“Hey Siri,” “Alexa”, or “Hey Google” are rather well-known phrases today. The number of voice assistant users in the U.S. has been increasing consistently. In 2023, 43% of the population in the U.S. use a voice assistant and by 2026, it is forecasted that 45.4% of the U.S. population will use a voice assistant. Voice search is not a fading trend. It is here to stay and will become the norm.   

The trend of AI and voice search will become more integrated in 2023. It’s important for digital marketers to embrace this development and incorporate voice search into an overall digital marketing strategy. 

Voice search can be essential for local businesses. For example, “Hey Siri. Can you find me the closest pizza delivery restaurant?”. If your local business doesn’t capitalize on this opportunity voice search queries will go to your competitors instead. 

There are several factors that you need to consider to be voice search ready:

• Because voice search queries are more conversational, target long-tail keywords and questions in your content to cater to the voice searchers and optimize for conversions.
  • The more general your keywords are, the higher your volume and the lower your conversions.
  • The longer your keywords, the lower your volume and the higher your conversions.
• It is important to fine-tune your local SEO and button up your GMB (Google My Business account) to optimize for voice search on your site.
• A lot of internet traffic is coming from mobile devices, and a significant percentage of that traffic comes from voice search queries. Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile.
• Target long-tail keywords in your Paid Search strategy.
• Check your SQR (Search Query Report) and look for search terms that contain these phrases, for example: “Where do I…?” or “Hey Siri”. They are triggered by voice search. One Paid Search strategy is to separate those terms from the SQR, build a new campaign around Voice Search terms, and incorporate bespoke ad copy.

There isn’t a specific method for applying Voice Search in Google Ads yet but everything has to start somewhere. Voice Search is here to stay, and it’s more than likely that Google will develop Voice Search features for its Google Ads platform.

Looking forward, we can predict an integration of voice search and AI. The integration of AI will make voice search more conversational vs. text speech. As mentioned earlier in this blog, it’s important that the content on your site is optimized for voice search. It is now possible to use AI to create content that mimics natural language, which can make your site’s content more engaging and informative and improves user experience. A straightforward, on-page SEO optimization using keywords is not enough nowadays. As a business, you need to get ahead of the curve and make your website voice search ready.    

Smart speakers will become increasingly prominent in households across the U.S. Voice search is also gaining momentum in the e-commerce sector. Walmart has partnered with Google to let consumers add shopping items to their virtual shopping carts through Google Assistant. To learn more about the future of voice search, read the online article “Prepare for the Future of Voice Search”. Want to learn more about how to prepare your business for the future of voice search? Schedule a free strategy call with our team today to make sure you’re ready.