Voice search was the buzzword of the last decade. AI search is the reality of this one. While they share similarities—natural language queries, conversational tone—the underlying mechanics and user intent are fundamentally different.
The Evolution of Intent
Voice search was often navigational ("Play music", "Call Mom") or simple informational ("Weather in London"). AI search is complex informational and transactional. Users are asking AI to "Plan a 3-day trip to Tokyo" or "Compare the best CRM software for small business."
Optimizing for the Conversation
To rank in AI search, you need to move beyond simple keywords and optimize for the entire conversation. Anticipate follow-up questions. Structure your content to answer the "Why", "How", and "What if" that often follows the initial query.