Industry-first reports on voice-activated devices are released

Since publishing the first papers in April last year, the papers have given brands and the industry an opportunity to think about where voice technology is headed so that more strategic planning around voice devices, particular in response to consumer queries, can be taken. The research reveals just how in demand voice experience currently is, considering the amount of users interacting with digital content, requesting information and product discoveries.

“By tracking voice responses over the course of the last year, we’ve gained valuable insight into where the world of voice search is heading," said Steff Preyer, Rabbit and Pork's buisness director. "The Google Assistant has become better at understanding users (although there’s still huge opportunity for brands to increase their voice visibility) and has adapted the results it serves to closer mimic human conversations. With the adoption of voice assistants and smart speakers continuing to rise, it’s more important than ever for brands to consider their voice optimisation strategy as there’s still a first mover advantage to be gained.”

The report analysed a total of 10533 key phrases, looking at 23 verticals at keyword level to assess the trends answered by Google assistant over the last 12 months. The findings are interesting and reveal new and upcoming opportunities opportunities for brands and voice search, particular in how Google is evolving with its voice responses and how this relates to traditional SERPS.

Over the last 12 months, there has been a steady decrease in ‘no responses’ recorded by Google Voice Assitant, which suggests that the technology is improving at registering and grouping intents, answering broader queries, and serving related content.

There has also been a new voice response that has emerged this quarter, known as Device Prompt, in which Google prompts users to move their query to their smartphone device.

The research also highlights how brands in other industries are outperforming when they use voice assistance. Technology, insurance, health and homeware are just some of the industries where voice and SERP technology has been implemented successfully.

Hotel and restaurant groups are also slowly starting to invest in voice and local SEO and seeing the effects of this new technology, encouraging other brands to reconsider how they market themselves locally and nationally.

Click here to download the full May 2019 reports.