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The Role of Voice Search:
Today and Tomorrow
Clark Boyd
April 25, 2019

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Today’s
Agenda 1.Voice Search Trends
2.5 Tips to Optimise Today
3.What to Expect Next

3.
The more a user interface is able to replicate how
humans interact with the world, the more our
interactions with computers will come to feel natural
and intuitive.
Tom Ward

4.
How We Learn to Communicate
LISTEN

5.
How We Learn to Communicate
LISTEN SPEAK

6.
How We Learn to Communicate
LISTEN SPEAK READ

7.
How We Learn to Communicate
LISTEN SPEAK READ WRITE

8.
Online, We Have Done the Opposite
WRITE

9.
READ
Then We Read the Results and Replies

10.
SPEAK
Over Time, We Have Started to Speak

11.
LISTEN
And Finally, We Are Listening to Machines
Would you
like to hear
a joke?

12.
7%
OF OUR MESSAGE IS
COMMUNICATED THROUGH THE
WORDS WE USE
(MEHRABIAN,
2007)
What we
say
How we say it

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Google Assistant is now available on over 1 billion
devices worldwide.

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Usage in the West is Limited to Queries & Actions - For Now.

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Smartphone growth will not be
driven by Western markets.
- North America: 47M (+18%)
- Western Europe: 34M (+12%)
- Latin America: 144M (+71%)
- Middle East and Africa: 272M
(+62%)
- APAC: 226M (+64%)
- India: 374M (+165%)
- China: 231M (+34%)

17.
Voice Search Usage Trends
● Speaking is more natural, but we are accustomed to
typing search queries.
● Voice is used for actions, quick answers, reminders.
● Normally preferred when a screen is not required, or
when hands are not free.
● Worldwide, voice is helping get more people access to
digital services.
● A new audience is moving online and voice-first will be
less alien for them.

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5 Voice Search Tips

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1. Define the role of voice within a wider
strategy.

20.
It
won’t.

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What does ‘voice’ really
change?
It’s great to know the
question, but only if it
affects our answer.

22.
Informational
queries
Video search
Image search
Vertical
search
engines
Position Zero
Ratings and
reviews
Social media
Product
comparison
Product
questions
Assistant
Search for
store
Subscribe
and save

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2. Organise content around meaningful phrases
and fragments.

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Break Content Down Into Fragments That Can Be Served in Snippets
25-45 words
seems to be the
optimal length
Important to
try and earn the
full snippet.

25.
Home
Category
Product
A digital assistant will pull the
right content from wherever
it can find it.
Is an Amex card
expensive?

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We Need to Make it Simple to Find and Serve the Content

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3. Create content for intent states and scenarios.

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Context is key: "Dinner ideas"

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Plot out the stages of the day
when your audience will interact
with your company online.
From here you can start to see
whether they will have access to
a screen, which device they may
be on, and where they are likely
to be.
That provides a strong basis for
multimedia content planning.

31.
Input Output Use Cases
Voice Voice
One answer
Actions
Voice Text
Multiple answers
Device with screen
Voice Image
Shopping
Directions (local listings)
Image Image
Shopping
Ideas
Historical user data
(‘searcher’ not directly
active)
Suggestions
(Voice/image/text)
The search engine knows
enough to preempt and
answer the query

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4. Use structured data and internal links for context.

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Schema.org structured data
provides vital information to a
search engine about your content.
Given that search engines want to
extract and serve exactly the right
content, this is a fantastic
opportunity to increase content
visibility.
As a guideline for retail sites,
always mark up:
● Price
● Availability
● Image
● Product name

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Plot out your brand’s online architecture and improve the clarity of the links between
the different elements.

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5. Consider how your content sounds.

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Should I get a
Barclaycard
credit card?
"A credit card is a convenient
and flexible way of borrowing
money, which lets you make
purchases that you can pay for
in the future.
Before you take out a credit
card, it’s important to be aware
of the potential costs and ensure
that you only borrow what you
can afford to pay back. To get
the most out of your credit card
it’s important you’re able to
meet your payment dates and
ideally pay in full every month."
*A real example, Google UK

39.
What’s Next?

40.
7%
OF OUR MESSAGE IS
COMMUNICATED THROUGH THE
WORDS WE USE
(MEHRABIAN,
2007)
What we
say
How we say it

41.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/01/pandora-to-test-interactive-voice-ads-
later-this-year/
“Pandora’s new voice ads will allow listeners to respond by speaking aloud —
either to get more information about the product being advertised, or to skip the
ad if it’s not of interest.”

42.
Bijou Solutions, Inc. |
2020

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47

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In Summary: Voice
Search, Today and
Tomorrow

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Voice Search Today
● It has taken centuries to arrive at today’s level of accuracy.
● In ‘mature’ markets, we are slowly adapting to this form of interaction.
● In many other markets, the online population will soon be voice-first.
● Focus first on the structure of content. It must be accessible by all search
user agents and digital assistants.
● Populate this structure with meaningful phrases that make clear your
company’s identity. Use video and images where screens are available.
● Add an element of brand voice; after all, people speak to converse. Take
the opportunity to offer more than just keywords.

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Voice Search Tomorrow
● 93% of our real message lies in how we speak.
● The world’s biggest companies want to learn from that data to provide
seamless, ubiquitous, personalised messaging.
● To get it, they will need a lot more access to our daily lives.
● Conversational interactions with digital assistants will become the norm,
but brands need to supply the right content.
● While it is uncertain how quickly this change will happen, it still remains
clear that true customer insight is the best way to create a future-proof
voice strategy.

47.
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