The rise of the voice-enabled search function has created “conversational shopping,” a buzzword introduced by Behshad Behzadi, Google’s Director of Search, at the SMX West’s Event in early 2016.
Although voice search isn’t a new feature – after all, Siri was born in 2011 – it’s now picking up in popularity since error rates are down and convenience is up. The 2014 Google Mobile Voice Study found that teenagers in particular have adapted to voice search. Around 55% of teenagers owning a smartphone use voice search several times a day, while only 41% of adults use voice search at least once a day. On top of that, sales of voice-enabled devices, like the Amazon Echo, are rising, with sales for that product alone projected to hit $10 million next year.
So as voice search becomes more and more popular, what does it mean for your company? When your potential customers are searching, how do their voice searches differ from written searches? Research from Microsoft revealed that users are more likely to search for longer queries in spoken searches versus written ones. Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller also said in a recent Google Hangout that many of the voice searches are done in much longer-form sentences – though that’s more true for older generations than younger generations, who tend to speak in short, to-the-point keywords.
To adapt for these different types of searches, add more natural phrasing for long-tail searches to your search engine marketing campaigns. And take a look at your website copy and overall content strategy to ensure it reflects these new “natural language” searches. Your content should answer the spoken questions your potential clients might ask, beyond just allowing you to be found for branded or keyword searches.
And revisit these strategies as voice-enabled devices and search capabilities continue to evolve. Amazon is pushing for companies to develop new “skills” (similar to mobile phone apps) for its Echo and Dot, to make the devices more useful and powerful. As the number of skills available increases, searches will become more direct, using already downloaded apps instead of leaving searches open-ended.
To learn more about how voice search and other top trends are impacting eCommerce, download our guide, Innovating eCommerce: Nine Top Trends for 2017.
Sources:
Conversation as the new UI: Microsoft makes its chatbot pitch at Build 2016, Marketing Land, Danny Sullivan, March 30, 2016.
Google Looking To Bring Voice Search & AMP Reporting To Search Console, Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, May 9, 2016.
OMG! Mobile voice survey reveals teens love to talk, Google Blog, Scott Huffman, October 14, 2014
