Startup Canada. She currently acts as a fractional CMO for an Ontario-based food bank and consults with startups and SMBs across Canada and the U.S.

She holds an MBA and certifications in AI, digital marketing, and neuromarketing.