How does Siri find information about my business?

Apple's guide for Apple Business says that a business's place card appears in many parts of Apple's software, from Maps to Siri to Calendar and Messages. An owner can claim the location in Apple Business and, in Apple's words, control how the business appears with its logo, hours, images and key details. Keeping that place card correct is the step Apple's own pages describe.

Should my business add speakable structured data?

For most small businesses, no. Google's speakable documentation, updated 8 September 2026, marks it as beta and says it works for users in the U.S. with Google Home devices set to English, and for publishers of English content; Google's supported list describes it as a way to read news content aloud. It suits news publishers in the United States, and a local service business has no use for it under Google's current rules.

Does voice search use featured snippets?

Google's help page on featured snippets says they are helpful when you use a phone or talk to your device, and Google's robots rules list Assistant among the places where the max-snippet setting limits the text used from a page. A short, complete answer at the top of a section is therefore the type of passage a spoken reply can use. Google publishes no further detail.

What details should be identical in every listing for voice answers?

The business name as it appears on the sign, the street address or service area, the phone number that a person answers, the opening hours including holidays, and the website address. Keep them identical in the Google Business Profile, the Apple Business place card, Bing Places for Business and the website itself, so that every assistant reads the same facts aloud.

Does Alexa use Google or Bing to answer questions?

We could not find an Amazon page that explains where Alexa takes its answers about local businesses, so we cannot answer this from a primary source. Reports from earlier years by other companies describe partnerships, but those are second-hand and may be out of date. If Alexa matters to your customers, ask it your main questions yourself and note the answers and the date.

Can I see how often a voice assistant mentions my business?

No report we read counts spoken mentions. Microsoft's AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, introduced 10 February 2026, counts how often pages are cited in Copilot and in Bing's AI summaries. Google's Search Console reports count searches and impressions without separating spoken searches in the help pages we read. A monthly check by hand on an Android phone and an iPhone covers what the reports leave out.

How should I write answers that sound good when read aloud?

Keep the first sentence short enough to say in one breath, put the answer early, and write numbers and times as a person would say them. Avoid symbols and abbreviations that read badly aloud, such as a slash between two prices. Use the customer's spoken question as the heading where it reads naturally, so that the page matches both the typed and the spoken form.

Do I need a separate page for voice search?

No separate page is needed. Google's July 2026 guide says there is no requirement to write in a special way for its AI search, and warns that pages made for every variation of a search, mainly to influence results, break its scaled content abuse policy. Answer the spoken form of each common question on the page that already covers the service, under its own heading.

How do voice assistants find the answer, and how does your business become it?

What Google, Apple and Microsoft publish in 2026 about where their assistants take business answers from, what the speakable code does, what remains unpublished, and the short list of details to keep correct.

See if customers can find you

A voice assistant takes its answer from sources that its maker chooses, and the makers publish only part of how they choose: Google began moving phone users from Google Assistant to Gemini in March 2025, Apple says a business's place card appears in Siri, and Google says featured snippets help when you talk to your device. So a small business becomes the spoken answer by keeping its Google Business Profile and its Apple Business place card correct, and by writing pages whose first sentences answer customers' questions in words that sound natural aloud.

Which voice assistants matter in 2026?

The assistants have changed in the last two years, so let's start with what their makers say today. On Android phones Google is replacing its old assistant. In a post on its blog dated 14 March 2025, Google wrote that over the coming months it was upgrading more users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini, and that later in 2025 the classic Google Assistant would no longer be accessible on most mobile devices. The same post says Google was also upgrading tablets, cars and devices that connect to your phone, such as headphones and watches, to Gemini, and bringing a new experience, powered by Gemini, to home devices like speakers, displays and TVs.

On iPhones the assistant is Siri. Apple's guide for Apple Business, its service for business owners, says that the place card, the panel with a business's details, appears in many parts of Apple's software, from Maps to Siri to Calendar, Messages, and more. Microsoft's assistant is Copilot, and Microsoft's Bing Webmaster Blog post of 10 February 2026 lists Copilot among the places where it counts how often a website is cited as a source.

We looked for an Amazon page that explains where Alexa takes its answers about local businesses, and found none that we could open and read. This guide therefore makes no claim about Alexa.

What do the makers publish about where spoken answers come from?

Each company publishes a part of the picture, and the table puts the published parts side by side. Read the last column with care: it lists the place each company names for business details, and it says nothing about how the assistant ranks one business above another, because none of the pages we read explains that.

Google's help page on featured snippets contains a sentence that connects ordinary search to voice: featured snippets are helpful when you use a phone or talk to your device. Google's page on robots rules, updated 24 March 2026, also lists Assistant among the places where its max-snippet setting limits how much text Google may use from a page. Both lines point the same way. The short passage at the top of a page that answers a question is the passage a spoken answer can use.

What each assistant's maker publishes about business information, as read on 16 October 2026. Sources: Google, The Keyword (14 March 2025); Apple Support, Configure location attributes in Apple Business; Bing Webmaster Blog (10 February 2026); Google Search Central, Speakable (updated 2026-09-08).
Assistant	What the maker says	Where a business manages its details
Gemini (Google), on phones	Replacing Google Assistant on most mobile devices, from March 2025	Not published for Gemini; for Search and its AI answers, Google points businesses to the Business Profile
Google Assistant, smart speakers	Speakable markup lets it read news articles aloud, U.S. English only, in beta	News publishers only, through speakable structured data
Siri (Apple)	The place card appears in Siri, Maps, Calendar, Messages and more	Apple Business, by claiming the location on Maps
Copilot (Microsoft)	Counted among the AI answers in Bing Webmaster Tools' AI Performance report	Bing Places for Business, and Bing Webmaster Tools
Alexa (Amazon)	No Amazon page found that we could open	Not verified

What does the speakable code do, and who can use it?

Speakable is a Schema.org label that marks the parts of an article best suited to be read aloud. Google's documentation, updated on 8 September 2026, still marks it as beta, which means Google is developing it and may change its rules. It says the Google Assistant uses speakable structured data to answer topical news queries on smart speaker devices, returning up to three articles from around the web and reading aloud the marked sections.

Its limits are written plainly: the speakable property works for users in the U.S. that have Google Home devices set to English, and publishers that publish content in English. Google's list of supported features describes it as a way to identify news content to read aloud. For a plumber, a clinic or a shop, speakable is therefore of no practical use today, and time is better spent on the steps below. A local news site in the United States is the exception.

Why do business listings matter for voice answers?

Some spoken questions are about a place: is it open now, what is the number, how do I get there. For details of this type, each maker points owners to its own business listing. Google's page on AI features asks site owners to check that their Merchant Center and Business Profile information is up-to-date, and its July 2026 guide says Google Business Profiles can help products and services to be visible in both AI responses and other Google Search results.

Apple's guide shows the same logic on the iPhone. The place card is built from the details in Apple Business, and Apple's home page for the service says an owner can claim your location on Maps and control how your business appears with your logo, hours, images, and key details. Microsoft's post of 10 February 2026 recommends Bing Places for Business so that address, hours, and contact information remain current and eligible for inclusion in AI-generated responses.

The website matters too, of course: the Business Profile links to it, and the answers to longer questions, such as how much a service costs, come from pages. The hours, the phone number and the address belong in these listings, with exactly the same values as on the website.

How do you set up the Google Business Profile for voice answers?

Google's own help pages give the rules. A Business Profile is free: Google says you can manage how your business shows up on Maps and Search at no charge. It is for businesses that meet customers in person: only businesses that make face-to-face contact with customers are eligible for a Business Profile. And it shows only after verification: customers can only find your business profile on Google after you complete verification.

A business that visits customers, such as a cleaner or an electrician, can choose a service area in place of a shop address, and Google's sign-up page says you can add up to 20 service areas. After verification, the work is to keep the details exact: the name as it appears on the sign, the main category, the hours including holidays, the phone number that a person answers, and the website address. A wrong number in the profile gives customers a number that nobody answers.

How should a page be written for a spoken answer?

A person may type "plumber Burnaby" and say "who can fix a leaking pipe in Burnaby today?". Google's SEO Starter Guide asks writers to think about the words that a user might search for, and spoken words are among them. A page that uses the customer's own question as a heading, and answers it in the first sentence, serves both forms.

Write that first sentence so that it sounds natural when read aloud. Keep it short enough for one breath, put the answer early, and avoid symbols and abbreviations that read badly, such as a slash between two prices or "approx." before a figure. Write numbers and times as a person would say them. The table gives examples written for illustration.

Typed searches, spoken questions and an answer sentence that reads well aloud. Written by Licheo on 16 October 2026 as an illustration; the business details are placeholders.
Typed search	Spoken question	Answer sentence that reads well aloud
emergency plumber burnaby	Who can fix a burst pipe in Burnaby tonight?	Our emergency plumbers in Burnaby answer calls all night, every night, at the number on this page.
dentist open saturday	Is there a dentist open on Saturday near me?	Our clinic is open on Saturdays from nine in the morning to two in the afternoon.
bakery gluten free bread	Does this bakery sell gluten-free bread?	Yes, we bake gluten-free bread every Tuesday and Friday, in a separate oven.
how long oil change	How long does an oil change take at your garage?	An oil change at our garage takes thirty minutes, and you can wait in the shop.

What stays unknown about voice answers?

It must be said clearly: no maker we read publishes how its assistant chooses one business over another when several fit a spoken question. Google's March 2025 post explains which devices move to Gemini; Apple's guide explains where the place card appears; Microsoft's post explains how citations are counted. None of the pages we read gives the ranking rules.

None of the reports we read tells a small business how often an assistant spoke its name. Microsoft's AI Performance report counts citations in Copilot and Bing's AI summaries, and Google's Search Console reports count searches, without separating spoken ones in the pages we read. So the practical test remains the simple one: ask your phone your customers' questions, on an Android phone and on an iPhone, each month, and write down what each assistant answers.

What is the short checklist for voice?

The list below puts the published advice in order. Each step is free.

Claim and verify the Google Business Profile, with exact name, category, hours, phone and website.
Claim the location in Apple Business so that the place card in Maps and Siri carries your own details.
Register in Bing Places for Business and verify the website in Bing Webmaster Tools.
Give each common customer question a heading on your site, with a first sentence that reads well aloud.
Change holiday hours in every listing before each holiday.
Each month, ask Gemini, Siri and Copilot your main questions and record the answers.

Part of a larger guide

This page is one part of Answer engine optimization. The other parts:

Questions people ask

Is Google Assistant still used for voice search in 2026?: On most phones Google has moved to Gemini. In a post dated 14 March 2025, Google said it was upgrading users on mobile devices from Google Assistant to Gemini, and that the classic Google Assistant would no longer be accessible on most mobile devices later that year. Google said tablets, cars, headphones and watches would follow, and home devices would get a new experience powered by Gemini.
How does Siri find information about my business?: Apple's guide for Apple Business says that a business's place card appears in many parts of Apple's software, from Maps to Siri to Calendar and Messages. An owner can claim the location in Apple Business and, in Apple's words, control how the business appears with its logo, hours, images and key details. Keeping that place card correct is the step Apple's own pages describe.
Should my business add speakable structured data?: For most small businesses, no. Google's speakable documentation, updated 8 September 2026, marks it as beta and says it works for users in the U.S. with Google Home devices set to English, and for publishers of English content; Google's supported list describes it as a way to read news content aloud. It suits news publishers in the United States, and a local service business has no use for it under Google's current rules.
Does voice search use featured snippets?: Google's help page on featured snippets says they are helpful when you use a phone or talk to your device, and Google's robots rules list Assistant among the places where the max-snippet setting limits the text used from a page. A short, complete answer at the top of a section is therefore the type of passage a spoken reply can use. Google publishes no further detail.
What details should be identical in every listing for voice answers?: The business name as it appears on the sign, the street address or service area, the phone number that a person answers, the opening hours including holidays, and the website address. Keep them identical in the Google Business Profile, the Apple Business place card, Bing Places for Business and the website itself, so that every assistant reads the same facts aloud.
Does Alexa use Google or Bing to answer questions?: We could not find an Amazon page that explains where Alexa takes its answers about local businesses, so we cannot answer this from a primary source. Reports from earlier years by other companies describe partnerships, but those are second-hand and may be out of date. If Alexa matters to your customers, ask it your main questions yourself and note the answers and the date.
Can I see how often a voice assistant mentions my business?: No report we read counts spoken mentions. Microsoft's AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, introduced 10 February 2026, counts how often pages are cited in Copilot and in Bing's AI summaries. Google's Search Console reports count searches and impressions without separating spoken searches in the help pages we read. A monthly check by hand on an Android phone and an iPhone covers what the reports leave out.
Is a Google Business Profile free?: Yes. Google's help page says that with a Business Profile you can manage how your business shows up on Maps and Search at no charge. It is open only to businesses that make face-to-face contact with customers, at a shop or at the customer's place, and it becomes visible to customers only after verification. A service-area business can list up to 20 service areas.
How should I write answers that sound good when read aloud?: Keep the first sentence short enough to say in one breath, put the answer early, and write numbers and times as a person would say them. Avoid symbols and abbreviations that read badly aloud, such as a slash between two prices. Use the customer's spoken question as the heading where it reads naturally, so that the page matches both the typed and the spoken form.
Do I need a separate page for voice search?: No separate page is needed. Google's July 2026 guide says there is no requirement to write in a special way for its AI search, and warns that pages made for every variation of a search, mainly to influence results, break its scaled content abuse policy. Answer the spoken form of each common question on the page that already covers the service, under its own heading.

Sources

Google Assistant is upgrading to Gemini on mobile, Google, The Keyword. Posted 14 March 2025, accessed 16 October 2026.
Configure location attributes in Apple Business, Apple Support. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Apple Business, Apple. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Introducing AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview, Bing Webmaster Blog, Microsoft. Posted 10 February 2026, accessed 16 October 2026.
Speakable (Article, WebPage) structured data (BETA), Google Search Central. Updated 2026-09-08, accessed 16 October 2026.
How Google's featured snippets work, Google Search Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet, and X-Robots-Tag specifications, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-03-24, accessed 16 October 2026.
AI features and your website, Google Search Central. Updated 2025-12-10, accessed 16 October 2026.
Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-07-10, accessed 16 October 2026.
Get started with Google Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Sign up for Business Profile, Google Business Profile Help. Accessed 16 October 2026.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide, Google Search Central. Updated 2025-12-10, accessed 16 October 2026.
Structured data markup that Google Search supports, Google Search Central. Updated 2026-10-16, accessed 16 October 2026.

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