People are using voice search technology daily, whether in the car, at work, or at home. They have become an essential part of daily life, even automating homes. According to Comscore, 48% of the United States internet users own at least one smart speaker device. This is up 11% from the year before, just showing how prominent voice search is becoming.
Voice search is essentially searching the internet through speech rather than through text. Searching via an Amazon Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google Home, Smart TVs and streaming services are all examples of voice search assistants.
Voice assistant users account for 3.1 billion voice searches each month. With more people using voice search every day, it is important that your business is optimized for it.
Missing out on those voice searches means missing out on a lot of business. From an Ad Age article, “the ability to act on a ‘call to action’ without opening up yet another tab or picking up your phone while leaning back can be extremely powerful.”
Here are 5 reasons why you should optimize your business for voice searches.
1. Boost Traffic and Generate Leads
With over three billion voice searches done each month, voice searches can generate a lot of traffic.
If a customer cannot find your site because your site is not optimized for voice search, they will find the competitor instead. Optimizing for voice searches helps your business to stand out among competitors.
2. Build Loyalty Among Customers
Voice technology is not only getting better at understanding what the consumer is saying, but also their end game. It becomes seamless. Voice search makes an easy experience for the consumer, making their lives easier, in turn increasing loyalty and boosting sales.
Using voice search technology, you can also create the responses that your customer will hear when asking a question. Having quick and easy answers to a list of FAQs will make your customers more likely to choose you.
3. Creates A Mobile Friendly Option
Consumers today are constantly on their phones. Even in the car and at the workplace consumers use voice searches to make purchases.
A more mobile friendly option for your customers boosts your traffic and leads, and mobile users are three times more likely to use voice search. Voice search is a perfect mobile friendly option that ensures consumers can find your brand, however they are searching for it.
4. Places A Larger Emphasis on Local SEO
If you are a local small business, voice search is perfect for you. 58% of consumers use voice search to find local businesses, with searches like “best restaurants near me”. Voice search prioritizes local listings.
46% of voice searches each day are for local businesses. Making sure your Google Business Profile and other information are accurate can really boost your traffic, especially if you are looking for local traffic.
5. Voice Search Is Here to Stay
Voice search is not going anywhere. It has been steadily on the rise and is integrating into consumer lives. Optimizing your business for voice search sets the foundation and makes it easier in the long run to stay up to date on voice search trends and make minor changes.
Embrace voice search and make your web presence optimized for it by getting listed on all virtual assistant directories, such as Alexa, Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant and more. If you need help submitting your business to these services, contact us.
