Voice recognition technology is nothing new. However, it has only recently become popular. When Apple launched Siri years ago, few users took advantage of the feature: in 2013, only 15% of iOS users reported using it, according to an Intelligent Voice survey. According to Forbes, the numbers have changed drastically, with 55% of teens and 40% of adults using voice search and recognition.
Currently, there are many good reasons why more people use voice recognition technology than before, which I talk about in-depth in my article “The benefits of omnichannel strategies in your marketing plan,” published on the blog of the PR company GoodNoon. However, we can summarize all of these reasons into a straightforward explanation: it is a reliable resource.
The voice recognition error rate is now only of 5.5%, a significant decrease from the 20% error rate from 4 years ago. If you are an entrepreneur, you probably have an iPhone or an external voice assistant, which means you’ve enjoyed its practicality from time to time.
In addition to the convenience of technology -where we find aspects such as the hands-free, making it easier for users to multitask – it is not surprising that voice recognition is becoming the new standard for Internet searches. What leads us to the subject of today’s post.
Is the voice recognition a unique business opportunity for your company?
According to the study “A Window into the Fashion Shoppers World,” conducted by Astound Commerce, audiences all over the world have a total of 7 main expectations surrounding voice searches:
- Discovering new products. If you want consumers to find your brand and end up becoming customers, better be there when they seek to solve needs related to the services you provide, both in voice and regular searches.
- Add products to the cart. Consumers who do voice searches are not reluctant to buy; on the contrary, this forms an integral part of their expectations. To attract them, you need to present your products attractively and think about your offer strategy, discounts, and cross sales.
- Buy fashion products. This sector is one of the most powerful within the e-commerce environment, but it is not the only one that offers good possibilities around voice searches.
- Add items to a to-do list. Expectations about voice search are linked to virtual assistants, and one of its primary functions is to help people organize their lives. Think about what role your brand could fulfill to solve this need and thus add value to it.
- Replace products (33%). Facilitating the replacement of products is a great help to obtain regular purchases. Ideally, the client can order a new product by merely giving a simple order to their assistant. Also, their assistant could automatically remind them when it is time to order one of his usual products.
- Customize the experience based on searches.Increasingly, customers’ expectations include receiving a unique treatment. The marketers have to be up to the task and count on big data processing mechanisms and means to automate the task.
- Buy with friends. Here’s one more factor that we have to take into account in e-commerce strategies: social buying, especially important in sectors such as fashion or makeup and young users. It is not only possible to go shopping in groups to physical stores, but also to meet in a house and share the entire purchase process from the mobile using voice search.
As an entrepreneur, who is obliged to participate in new trends in digital marketing to survive within the saturated industry, including voice search as a priority could determine the difference between failing or succeeding in the long term.
Now, with the knowledge you just acquired, what details should you and your team or PR agency take into account when linking the content of your Web page, blog or guest post?
1. The relevance of SEO
As I said before, the trend towards voice search has a significant impact on the public, but luckily no components are too complicated to understand or apply:
2. Long tail keywords as a priority
Digital marketers have been switching to long-tail keywords for some time. In the case of experts, it only became a vital element to integrate as soon as people started to apply it to their everyday lives massively. In this regard, it’s important to highlight how, for example, people tend to talk to their devices in complete sentences instead of using just a couple of words, as is still common in many text searches.
3. Optimizeforquestions
When creating valuable content, I recommend to write the most essential words and omit the fillers; because, when it comes to voice search, asking questions is the way to go. To provide users with content about your services, think about what specific questions you can answer for them. For example, if you are the owner of a fin tech, perhaps the question naturally comes up from the solution you offer – the same happens in any industry.
4. Take advantage of local SEO
Speech recognition technologies are also being incorporated into desktop computers. A good example is the latest OSX, which integrated Siri into online and computer searches. Nonetheless, people still use smartphones and other mobile devices for voice search. At the other end of this spectrum, local companies have an excellent opportunity to capitalize on such trends.
Mobile devices know the locations of users. This means that users can use voice search to request information about their surroundings without even specifying a city. As of August 2013, 83% of people were already searching for local businesses on their smartphones at least once a week, and 58% were searching for them daily.
With voice search, this has only become easier. Every local should be able to benefit from the growing trend, and to do so is necessary to use keywords that include nearby sites, landmarks, and neighborhoods. You can apply the same technique.
4. Use knowledge diagrams and charts
Schema markup and knowledge markup must be present throughout your website. This way, you’ll be ensuring search engines understand what content your site contains. Already useful in text searches, they are even more helpful for voice searches.
Important data to consider
If you are not yet convinced to develop a marketing strategy to take advantage of voice search, just take a look at the data. It is predicted for 2020 that at least 50% of the searches will be made through speech or images, so it is necessary to develop the right voice SEO plan. Also in the same year, there will be 21.4 million smart speakers in the US alone. Right now, Cortana -the virtual assistant created by Microsoft- has more than 133 million monthly users.
Adapting the systems, and sales methodology of e-commerce companies will be essential for this option to achieve higher goals.