There’s a reason that Google has become an active verb, being the default search engine, and probably, home page for most. According to reports, Google had a clear monopoly on the mobile search engine market across India with a share of 99.74 per cent as of November 2022. And according to the company itself, the number of Indians using voice search queries is twice the global average, while India has the highest number of Google Lens every month around the world.

India’s penchant for voice (and video) search is pretty self-explanatory. India has one of the highest numbers of internet users in the world (soon to be highest). With the democratization of the internet, most new users are coming from tier 2 and 3 and or were previously not abled because of socio-economic constraints, which are largely falling away, as both data and devices become cheaper.

Loud and Clear

According to Vivek Kumar Anand, Director – Business and Innovation, DViO Digital, there are two important reasons brands should take advantage of the voice search strategy.

“The first is the share of voice. When you optimize your website for the voice, you get to position zero in the Google results irrespective of if someone is searching using voice or text, which automatically gives you a better impression share and share of voice. Also, the position zero ranking +helps brands position themselves as a thought leader for that category.”

“Another reason is the search behaviour of many uneducated/semi-educated audiences and Gen Z. We are seeing a trend where semi-educated audiences with limitations in writing and reading abilities are leveraging Google search using voice and generally relying on the position zero result Google narrates to them based on their search result,” says Anand.

“Hence, it becomes even more critical for the brand to be present there with authentic results if your target audience consists of this set of audiences. Another set of audience is Gen Z, where they are searching, texting, and doing everything on voice, making for an excellent case to have a focused strategy for voice in terms of future growth point of view,” he adds.

“Voice and video have become a go-to mechanism to consume the internet because of either convenience and accessibility or joy,” says Nakul Dutt, National Strategy Director, FoxyMoron, Zoo Media, adding, “Voice as an example has been growing by more than 200% YoY. It is reflective of the behavioral change and representation of a new India and a new way of consuming the internet. Voice search is fundamentally not different from normal text search; however this lack of difference is the most important differentiating point.”

“When users search by voice, they often use a more conversational tone. They are more likely to use ‘phrases’ than just keywords. Hence the first step is to think beyond just keywords, which is the foundation of any advertiser's search strategy,” he adds.

Therefore, according to Dutt, it is important to shift from a keyword-based content approach for your website and SEO to a query-based content strategy. “Featured snippets, which take priority and are read out during the voice search, are the most important real estate. For an advertiser to acquire this real estate, website content becomes the most important aspect. When users search by voice, they often use a more conversational tone, and so advertisers must consider the tone as well as lingual phrasing nuances,” he says.

Vox Populi

Swati Kardak, Group Account Manager - Media Planning and Buying, SoCheers, observes that considering that India is a multilingual country, voice search makes it easier for searching content due to sheer accessibility of native language support. 

“For instance, Alexa is already available in Hindi and English, and Google Assistant in over nine Indian languages. Hence, the application of the right combination of targeting keywords, in the given languages, will become critical when communicating with the audience. There will also be a need to constantly optimize content to increase brand visibility and be on top of the searches,” she says.

For instance, Starbucks’ voice-activated ordering system and KFC’s Voice-Based Chatbot to explain menu items and offers are examples of simplifying the user experience, directly attracting many more customers. Therefore, simply understanding how people are using voice search and catering to them with innovative and effective content can be a game changer for brands.

Vikas Kumar, Founder and CEO, Digital ROI, says, “Brands can take advantage of Voice Search from Local SEO perspective. Google devices return results based on the Local SERP features, and local businesses that align their content with natural search queries will receive better visibility. In fact Gen Z users increasingly prefer voice search and prefer to learn from video content. That's why you might have noticed brands are now creating more reels/video content to reach out to their targeted customers.”

“Brands offering personalized voice ads will give a streamlined experience for the audio advertising industry and capture the user’s intent. Moreover, I believe that the impact of voice search will draw actionable insights on what the users are searching for. As a result, personalizing brand messaging and brand experience will encourage user engagement and help brands build trust,” concludes Kardak.