Voice search predictions and the reality in 2020

Here at Pumpkin Web Design, we are Preston’s leading web design and content marketing professionals. We provide valuable web design, SEO, and marketing solutions to a range of clients, across the North West, including Southport and Wigan, as well as Manchester. Voice search has been something we have explored over the past three years, and particularly in relation to businesses and companies selling products online. But how have the predictions stood up to the reality? And is voice search optimization still something that businesses should consider? Well, this is our guide comparing voice search predictions and the reality in 2020.

Comparing the voice search predictions and the reality in 2020

Voice search has been touted as the next big thing for businesses since the first introduction of smart home assistants, alongside the rapid rise in voice search requests by mobile users. In fact, there were many predictions made regarding voice search, and statistics that were supposed to be reached by 2020. So has this happened? Well, yes and no. The results are mixed.

• It was predicted that around 50% of all searches would be voice search by 2020- in fact Google has reported that this is around a third. So while it has risen dramatically, it hasn’t quite reached the levels predicted a couple of years ago. And even worse, the number of people that never use voice search at all is actually around 34% according to this survey.
• It was predicted that 23.6 million people would have made a purchase using a smart speaker by 2020- in reality, the result hasn’t been too far off. In fact, for 2020, this is actually around the 21 million mark. But if the prediction for 2022, that voice search for shopping needs will have turned into a $40 billion industry is to come true, there will need to be some exponential growth, and fast.

So, is voice search still worth it for businesses?

So, if not as many people are shopping using a voice assistant as was expected, is it still worth optimizing content and website pages for voice searches? Well, the answer is both yes and no:

• Businesses should still optimize for voice search- although people aren’t using the device for shopping and ordering, they are much more likely to be using this for research purposes. In fact, 54% of smart assistant owners have confirmed this. As a result, you want your company to be the one that the voice assistant reads from, and sends the user a link for. And to achieve this, voice optimization is important.
• Businesses shouldn’t overlook other optimization techniques- on the other hand, businesses and companies shouldn’t only focus on the voice search, particularly if people are not buying directly through this method. Combining approaches can be the most effective option.

For help or advice with any of these aspects of web marketing and SEO, why not ask the professionals today, here at Pumpkin Web Design?