ClickCease

The Power Of Voice Search

Voice Search by the Numbers

The landscape of voice search has evolved significantly in the last decade. Here are some updated statistics and insights into the current state of voice search as of 2024:

  • Usage of Voice Assistants: It’s forecasted that by the end of 2024, 8.4 billion people will use voice assistants globally. In 2019, this number was 3.25 billion, showing significant growth in just a few years​​.
  • Voice Search in the United States: Approximately 72% of US consumers use voice assistants for voice searches. This usage encompasses various activities, with 75% using voice search for weather information and 71% for music and other uses like news, entertainment, retail and healthcare​​​​.
  • Voice Search on Mobile Devices: About 27% of the global online population uses the voice search feature on their mobile devices, which is particularly popular among the 16-to-34 age bracket​​.
  • Preference for Voice Search: A significant 90% of people find voice search easier and faster than traditional methods. This convenience is likely contributing to the growing adoption of voice search technologies​​.
  • Smart Speakers and Shopping: As of 2022, around 33.2 million consumers in the US were projected to shop using voice search on smart speakers, indicating a growing trend in voice-assisted online shopping​​.
  • Local Voice Search: A noteworthy 76% of smart speaker owners use local voice search at least once a week, highlighting the importance of voice search for local businesses and services​​.
  • Gender Differences in Usage: Men tend to use voice search more frequently than women across various devices like smartphones, desktops/laptops, tablets and smart speakers​​.
  • Accuracy and Speed: Voice search result pages are noted for their speed, requiring only 4.6 seconds to load, which is faster than the average page load time. This efficiency is a key factor in its growing popularity​​.

The Future of The Digital Assistant

Unlike the early days, voice search now welcomes “complex” questions and has improved its ability to understand what the user is asking. Google Voice can break down the semantics of each portion of a user’s question.

Using this method of analytics enables Google Voice Search to understand the intent behind each question. Google can pull the correct factual information using each analyzed portion of your question to come up with the answer you’re looking for. Unlike a traditional search, someone using a digital assistant doesn’t want to sift through a list of options when they ask a question; they want the correct answer instantly.

This new capability also enables us to speak and ask questions more naturally on our smartphones rather than relying on specific and individualized keywords to search. Users enjoy improved accuracy of their search results while feeling confident they can communicate in a way that comes naturally to them.

What This Means for Your Business

Keeping your business Web information up-to-date is of more importance now than ever before. Google is very proficient at understanding what your content means, and voice search users won’t want to scroll through pages of content to find your hours of operation or the price of an item.

One resource that can help improve your visibility for voice search is structured markup, like Schema.org. Marking up your content with Schema helps search engines understand the context of your page and identify the key information your customers are looking for.

Voice is definitely the future of search. Text search will likely always have a place, but for customers on the go or those who want information quickly, they’ll be talking to their phones, not typing on them. Businesses that are prepared will capitalize on it in the future.

Partner With OuterBox for Online Marketing Solutions

To learn more about voice search data tracking and maximizing organic performance, read about OuterBox’s SEO service packages. Request a free estimate today!

Free Paid Search Quote
Want to take your SEO to the next level?
For 20+ years we've been an award-winning design, development and SEO marketing agency. Talk with us and see how we can help your business rank page #1!