Why Voice & Chat Search Now Matter

Smart speakers, phone assistants and AI chat panels already answer more than half of all online searches, and nearly 70 per cent of real-estate questions are now routed through these channels (searchxpro.com, Macro Webber).

Buyers simply ask, “Show me three-bedroom homes near Bondi Primary under 1.8 million” and expect an instant, spoken answer. If your listing is not formatted for natural language, it may never surface.

How Natural Queries Differ from Typed Ones

• Longer, question-based phrases (often 6–10 words) – people speak in full sentences

• Hyper-local intent – “near the ferry”, “in walking distance to cafés” 

• Conversation follow-ups – Chat engines stack questions (“Is there off-street parking?”) and need crisp facts to build each reply.

Understanding these patterns lets you tune every property page for the way humans actually talk.

Step 1. Map the Questions Buyers Ask

1. Scroll past enquiries, open-home chats and email leads.

2. List the top recurring questions (price guide, strata fees, school zones).

3. Add them verbatim as mini-FAQs under the listing copy.
   This mirrors the “People also ask” box and feeds voice assistants ready-made answers.

Step 2. Write in Conversational Sentences

• Replace fragments like “3 bed, 2 bath, DLUG” with plain speech:
  “This three-bedroom home includes two bathrooms and a double lock-up garage.”

• Keep sentences under 20 words, active voice, everyday vocabulary a Year-5 child can follow.

• Read your ad aloud; if it sounds natural, you are on track.

Step 3. Target Long-Tail & Local Keywords

Work these spoken phrases into headings, bullet points and alt text.

Free tools like AnswerThePublic, Google “Related Questions” and your own CRM enquiry logs surface fresh voice keywords weekly.

Step 4. Add Structured Data Mark-up

Voice assistants lean on schema to grab quick facts. Implement:

• RealEstateListing schema – price, bedrooms, bathrooms, geo-coords.

• Offer schema – auction date, sale terms.

• Speakable schema for the first two descriptive paragraphs.

Pages with rich schema are up to 200 % more likely to gain featured-snippet placement 

Step 5. Optimise for Mobile Speed & Security

Google and Alexa will skip slow or insecure pages.

• Aim for <1.5 second Largest Contentful Paint.

• Compress hero images, defer unnecessary scripts, serve over HTTPS.

• Test with PageSpeed Insights monthly.

Technical health remains one of the top five ranking signals for voice search (techsche.com).

Step 6. Strengthen Local Signals

Voice queries are three times more likely to include a location marker.

• Keep Google Business listing current (opening hours, phone, reviews).

• Embed a dynamic map and public-transport times on each listing page.

• Mention nearby landmarks (“400 m to the footbridge”) in natural text.

Step 7. Feed the Chat Engines Directly

Major portals and AI agents now ingest structured feeds. Where possible:

• Submit listings via API or XML that includes full description, floor-plan, 360° tour link.

• Tag media with clear filenames: 12-Smith-St-Kitchen.jpg not IMG0123.jpg.

• Provide a short “key facts” block (100 words) – many chat engines quote exactly this snippet 

Step 8. Enable Voice Actions

Many assistants support deep links: “Book a viewing” can launch your inspection calendar.

• Add a visible call-to-action button that also exposes a URL endpoint.

• Ensure the action name matches the spoken phrase (“Book an inspection”).
  This closes the loop from query straight to booking, without a keyboard.

Step 9. Monitor & Refine Weekly

• Check Search Console → Performance → “Search appearance: Rich results” for voice impressions.

• Track rise in question-style queries (who, what, near).

• Update FAQs when the same new question appears twice.

Agents using this iterative approach report up to 30 % more qualified enquiries in as little as three months (raftlabs.com).

Quick Checklist

• Copy reads smoothly when spoken aloud

• Long-tail, question keywords added

• RealEstate & Speakable schema validated

• Page loads in <1.5 s on 4G

• Google Business profile current

• FAQ block answers common buyer questions

• Deep link for “Book inspection” working

• Voice impressions reviewed weekly

Prepare every listing with these nine steps and you position your properties to be the answer—whether the question comes through a smart speaker, phone assistant, or AI chat panel.

Author – Ken Hobson.