Voice Search—Is Google About To Change For Good?

While many of us still prefer to type our queries in the search bar to look for anything online, voice search is fast becoming a new trend driving changes in search engine algorithms. Which means what merely started as playing around with Cortana, Siri and later, Alexa is actually turning into a defining trend that will not just change the way searches are made but also bring along the need to modify your SEO and digital marketing strategies. However, before we delve into the details of how this trend is about to change Google for good, let’s find out…

Is Voice Search Really Taking a Toll?

As per the statistics collected by Search Engine Watch, voice search queries on Google have increased by over 35x, since 2008. At least one in every 5 searches made through an Android app was voice-based, in the US in 2016. Cortana has reached its record user-base of over 133 million active monthly users and 19% of all Siri users are using the virtual assistant on a daily basis. Around 25 million voice-controlled devices were reportedly sold last year, all around the world and it is predicted that voice recognition technology will become $600 billion industry by the end of 2019.

As much as 50% of all searches made on Google and other engines will be voice-based. While this might sound a bit exaggerated as of now, certain actions by Google indicate that this isn’t a far-fetched dream.

How’s Google keeping-up With the Trend?

The release of 1st generation Echo and Alexa by Amazon back in November 2014 was a breakthrough in voice recognition technology and effectively paved the way for it to become a mainstream practice among masses. In just a little over a year’s time, Amazon’s Echo and Alexa had become their most sought-after devices, especially during the holiday season in 2016.

Keeping with the tides of the trend, Google put forth Google Home in the market in 2017?—?a smart speaker device, integrated with voice recognition technology and assisted by Google Assistant. It wasn’t long before Google announced the integration of Google Assistant in TV device?—?to make them smarter than ever. These developments in voice recognition technology within just a few years is a sure-tell sign that Google has identified voice as its core driving factor and is revamping all its algorithms and techniques to be able to cater to queries pouring in thro

This leads us to the conclusion…

It’s Time to Revamp Your Digital Marketing & SEO Game

Voice search will change the way people search?—?and no, it’s not just about the switch from text to speech. A majority of search queries will come from mobile sources, so you’ll have to do more than responsive designing to revamp your digital strategy. Make sure all your site resources such as images, multimedia and JavaScript are optimally functional. Moreover, avoid flash and optimize load times toms to make sure Google algorithms can access your content and present it in search results. Aside from that, you’ll have to modify your content strategy, making it more conversational and embedded with long tail keywords, to optimize its potential of addressing the relevant search queries.