Four Voice Search Statistics Every Marketer Needs to Know

Even if you don’t currently use voice search in any way, shape or form, chances are your customers do. That’s perhaps the single most important lesson every business could do with learning right now.From Alexa to Siri to Google Now and so on, voice assistants and search facilities are no longer niche toys for pure entertainment purposes. Instead, they’re becoming the biggest things to alter search since Google opened its doors all those years ago.It’s just that far too many businesses and webmasters seem content burying their heads in the sand and ignoring it.So for those who’d prefer to take a proactive approach to the whole thing and gain a valuable edge over the competition, here’s a quick look at four of the most important voice search statistics every marketer really needs to know:

1. 20% Of Mobile Searches On Google Are Made Via VoiceIf this comes as a huge surprise to you, you’re certainly not in the minority. Incredibly, one in every five searches carried out on Google right now takes the form of a voice search. Equating to millions and millions of voice searches, every hour of every day and on a global basis. A figure that clearly highlights the way in which voice search is no longer a niche curiosity. Give it a few more years and the figure is expected to breach the 50% mark.
2. 60.5 Million People In The US Currently Use Digital AssistantsWhich equates to almost 20% of the entire US population. Once again therefore, it’s a case of one in every five internet users now regularly making use of a digital assistance of one kind or another. Of course, the vast majority of those making use of digital assistants are millennials and younger generations. But at the same time, these are also the demographics you’ll need to be focusing on to remain relevant and viable long-term.
3. 87% Of Marketing Experts View Virtual Assistants As The Future For The MassesWe’re getting to a point now where almost every marketing expert in the world firmly believes that chat robots and virtual assistants will play a critically important role in the future of the web in general. Within the next five years or so, it’s possible that voice search and interaction with digital assistants could eclipse standard text-entry search once and for all. Meaning that those who fail to adapt and evolve accordingly risk being left in the dust.
4. 63% Of Internet Users Worry About Voice-Enabled Technology Spying On ThemLast but not least, research has made it clear that one of the biggest concerns shared by web users in general is the potential for voice-activated technology in general to compromise their security. As such systems are effectively always listening to what’s being said to read for cues, they can be (and sometimes are) used to gather information for marketing purposes – all without the authorisation or knowledge of the user. Hence, those looking to capitalise on the full power and importance of voice search/voice assistants need to ensure they take the privacy concerns of their target audience VERY seriously.