How Consumers Use Voice Search To Find Your Business

 

Voice search is one of the convenient technological innovations that quickly found its way into our homes and pockets. With voice search assistants like Siri, Cortana, Google Assistant, and Bixby, searching for information online is that much faster and easier.  

 

According to Google, 27% of the global population online uses voice search, while a separate study by Bright Local reveals that 58% of users have used voice search to look for businesses online. In fact, in a recent Microsoft report, more than half of the respondents indicated that they’ll be using digital assistants to make purchases in the next 5 years. 

 

Voice search is fast becoming a staple in businesses as a way to connect with consumers, making its integration in the business model a smart and viable strategy for small and big businesses alike. 

Top Voice Search Devices 

• Apple’s Siri 

• Google Assistant

• Microsoft Cortana

• Samsung Bixby

In the same 2019 report by Microsoft, 72% of those who used voice search employed the services of personal voice assistants. Topping the list are Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant each at 36%, followed by Microsoft Cortana at 19%, with other digital assistants comprising the remaining 1%. 

 

Apple’s Siri and Google Assistant’s dominance of the voice search market can be explained by the prevalence of mobile phones—to which Siri and Google Assistant are more closely aligned—compared to smart speakers. For respondents of the 2018 BrightLocal study who use voice search, smartphones are firmly their top voice search device at 56%, followed by desktops and laptops, tablets, and lastly, smart speakers. 

Most Common Queries Made Via Voice Search 

With the convenience of voice search, consumers can more readily find out information about certain businesses. Here are the top things people ask about when looking up businesses: 

 

• Where the business is located 

• Directions to the business’ address 

• The business’ phone number 

• An establishment’s opening hours  

• How far away the business is located 

• New businesses in a particular industry 

• Ordering takeaway from stores 

• Calling the business establishment 

• The business’ review ratings 

Consumers also use voice search to research about products, track packages, make purchases, reorder items, and contact customer support. They also prefer to be able to make reservations or book appointments via voice search, as well as find out about the price of products and services. 

Top Industries for Voice Search 

The top five industries that people use voice search to look for are:

 

• Restaurants and Cafés

• Grocery stores

• Food delivery

• Clothing stores

• Hotels or Bed-and-breakfasts. 

These industries easily come up at the top because they’re also the ones that consumers most often search for in general, or have a need for regularly. Therefore, featuring businesses from these industries on voice search will be very beneficial, especially those that are seeking to gain a competitive advantage. 

 

However, this doesn’t mean that the industries such as cosmetic procedures, landscaping, and insurance services which fail to appear at the top of the list won’t stand to benefit from integrating their businesses on voice search. In fact, they’ll likely miss out on potential customers if they don’t make themselves available in this increasingly popular way of looking up businesses. 

Feature Your Business on Voice Command 

Voice Command helps your business remain relevant in the face of increasing competition and widespread digital trends. It does this by featuring your business on leading voice search digital assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, and Bixby. By improving your searchability on this increasingly popular channel, you’ll be able to connect with new and existing customers and, by making the search experience more seamless, establish brand loyalty.