Benchmark search conference 2016 highlights upsurge of voice search
Following the success of 2015's Benchmark search conference, Click Consult welcomed a dozen marketing experts from an array of business backgrounds to speak this week about the power of marketing and its rapidly adapting advances affecting the way we access our clients.
Among those who spoke is Microsoft's James Murray, who discussed the evolution of search, using his personal life to illustrate the reality of 'forward thinking' technology and what that means for agencies.
The future of search decoded
We are moving away from typing a search into a box and clicking on a link. Just one year ago, at the last Benchmark search presentation, I talked about the prospect of decision making searches reliant on voice. Now, I am here to tell you that it is happening.
The paths to the future
The progression of weather searches over the last three decades has simplified life for the user, limiting the amount of choice available and stripping down to the necessary information. It has transitioned from an option of links, to specific information about the required day.
Technology is humanising. You can ask “Do I need an umbrella today?” and the technology does not send you to Amazon to buy an umbrella, it displays the weather forecast. Voice search has evolved from collecting data based on keywords, to actually deciphering the meaning behind the question and collating the desired information.
It is predicted that by the year 2020, 50 per cent of all search will be performed by voice. Cortana, Siri, Google Mouth – these are going to be the engines of change.
What can you do today?
Use broad match
It is not possible to predict what people will want to know each time they access the internet, but you can remind them of relevant purchase opportunities, sales and events. Not only is broad match able to create ads, these ads can actually be edited to suit clients and marketers.
People are nervous about using broad match but it is a useful tool.
Add question keywords
My mum is the typical example of somebody who has never known how to use search engines. She will literally type into the search box “Can you please find me a cheap apartment somewhere in Turkey when it is very sunny and the local festival is on?” and is then stunned when what pops up makes no sense. This has consistently proved a problem for her when using search engines to look for a specific outcome. However, we are starting to see a massive increase in questions online, with people asking ‘Who, what, why, when and how’, rather than just keywords.
Soon, instead of typing ‘Cheap Turkey holiday’, you would be able to type ‘How much does a holiday to Turkey cost?’ and receive a clear answer.
Consider your prepositions
People often ask me if I get nervous when I do presentations, and the honest truth is no. I do not find presenting daunting – but there is one exception. My wedding speech.
My wife is Taiwanese and her parents do not speak English. Out of respect, I wanted to address them in their language to make them feel more involved. The problem was, in Mandarin each of the diacritics on a letter will decide how you pronounce a word, and it is extremely difficult to decipher the difference between two very different, but similar looking words. I was terrified.
Putting people at the forefront
Aware that people are hindered by language barriers but are branching out to different countries and exploring new cultures, Microsoft have created Skype translator. This is a very human centred product, but it is still search. This is the way search is evolving - it is personalised.
The next leap in object recognition
How is it possible to teach a machine to have human perception? How can we begin to fathom the data needed to teach a machine to recognise a chair? Simply inputting ‘A wooden frame with a seat, back and four legs’ does not even begin to narrow down to a specific object.
Our intelligence allows us to identify the difference between a chair and a sofa, the difference between four legs of a chair and the four legs of an animal, whereas technology relies solely on data. Yet, we are teaching machines to recognise what we see.
Not long ago, we managed to create an app that could recognise any breed of dog, just from a simple snap of a photo. In addition to that, the example below proves that technology is able to distinguish certain features in its surroundings and harvest in a conclusion.
I used a piece of recognision technology to analyse the moment my wife and I cut into my wedding cake. The text response read: 'I am not really confident, but I think it's a man holding a knife to cut a wedding cake and he seems :-/ ' (Hence being terrified for my weeding speech).
This achievement is astonishing.
SMART Glasses are another glimpse into the future of technology; this piece of technology is helping the blind to get as clear an image in their mind of their surroundings, as we do by simply observing.
We are committed to the future of search. Search is evolving, but it has to be centred on the human.
James Murray is UK search advertising lead at Microsoft.
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Located in North West England, Click Consult is a multi award-winning digital and search marketing agency with a focus on organic (SEO) and paid search (PPC). Part...
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