What is Conversational Search?

Conversational search is a way of searching in which users ask questions in natural language instead of typing separate keywords. Through the rise of AI assistants and voice search, search behaviour is shifting more and more towards conversational searches that expect a complete answer.

Difference from traditional search

Traditional searches consist of short search terms (“SEO agency Amsterdam”). Conversational search is longer and more natural (“Which SEO agency is best for an SME business in Amsterdam with a small budget?”). This has direct consequences for search intent analysis and keyword strategy.

Conversational search and SEO

Optimize for long-tail search terms and question-based content. FAQ sections and structured answers perform well in conversational search and in AI Overviews. AEO and GEO are the designated disciplines for this new search reality.

Conversational search and semantic search engines

Modern search engines understand the meaning behind words thanks to LLM technology, so that conversational queries are understood and answered increasingly well without an exact keyword match.

How do I optimize for conversational search?

Write in natural language, answer specific questions fully in the first paragraph and use FAQ schema markup.

Is voice search the same as conversational search?

Voice search is a subset of conversational search: all voice queries are conversational, but not all conversational queries are by voice. More via developers.google.com/search.