By 2024, voice search is poised to account for a significant 50% of all search queries. This exponential growth has prompted analysts to anticipate a profound impact on digital marketing, even before the year begins. As such, businesses are encouraged to initiate their research into how voice search will influence their digital marketing strategies for the upcoming year.The time is ripe to consider elements such as rankings and natural language processing (NLP) for your voice search campaigns. Uncover the transformative changes voice search will bring to digital marketing now!Irrespective of whether you use Siri, Google Assistant, Cortana, or Alexa, you’re familiar with your voice assistant’s ability to provide answers to your queries. They read out the featured snippet for your search, whether it’s about the next leap year or the Summer Olympics, both scheduled for 2020, when half of searches will rely on featured snippets. As digital marketing already prioritizes featured snippets, the rise of voice search, which depends heavily on them, will further enhance their value and competition.However, achieving featured snippets is not an overnight success. Businesses aiming to stay ahead in digital marketing are already formulating voice search strategies. They, or their digital marketing agencies, are crafting content plans optimized for voice search, ensuring they are prepared to engage their target audience upon the arrival of the new year.Featured snippets, which occupy the coveted Position Zero in search results, are already a focus in digital marketing strategies. Ranking in Position Zero maximizes online visibility and swipe valuable traffic from the first search result, reducing the click-through-rate (CTR) by eight percent. This is a strategic advantage for businesses, as it takes away visibility and traffic from competitors. Given the role of Position Zero in voice search, analysts predict its value and potential return will continue to rise.Competition for Position Zero will intensify with its growing value. If your business manages its digital marketing in-house, prepare your team to allocate more time to earning and optimizing content for Position Zero. Alternatively, consider partnering with a digital marketing agency specializing in voice search optimization.Voice search represents a novel search method that marketers must learn. With the anticipated surge in voice search, there’s an increased emphasis on semantics. How do people conduct voice searches? They adopt a conversational tone, leading some to refer to voice search as ‘conversational search.’ For instance, instead of searching “dehumidifier uses,” as one might on a desktop or laptop, you would ask, “Do I need a dehumidifier for my house?” Note: Mobile searches including “do I need” have surged by over 60% in recent years.Since voice searches are conversational requests, marketers must reassess how they create and optimize content for queries and research keywords. Failing to do so could result in your business website not ranking in voice search results or missing out on high-value featured snippets.Many marketers and digital marketing companies are planning to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) to adapt to voice search. With AI and machine learning, businesses can analyze vast amounts of data for actionable insights. Currently, there are over one billion voice searches monthly, offering a wealth of data.However, the challenge for these businesses is that they lack AI-powered software, such as MarketingCloudFX, powered by IBM Watson, one of the most renowned AI systems. For many digital marketing companies, developing AI-powered software will require years of development. Meanwhile, businesses managing their digital marketing in-house will face a significant disadvantage in voice search, prompting many to outsource the service.More than 50% of internet traffic originates from mobile devices, highlighting the importance of a mobile-first approach in digital marketing. While voice searches occur on voice-enabled speakers, they predominantly happen on mobile devices and tablets. Therefore, businesses must create mobile-friendly websites and web designs catering to voice search users.Without a mobile-friendly design, companies risk losing customers. For example, nearly 40% of consumers are less likely to make a purchase from a company without a mobile-friendly website. Conversely, nearly 70% of shoppers are more likely to make a purchase from a business with a mobile-friendly website.Another impact voice search will have on digital marketing in 2024 is the increased importance and value of local search engine optimization (SEO), crucial for brick-and-mortar stores aiming to boost foot traffic and sales. Why is voice search significant for local SEO? Over 55% of consumers use voice search to find local businesses, and more than 75% of voice-enabled speaker users conduct local voice searches weekly, seeking restaurants, movie times, or service providers. People are increasingly relying on voice assistants and smart speakers to explore their local area.Therefore, local businesses must prioritize local SEO and voice search SEO, as both offer substantial value and opportunities for growth. With the combined benefits of local search and voice search, you can enhance your store’s revenue or achieve your goal of expanding to a new location.In recent years, Google has encouraged marketers to consider micro-moments. Micro-moments are instances when a consumer wants to know something, go somewhere, do something, or buy something. With the increased use of voice search, companies must think more about micro-moments and their influence on conversational searches. For some agencies, micro-moments will shape all their digital marketing strategies for clients.The potential impact of micro-moments could lead to a new wave of marketing techniques that create a smarter and more effective way to engage consumers.With over one billion voice searches occurring monthly, businesses and agencies cannot afford to overlook voice search. It’s a tool that more consumers are using daily to discover new products and services. Ignoring voice search is ignoring a new revenue stream.As such, voice search will become a standard service in digital marketing. Whether you’re a local business, an e-commerce store, or an offline company, voice search offers significant value and the opportunity to connect with your target audience. Moreover, users expect businesses to prioritize voice search.In a recent survey, over 50% of voice-enabled speaker owners said they would like to receive updates about deals, promotions, and sales from brands. Users are essentially asking businesses to provide a reason to purchase their products or services. For a business looking to boost revenue and sales, voice search offers a smart approach — it’s just a matter of incorporating voice search optimization into your digital marketing strategy.If you’re preparing for voice search but unsure where to start, explore our featured snippet creation and optimization services.We can assist you in optimizing your site for voice search and develop a data- and results-driven digital marketing strategy to increase your revenue. Contact us today to begin! We’re a full-service search marketing agency ready to elevate your business to the next level!
