By Hailee Sosnowski, BKV
According to Google, mobile Internet queries have surpassed desktop search. You almost definitely already knew that because it actually happened in 2015. But now something different is taking shape. ComScore predicts that by 2020, the lion’s share of Internet searches are going to originate from a different format: voice.
That has huge implications for retailers and anybody that wants to be found on the Internet as voice search is fundamentally different than desktop or mobile in brand new ways. Consider how most people use voice search. They ask a device a question and then wait for the device to read back the result. It’s rare that they look at the screen themselves, and screenless devices like Alexa are becoming more popular.
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This ups the game on search engine marketing because these voice search users do not scroll through a few results to find the best one. Instead, they only hear the top return. Imagine a world where Google only has the I’m Feeling Lucky button — that’s where we are headed. In the world of voice search, being first isn’t the best thing, it’s the only thing. There are no second place prizes, and more importantly, the strategies that get you to first place today simply won’t work in the world of voice search.
To Truly Hear, You Must Listen
Consumers have figured out how search engines work. They know exactly what keywords are most likely to return the results they are most interested in — they plunk those into search windows and are on their way. But that’s not how they use voice search at all. Instead, they talk to virtual assistants as if they were people. So a traditional desktop or mobile search for “women’s heel shoes Manhattan” would instead look — or sound — like this: “What’s the best place to find a pair of women’s high heel shoes for under $100 near me?”
In the fight to win top return results, expect the price for keywords like “women’s shoes” to rise. The good news is that in the future, you may not even need that generic keyword at all, as it very well may return only irrelevant results. Retailers that want top rankings on voice search will need to have more insight and creativity in understanding exactly how their target customers shop. Specific phrases and long-tail sentences are the gold standard in voice search, and they should lead to highly relevant landing pages that show the products consumers expect their searches to yield.
The Return Of Location, Location, Location
Bing has found that almost half of all voice searches contain the phrase “near me.” That’s because connected consumers want to know where they can get what they are looking for right now. It’s vital for retailers to incorporate geolocation into SEM strategy so that search engines know how to return the best results for any “near me” question.
This also signifies a return to brick-and-mortar relevance as the omnichannel model comes full circle and consumers expect their devices to find merchandise they can buy right now and go pick up in a few minutes. This makes it vital to integrate real-time inventory management so you don’t return results for products that are out of stock or no longer available.
Voice search is not coming — it’s here, and it’s only getting bigger. Position yourself today to harness consumers that are searching by asking aloud.
Hailee Sosnowski is a Paid Search Planner at BKV, a unified.agency partner.
