Siri, Alexa, Cortana, Viv; these are becoming household names. They’re the names of just a few of the ever-growing market of virtual assistants that more and more people are taking advantage of to help them throughout the day. The capabilities of virtual assistants have grown immensely over the years; Siri can find you the closest gas station, answer a wide variety of questions; Amazon’s Alexa can order you a pizza from Domino’s, a ride from Uber, and you can order items from Amazon just by asking her put them on your shopping list. Recently Google has come out with it’s own competitor, Google Home, which Google says will incorporate things like Pandora, Ticketmaster, Spotify, and OpenTable.

One thing all of these assistants have in common is that they’re voice activated—an ever-growing trend that’s also incorporated into Google Voice searches and Android voice searches as well. What used to be available at the touch of a button is now accessible through your voice as well, no hands needed.

Why are voice searches suddenly so popular?

Mindmeld conducted a survey that showed that 41.6% of people began using voice searches in just the past 6 months. This goes along with the data from Google CEO Sundar Pichai who reported that “20 percent of queries on its mobile app and on Android devices are voice searches.” So why are these searches becoming so popular, and who exactly is using them?

The most common answer is, it makes the Internet more accessible for everyone, but especially people with disabilities. Voice searches and virtual assistants have improved the quality of life for disabled people immensely. But aside from people with disabilities, who else is using voice search, and why?

Search Engine Watch says that 55% of teens and 41% of adults are using voice queries, for a variety of reasons:

  • It’s very hard to walk down the street and text or type at the same time. I for one have run into people trying to do this, and I’ve also been run into myself. Neither is pleasant. Voice activation makes it easier and safer to type while also looking where you’re going.
  • It also makes it easier to avoid mistakes, especially if you have big, fat fingers that aren’t meant for typing on a little keyboard. In addition, voice recognition software is advanced enough to correctly understand and type what you’re saying without a lot of spelling errors, something it seems like the general population struggles with. According to USA Today, Google currently has an error rate of 8%, a number that has decreased drastically from the 25% rate it sported several years ago.
  • It’s great for multitasking. I can’t tell you how many times I use my Amazon Alexa when I’m in the kitchen cooking. I’ll ask her to play music (and turn up or turn down the volume, depending on what is playing), set a timer, convert measurements, etc. all without having to wash my hands.

Hopefully now it’s abundantly clear that voice searching is the way of the future, and if anything it’s only going to become more popular. So how are you going to redefine your marketing strategy in order to meet this demand? Below are some suggestions of where to start.

How to Redefine Your Marketing Strategy with Voice Search in Mind

  1. Make sure your business information is up-to-date.

Update your location, hours, address, phone number, etc. as these are all pieces of information that consumers are searching for while they’re out. The more accurate this information, the better the chances more people will visit your location (assuming your business has a physical location).

  1. Reassess and modify your keyword strategy.

Keywords are less and less relevant with voice searches, because manufacturers are encouraging people to speak to these virtual assistants in a conversational tone, as if they were talking to a friend, as opposed to speaking to them in limited key words. This means that instead of jam-packing your site with a ton of keywords, you need to make sure your content is in line with what people are asking for.

  1. Use natural language.

This brings me to my next point- does your site use natural language as best as it possibly can? Reevaluate your content and make sure it answers the who, what, when, where, and why questions that voice searches are trying to get answered. Sites that do this well will show up first over sites that don’t, thus improving your SEO. You can start by asking yourself these “W” questions, and then evaluate if you can find the answers in your digital presence.

  1. Directly answer a question.

Google has placed an increased emphasis on “direct answers”, the answers to natural language search queries that show up on the search results page at the top, without having to click on any links. These answers show up in the form of tabbed results, tables, charts, lists, Wikipedia entries, etc. In order to increase your chances of having your website featured in one of these direct answers, “content marketers and SEO experts should focus on the specific questions their content answers and then address those questions immediately and clearly, according to Cio.com. For example, if someone searches “what is the average cost of gasoline in the U.S.”, and your site has a line in it that directly answers this question, you are more likely to be featured on Google than someone’s site that doesn’t.

Ehren Reilly, director of product for growth for job site Glassdoor, says that this is an opportunity to try out a different type of SEO. And if you learn how it works now, and implement it early, you’ll have a head start and an advantage over other business owners who haven’t recognized and researched this growing trend.

So how are you going to start optimizing your website to meet the demands of voice searches? Comment in the section below and let us know if you have any experience with voice search or what strategies you plan to put in place.