The rise of voice search technology continues to change the way we interact with our devices and how we look for things on the internet. In-home hubs designed exclusively for voice commands, like Alexa and Amazon Echo, are hugely popular. Major mobile platforms have their own integrated voice technology, e.g. Cortana and Siri. And people are using them. A lot.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. Get a load of these voice search statistics:
- From 2008 to 2016, voice search queries went up by a factor of 35. 35!
- In May 2016, 1 in every 5 searches on an Android app in the U.S. was done using speech rather than text.
- Since Amazon launched its signature smart speaker in 2014, an estimated 5.1 million of them have sold.
Why People Are Using Voice Search More
Voice recognition technology is nothing new; dictation software has been around for decades. Even Windows Vista and the original OS X were designed with voice recognition features. It was inevitable that our voice-activated assistants would eventually connect to the internet and help us do everything from ordering lunch to finding out the name of that song that was on the radio earlier.
In the past, awkward misunderstandings between human and device caused a lot of people to think of voice search as a novelty rather than a viable technology.The masses didn’t really embrace the whole voice search thing at first. Only 11 percent of people who use voice search have been doing so for longer than 3 years; 41 percent of voice searchers say they only started using the feature in the last 6 months.
Today, though, voice search is growing so fast it now has its very bandwagon, and there are a bunch of reasons folks are climbing aboard:
- The technology has improved. In its earliest incarnations, voice search accuracy left something to be desired. As our devices are getting better at understanding what we’re really saying, more folks are coming around to voice search being pretty great…when it works right.
- Searching by voice is faster. It’s way quicker to say “all night pizza places in Sacramento” than it is to type it out. And you shouldn’t need us to tell you that the less time standing between you and your pizza, the better.
- Voice search is hands-free. Whether you’re driving along the highway or wrist-deep in preparing a complicated meal, typing in your search terms isn’t always doable. Or safe. Or smart. Being able to just say “Okay, Google: how many ounces are in a cup?” is pretty darn convenient.
- Voice search is more accessible. For many, intellectual or physical conditions make typing out search terms difficult or even impossible. Voice search technology simply makes the internet accessible to more people.
Does Voice Search Matter for Your Website?
So, what does this love affair with voice search mean for your medical practice? First, the people in your area (you know, the ones you’d like to have as patients) are probably using voice search when they look for things online. Things like medical practices.
Second, the increasing popularity of voice search means it’s time to check your local SEO strategy to see if a few tweaks might be in order. Being on top of new trends like the spike in voice search use is just part of a smart online marketing strategy.
How to Optimize Your Local SEO Strategy for Voice Search
Do you know if your marketing team is operating on the assumption that people are searching for you via text only, or are they working to keep up with the trend toward voice searching? Here are a couple tips to make your SEO more voice search friendly:
- Use long-tail keywords. Researchers learned that people search differently when they talk instead of typing—we use more elaborate wording when speaking aloud. Hopefully your site is already optimized for long-tail keywords, but if not, targeting the voice searching crowd should be a solid motivator.
- Optimize your site for mobile visitors. Most voice searches are conducted on the go using a mobile device. If your website is clunky or unusable once someone gets there, any local SEO strategy discussion is rendered immediately irrelevant. Talk to your digital marketing team about putting mobile marketing first.
If you’re not sure whether any of this applies to you, there’s no better time than the present to brainstorm with your marketing team and work on upping your voice search savvy.