To some, voice search is a stupid idea, a fad that will never take off. After all, who would want to have their searches broadcast to the world? To others, however, voice search is a window to the future – something that makes us feel tech savvy, and as if we’re commanding our computers or mobiles like we’re a part of a Star Trek episode.
Voice search has really taken off among young adults – especially when they’re using their mobile phones. Google may have dropped the “OK Google” command from Chrome for desktop but in the mobile arena voice search is here to stay.
The Keyboard is Dying
On-screen keyboards are just too cumbersome to use, and virtual assistants offer a quick and easy way to get directions to a store while you’re driving, or look up the name of an actor while you’re watching TV. More than half of all teens use virtual assistants at least once a day, and more than 40 per cent of adults do too.
Easy Access to Facts
Voice search works best when people are looking for easy access to facts – short sound bites, directions, reviews and prices. If you want to be one of the companies or brands that appears when people use voice search, you need to provide content in the format that Google understands the best. As a result, companies like http://www.rycomarketing.ie/ an SEO agency in Dublin and others are focusing on rich metadata, voice search, fact cards and other ways of providing information in those mobile-friendly, instant-access formats that the search engines love so much.
Not all information can – or even should – be conveyed in this way. The desktop and the keyboard will always have a use for extensive research. However, voice search is another option that webmasters can use as a part of trying to reach as many customers as possible. Combine it with local SEO, multi-channel marketing and social media, and your brand will be on the minds of your customers at all times, from the moment they check Facebook when they wake up, to the time they leave work and are doing a quick search in the car for somewhere to grab a bite to eat. That’s the kind of online domination that every brand should be striving for.