Search is no longer just about typing words into a search bar. In 2025, users are searching with voices, images, and even gestures. The rise of voice search, visual search, and multimodal interfaces is transforming how people find information online.
This shift changes not just user behavior, but also how marketers need to approach Search Engine Optimization (SEO). To stay relevant, brands must adapt to new technologies that are making search more intuitive, interactive, and human-like.
What is Multimodal Search?
Multimodal search refers to the ability to use multiple input types—text, voice, image, or video—in a single search experience. For example, a user might:
- Take a photo of a product and ask, “Where can I buy this?”
- Speak a query like “Show me outfits like this” while uploading an image
- Ask a voice assistant to find a recipe from a picture of ingredients
With platforms like Google Lens, Pinterest Lens, and Amazon Visual Search, this kind of experience is becoming common.
1. Voice Search: Talking to Search Engines
Voice search is growing quickly, especially with the rise of smart assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa, and Bixby. According to Juniper Research (2023), there will be over 8.4 billion voice-enabled devices in use globally by the end of 2024.
Voice search is:
- Conversational: People ask questions in natural language, like “What’s the best sushi near me?”
- Mobile-driven: 55% of teens and 41% of adults use voice search daily on smartphones (Think with Google, 2023).
- Local: Many queries are location-based (e.g., “Where’s the closest ATM?”)
How to Optimise for Voice Search
- Use long-tail keywords and natural language.
- Add FAQs and question-answer formats.
- Optimise for local SEO using tools like Google Business Profile.
2. Visual Search: When Images Speak Louder Than Words
Visual search allows users to search using images instead of words. This is common in:
- Retail: Shoppers upload a photo of an item they want to buy.
- Travel: Users explore locations through photos.
- Fashion: Pinterest Lens helps users find clothing based on a photo.
Google Lens is leading this space with over 12 billion visual searches per month (Statista, 2024). It lets users:
- Identify plants, products, or landmarks
- Translate text using a camera
- Get style matches and purchase options
How to Optimise for Visual Search
- Use high-quality, labelled images.
- Add alt text that describes the image contextually.
- Use structured data markup for products, locations, and events.
Try using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to make your content more discoverable in visual results.
3. Multimodal Search: The Hybrid Future
Multimodal search combines text, image, and voice into one seamless experience. With AI models like Google Gemini and OpenAI’s GPT-4 Vision, users can now:
- Upload a photo of a broken machine and ask, “How do I fix this?”
- Scan a menu in another language and ask, “Which dish is spicy?”
- Upload charts and ask AI to explain the insights
According to Adobe (2023), 70% of Gen Z and Millennials prefer multimodal product discovery—a blend of visuals, voice, and rich content.
Examples of Multimodal Search in Action
- Google Multisearch: Combines photo + question to refine results.
- Amazon StyleSnap: Lets users upload clothing photos and get matches.
- Bing Visual Search + Chat: Mixes image input with live AI answers.
4. Why It Matters for Marketers
This shift in search behavior impacts SEO in big ways:
| Search Type | SEO Strategy Shift |
| Voice | Conversational content, voice-activated snippets |
| Visual | High-quality images, metadata, structured data |
| Multimodal | Unified experience across formats (text, image, voice) |
If your website isn’t ready for non-text search inputs, you’re leaving traffic on the table.
5. Tools That Help You Optimise for New Search Trends
| Tool | Purpose |
| AnswerThePublic | Discover voice-style search questions |
| Yoast SEO | Optimise metadata and FAQs for voice search |
| Canva | Create SEO-optimised images |
| Google Lens | Test your content’s discoverability in visual search |
| ChatGPT Vision | Generate explanations for visual content |
6. Challenges in Voice and Visual SEO
Despite the excitement, there are barriers:
- Tracking performance is hard: Traditional keyword rankings don’t apply to image or voice queries.
- Few SEO tools are built for multimodal search
- Localisation: Voice and visual searches behave differently in different regions and languages
Still, ignoring these channels will put your brand behind as competitors adapt.
7. The Road Ahead
By 2030, search will likely become “searchless.” Users will interact naturally with devices and expect answers—not just links.
Future trends to watch:
- Augmented Reality (AR) overlays for search
- Real-time translations in multimodal queries
- Visual commerce powered by AI image analysis
- Search integration into wearables (e.g., glasses, watches)
Final Takeaways
To succeed in the new world of search:
- Go beyond keywords. Think visuals, voice, and experience.
- Make your content speak and show—don’t just type.
- Use tools that support image and speech-based optimization.
- Structure your data and use schema markup.
Search engines are evolving into answer engines. By optimising for voice, visual, and multimodal inputs, brands can improve visibility, engagement, and user satisfaction in a world where searching is becoming smarter—and more human.
More Read
References (APA 7 Format)
Adobe. (2023). Visual and multimodal experiences in e-commerce. https://business.adobe.com/
Google. (2023). Multisearch and Google Lens insights. https://blog.google/products/search/multisearch/
Juniper Research. (2023). Voice assistant market report. https://www.juniperresearch.com/
Statista. (2024). Monthly visual search queries on Google Lens worldwide. https://www.statista.com/
Think with Google. (2023). How people use voice search. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/
