Are we all guilty of underestimating how voice search will be a huge game changer?
And not just for switching the TV channel or turning the lights on. We’re talking about how people will search for products and services they want or need.
SEO is no longer just about links and keywords, it’s about voice search and is in need of a dramatic overhaul.
In every pocket and even home, more and more people have digital assistants such as Siri, Google, Siri, Alexa, or Cortana. Why? Because we can speak 4 times faster than we can type.
Research goes as far as to say that by 2020, 50% of searches will be made using our voice rather than fingers. So, if engagement shifts to voice search, it’s relatively easy to jump to the conclusion that display is going to suffer in the long run.
With a variety of digital assistants across a myriad of devices both in and outside of the home, these changes could also dramatically affect the search distribution in our immediate future.
Technology in this area is still very much in its infancy. But is it reasonable to suggest that displayed search results are going to decline dramatically within the next decade? And is the future more about what you say rather than what you see?
At the moment, most voice-based commands are consumer-centric and isolated in the home. We have gone from feeling foolish talking to a machine to slowly getting more comfortable asking our devices to play a song, read us the news, set the alarm, switch on the lights, make a phone call, or ask a question.
But will we soon carry that expectation level with us outside of our homes too?
Tapping away on a keyboard or phone screen is already making many question its efficiency compared to just using their voice. And is it only a matter of time until more companies will grab an early competitive edge by focusing on their digital-knowledge management and develop an effective voice strategy.
The most prominent challenge around voice search is the complexity of each unique request. There are a variety of ways to ask the same question and a long list of additional information that could confuse matters very quickly.
Take our business as an example. What will an office manager or finance director (based in Manchester) say to their device, when they want to source a new photocopier to reduce their internal printing costs and improve their business efficiency?
Will in be photocopier in Manchester, photocopier supplier in Manchester, Manchester based photocopier supplier or supplier of photocopiers based in Manchester? Or will they not be bothered in the location and just search for a photocopier supplier, and then only choose to contact the first 1 or 2 that are suggested?
We are living in a digital age where we all can smell BS within a few clicks, swipes, or even a voice command. The time has arrived for organisations like ours to focus on providing value and meaningfully engagement to help our customers, rather than trying to sell them more stuff.
And this can only be a good thing, right?
