One of the coolest things about the old sci-fi movies was the way the characters could simply command a computer to do pretty much anything using only their voices.
“Computer... bring up the coordinates for our destination.”
Along with travelling at ‘warp speed’ to distant galaxies, voice commands were the sort of thing that made you wish you had been born a hundred years later.
Well, it’s 2018 and humans have yet to achieve warp speed.
But voice command has taken root, and is set to comprise 50% of all searches by 2020 according to ComScore.
With the rapid improvement in AI capabilities and the increasing availability of personal and home assistants among consumers, sci-fi fans are literally seeing their dreams come to life around them as voice search and commands become ever more sophisticated.
But what does this rise in voice search mean for you as a marketer or business owner?
Voice Search Is Here to Stay
The sands of the SEO landscape have already shifted under your feet and unless you adjust accordingly, you risk getting swept aside.
In 2017, Google launched Home, their voice activated assistant which is powered by Google Assistant. They also integrated Google Assistant into TVs, and according to the tech giant, Assistant is now available on 400 million devices which include watches, tablets, phones, Google Home, and TVs.
In December 2016, Amazon’s Echo emerged as the retail giant’s bestselling product over the holiday period.
Apple and Microsoft have also incorporated their own assistants into Apple products and Windows 10 respectively in recent years, giving devices the ability to carry out voice enabled actions like search.
And these numbers are only going to grow over time, as voice capabilities expand and the voice of the consumer becomes even more empowered.
More Stats and Future Predictions for Voice Search
- About 30% of searches will be done without a screen come 2020, according to Mediapos
- By the end of 2018 Google Assistant will reach 95% of all eligible android devices worldwide, according to Techcrunch
- An estimated 21.4 million smart speakers will be in the US by 2020 according to Activate.
- There are over 1 billion voice searches per month according to Alpine.AI
- 40% of adults now use voice search at least once a day according Location World.
- 25% of 16-24 year olds use voice search on mobile according to Global Web Index
- 60% of people using search started within the past year, and 41% within the last 6 months according to MindMeld.
- 42% claim that voice enable devices have quickly become “essential” to their lives according to Geomarketing.com.
- Voice-related searches on mobile are 3X more likely to be local based that text-related searches according to Search Engine Watch.
We are speeding into the future at warp speed; smart marketers will start optimizing their strategies as they anticipate the exciting journey ahead.
What’s next?
“Hey Siri, call Eternity in Burlington, Vermont”
