OK, Voice Search: Missing Big Opportunities for Local Businesses




The way we engage with technology has dramatically changed in the last few years. Who would have imagined we’d have a personal assistant in our pockets ten years ago? Technology leaders like Google have been putting a lot of effort into providing information to the user instantly as a result of the greater accessibility to instant information. Or, should I say instantly as a result of the user saying, “OK, Google”?

 

Since the launch of Siri in 2011, voice search has seen tremendous growth in usage. In the last 12 months, 58% of customers have used voice search to find a nearby business. And of those voice-search users, 46% regularly utilize this tool to find nearby companies. Isn’t this where you want to be given how frequently customers use voice search to find local businesses like yourself?

 

Huge Chances for Local Businesses By 2020, voice search is expected to account for 50% of all searches.

 

How Voice Search Is Being Used by Consumers

Typically, a consumer uses voice search to locate companies they are already familiar with. When a customer uses voice search for branded queries, they typically want to book a reservation, find out more about the cost of a product, or seek specific goods or services offered by your company. 27 percent of users who conduct voice searches will go to the establishment. Although the user often searches for branded terms in this manner, there is a ton of room for discovery searches in the future.

 

Users are growing increasingly accustomed to searching by speech as Google’s voice search results get more and more accurate. Google’s speech recognition accuracy for the English language has increased to over 95% thanks to AI, and this accuracy rate will only keep rising. As a result, voice-based discovery searches have a great deal of room to grow in the next years.

 

How Will This Affect My Business, though?

Those statistics are impressive, but how do they apply to your local business? What can be done to make sure that you appear when a customer conducts a voice search?

 

It is crucial for nearby companies to appear in these voice search results as this trend keeps growing. In the future years, it will be crucial to refocus your digital marketing approach on voice search. The top industries using voice search the most include anything from restaurants and hotels to car dealerships. However, even if you work in an industry like accounting or construction where voice search usage is currently lower, you should still concentrate on it in your marketing plan because you risk losing out on leads if you can’t be found.

 

Your exposure on the SERPS will only rise if you concentrate your content strategy on featured snippets. Your content strategy should put a strong emphasis on providing your customers with answers because Google Home typically pulls from these results. Additionally, it is more crucial than ever to ensure that all online listings for your company, including name, address, and phone number, are accurate.

 

Being at the forefront of your business and concentrating on increasing your likelihood of appearing will only boost your chances of being discovered. Don’t let your rival be the first to snag those voice search customers because voice-related queries are three times more likely to be locally focused.

 

Are you prepared to enhance your leads and voice search visibility? Then let’s talk.






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