The buzzing SEO question humming around the topic of voice search is,

will the evolution of digital assistants
eliminate the need for SEO?

The short answer is: Not anytime soon

Why? ...because digital assistants like Google Home, Amazon Echo, Suri, and Cortana, will always be dependent upon a database! And data has to come from somewhere. That "somewhere" is where businesses will and should focus their "optimization" efforts whether or not such optimization is actually called "SEO."

As you may already know, most of the functions performed by digital assistants (DAs) such as Google Home or Amazon Echo have to do wth reporting the status of variable conditions (like weather, traffic) or status updates (flight information, calendar, shopping lists, timers) or controlling electronic devices (like audio/music/TVs, lights, thermostats), or managing information/entertainment content and schedules (podcasts, TV, radio, community, biz, school presentations or performances). And none of these can really be SEO'd.

But there are two categories that CAN be SEO'd. They are...

1. Local Services and
2. Facts and Figures (i.e., information).

In other words, you can ask the DA for factual information (how many quarts in a liter? ... how far is 100km in miles?) or you can inquire about local services.

Now, the trick is to identify what, if anything, that a digital assistant might tell a potential customer about your niche, your product, or your service. And the best way to do this is to actually test out the various DAs by asking them (it?) whatever questions you'd typically expect your target audience to be asking about your niche, product, or service. From there it's simply a matter of locating the source from where the ...