'Finding your voice: How voice technology is shaking up the search landscape for advertisers

The Drum's Katie McQuater takes a look at advancements in voice search and how the technology has the potential to effect behavioural change and reboot the way we access information.

Imagine a world of information, carried around in our pockets. Already there? Now think about the wealth of information at our fingertips. And now remove the fingertips from that equation. Buttons are long redundant, while even our hands are no longer necessary as natural language processing becomes the norm and computer programmes understand our every word without us lifting a finger.While this may sound like an unlikely vision of the future, the development of technologies such as Google Glass means this type of behaviour could be the norm sooner, rather than later – and brands should look to adapt their digital marketing strategies accordingly.Voice search was given a shot in the arm with the launch of Google’s iOS voice search app in 2012, which aimed to take a slice out of Apple’s Siri voice-recognition pie. The voice search functionality within Google Now, which uses Google’s Knowledge Graph, is part of the search giant’s continual commitment to conversational search – not just responding to, but interacting with, and anticipating, users’ search queries. Hummingbird, launched in September 2013, was Google’s biggest algorithm update in three years and was designed to provide more natural search results in line with human speech. The move is just the latest step in Google’s focus on the development of algorithms that understand human language, which is indicative of the move away from the keyword that search as a whole has, up until late, relied upon. Taking that shift a step further is the move towards ‘hands-free’ search, and with the world’s biggest search engine leading the charge with an update allowing hands-free search for Chrome users, triggered by saying “OK Google”, this area is unlikely to slow down. Just last month, Microsoft reportedly invested $15m in FourSquare to help power its rumoured Cortana personal assistant app. Voice will be driven by the development of new technologies as the major players vie for consumers’ attention in the quest for a more ‘human’ experience.Wearable tech may hold the key to making voice search effective, with devices such as Google Glass designed to understand and respond to voice-based commands from users. Though not yet mainstream in terms of take-up, wearable tech was a key focus at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, and is likely to transform consumers’ relationship with mobile technology.As with all emerging technologies, particularly those that necessitate behavioural change from users, voice search has some way to go before it is considered mainstream, however, its potential for rebooting the way in which we access information is huge. Mark Iremonger, chief strategy officer at digital agency iCrossing, describes the move towards voice-based recognition as reminiscent of the role Apple played in reinventing our relationships with our mobile devices.“Not so long ago, the iPhone blew the then traditional approach to using our phones out of the water, replacing an inconvenient stylus with our meaty low res digits. The same thing will happen with voice and search, but only when the technology is good enough to integrate seamlessly into life with near perfect accuracy. “There will come a time when we will look back at our last century keyboard technologies and wonder how we ever put up with it as we thoughtlessly access the cloud in our lazy, comfortable vernacular.”Although we are not at that stage just yet, this societal shift could then have far-reaching implications for marketers, according to Iremonger.“When, not if, mainstream audiences do habitually use voice search I expect we will see the lexicon of language data change. We will see the take up of existing voice based technology systems help us better identify and understand the needs of consumers. For example, the tone, accent and pace of a voice search could contain many useful signals that can help us successfully target a consumer with the right message at the right time.”It’s not without its barriers though, and when typing our requests for information has become second nature, users can prove reluctant to adapt new methods. This is an important consideration for brands, according to Richard Lamb, head of search at Performics, ZenithOptimedia’s performance marketing division, who argues that voice search, still in its infancy, needs to become a more natural behaviour – a particular issue in the UK, where people are generally more self-conscious than their Californian counterparts.“In the scale of socially acceptable behaviour, talking to your phone in public might rank somewhere beneath the guy using his hands-free while walking down the street.“Even if consumers start to change their behaviour, brands need to consider if users may be uncomfortable searching for certain products and services vocally. They must also appreciate whether consumers are prepared to refine their journey through repetition.“Brands are finally able to appear in conversational and contextual situations, but this still remains a considerable challenge,” says Lamb. “To truly reap the benefits provided by voice search, advertisers need to focus on the organisation and accessibility of information.”The impatience of today’s average, time-poor consumer is just one such barrier facing voice search. Another is the perception of the technology as nothing more than gimmick, according to director of technology and innovation at Forward3D, Tom Manning, who says voice search risks being known as the jet pack of the modern era, as the reality of the technology doesn’t match up to the expectation.While there’s an obvious pressure on tech players to develop solutions that will enhance voice search for users, there are also clear implications for SEO and PPC strategies if voice search becomes more widespread. Dialect is an important consideration as regional variation in speech may not be communicated in written form, and marketers may find that localisation becomes ever more important, according to Manning. “In the future we could see regional variations in speech – which doesn’t get communicated in written form – affect the variation in searches as accents, slang terms and even local dialects get taken into account. Localising search and display campaigns as well as an overall web presence has been a vital lever for international growth for brands, particularly in retail, but these changes in behaviour could require increased reliance on expertise on the ground, to ensure messaging remains relevant to the local market.”Voice search must also attempt to match spoken misspells to the correct search terms, says Sam Fenton-Elstone, head of media at iCrossing, adding that the inevitable gaps do however create opportunity for search marketers in ensuring their paid search campaigns contain these terms. Meanwhile, additional information behind a user’s search term will prove invaluable for brands looking to create an optimal experience for consumers. Paid search advertisers who currently have access to a wealth of information will find this becomes more relevant when teamed with differing language and associated information of voice search. Perhaps Google’s senior vice president and software engineer Amit Singhal captured the simplicity of voice search best when interviewed on the topic at SXSW last year, saying: “I think moving forward the entire ecosystem will evolve to actually support that type of search – that future Star Trek computer – because that’s what users want.”The underlying principle of voice search is seamless, natural accessibility of information. Thus, though it remains very much an early adopter technology, it has the potential to change the future of the search landscape, because if the kinks are ironed out, it offers genuine value to users. As part of the movement towards localised, mobile searching, voice will be central to the future of search. And forward-thinking brands that can contextualise themselves within that conversation will reap the rewards.