Voice search marketing will soon be the hottest topic when it comes to search engine optimization.
Its influence can’t be ignored, and marketers everywhere need to start thinking with voice search in mind. Especially since every month, there are over one billion voice searches worldwide according to Alpine.Ai.
And if you know anything about Voice Search - it is that there typically only one winner. The top result.
This requires SEOs to put some serious work into their websites if they are going to be number one.
So what are the stats backing up voice search and its crazy amount of power? let us dig into the infographic provided by Top Shelf Media to find out.
2019 Voice Search Statistics
Google has seen a major spike in voice searches on mobile devices, with voice searches totaling 20% of all mobile queries. With this number on the rise, we can only estimate what the numbers will be like in the coming years. But ComScore already suspects that by 2020 this number will be near the 50% mark.
When it comes to smart speakers - OC&C Strategy Consultants estimates that 55% of households will own a smart speaker by 2022. This is huge for e-commerce giants and small businesses alike. Your customer will soon be ordering a majority of their products through a speaker like Amazon Alexa or Google Home.
However smart speakers, voice search and online shopping do not completely mix as well as everyone thinks. Smart speakers come in handy for ordering the basics - stuff you don’t need to see to know it will get the job done.
This means products like toilet paper and dog food. I wouldn’t purchase clothing or any product you need to visibly see first before ordering through a smart speaker. But hey, maybe that’s just me…
Top 5 Voice Assistants
Voice Assistant software is a program that enables you to perform actions with your voice on a computer, smartphone or speaker. These are NOT smart speakers, and are simply the programs that run them.
So you may be asking yourself… what are the top voice assistants on the market right now? Well, we have all the answers right here:
Top 5 Voice Assistants
1. Amazon Echo
2. Google Assistant
3. Siri
4. Bixby
5. Microsoft Cortana
Amazon and Google are in the top two positions which is no surprise considering their widespread success with their smart speaker products. This hasn’t held Apple, Samsung, or Microsoft back from updating or creating new voice assistant software programs to compete with Amazon and Google.
If Apple can get their HomePod product line off the ground, I believe they will stand a good chance against the big boys. But recently, it doesn’t seem like Apple is pushing their smart speaker system to consumers (they only hold a 2.7% market share in total).
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Microsoft’s Cortana comes installed by default on almost any Windows 10 PC. With consistent updates and usability tweaks - Cortana could become a voice search powerhouse. She already has received 18 billion questions from over 148 million users. Which are substantial numbers.
Local Voice Search
Did you know that 76% of smart speaker users perform a local search at least once per week? It’s a pretty insane statistic if you ask me. Voice search optimization is something I would invest in If you are a small business that thrives off local traffic.
This could be anything from a mechanic shop to the nearest place to buy dog food. The possibilities are endless.
So what is the most searched for local business in 2019? The winner is: Restaurants with over 51% of voice searchers looking for new places to treat their palate. Which is no surprise to me… people love to eat and try new places all the time.
On top of all this, 28% of searchers went on to call the business they searched for. That is an insane amount of conversions.
Need I say more? Start optimizing for local (voice) search today!
Conclusion
It is no question that voice search is on the rise to becoming one of the most popular ways to search for your favorite products and businesses. It is a quick and effective way to get information without having to use your hands. Allowing you to shop, look up a recipe, or find a movie to watch hassle free!
The statistics don’t lie either… with thousands of people buying more & more smart speakers each and every month, it is time for SEO’s everywhere to get with the times. Other companies just got even more difficult to compete with, but the rewards are higher than ever.
Do you like searching for information with your voice? Which Voice Assistant program do you use or plan to use? Let us know in the comments below! We’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic.
About The Author: Connect with Liam on LinkedIn
Liam Abbott is a digital marketer working at Top Shelf Media - a premier web design & SEO company in Calgary. He loves everything search engine related, and is driven by the results he achieves for his clients. When he is not crunching data and making strategic marketing decisions - you can find him collecting entertainment memorabilia, and playing his favorite games.
