3 Ways Voice Search Will Impact Search Marketing

Aug 3, 2016 | Industry Updates

Digital assistants like Siri, Cortana, Alexa, have revolutionized the way people search for products and services online.

Although adoption of the technology was slow – 41 percent of smartphone users said they used conversational search for the first time during the second half of 2015, according to the voice-driven intelligence platform MindMeld – it is now beginning to dominate the digital landscape.

The world’s biggest tech players have pioneered new smartphone technology that lets you control your phone and access products, apps and services without a keyboard.

Here are the three new voice search developments that will impact online advertising:

 

1. Google Home: The Voice-Controlled Personal Assistant

Google Home, a voice-enabled wireless speaker, that hopes to capitalize on the success of Amazon Echo, responds to complex commands so you can control your devices without lifting a finger. Ask Google Home to play your favorite tracks, turn off the lights, check the weather or set reminders.

The smart speaker uses Google Assistant, Google’s intelligent personal representative, to create a two-way conversation with the human speaker.

“The assistant is conversational – an ongoing two-way dialogue between you and Google that understands your world and helps you get things done. It makes it easy to buy movie tickets while on the go, to find that perfect restaurant for your family to grab a quick bite before the movie starts, and then help you navigate to the theater.” – Google

The Google Assistant can also do tasks, such as get you movie times and purchase tickets for you. You will have access to Google’s 17 years of search experience that will enable you to ask specific questions such as “How much fat is in an apple?”.

According to CIRP reports, they found that users tend to take advantage of the audio speaker function and the device’s informative skills about equally, and that nearly 20 percent use it to control other devices.

At this stage, it’s unclear how Google will introduce an advertising model to the service. However, wireless speakers have the potential to present sponsored results to consumers based on their voice-based queries.

 

2. Siri is Now Live on Mac Computers

Siri has been one of iPhone’s biggest selling points in recent years and receives more than a billion voice-based requests every week. However, due to diminishing iPhone sales, Apple is looking for alternative ways to introduce the technology to a wider audience.

Now, the Cupertino-based giant plans to launch Siri on its Mac computers, bringing their voice-based search software to a desktop audience.

For the first time, people will have easy access to search from the Mac operating system – search that isn’t Google.

This change means potentially more exposure for Bing, Yelp and other partners that Siri taps into. It also further locks Google out of the Apple search ecosystem, as it isn’t a default Siri partner.

 

3. Marketers to Optimize Websites for Voice Search

As more consumers use voice-based software, marketers are gaining deeper insights into how people are engaging with this technology. Going forward, expect digital campaigns to reflect voice search patterns and trends.

Research companies are now starting to explore the reasons that lead to consumers using voice search. Sixty-one percent of Americans think this technology is useful when their hands and vision are otherwise occupied.

For example, this research, taken from Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends report, reveals where people use voice search the most; 43 percent of those surveyed, say they interact with voice-based search software while at home, followed by 36 percent in the car.

As marketers learn more about how consumers interact with voice technology, they can fine-tune marketing campaigns and advertise products and services to customers based on their locations or interests thereby increasing brand visibility and improving conversion rates.

The result? More effective marketing that generates higher-quality leads.

From Google Home to Siri, more and more consumers will engage with voice-based systems in 2016, providing brands with new and lucrative, sales and marketing opportunities.