Author | Chatmeter TeamDate Posted | March 3, 2020

The Future of VEO is Here: In-Car Voice Assistant Usage Grows 13%

In-car voice assistants are paving the path for a redefined driving experience. According to Voicebot’s 2020 In-Car Voice Assistant Consumer Adoption Report, there are more total active monthly users of voice assistants in the car than on smart speakers. Whether in-car, on your phone or on a smart speaker, voice assistants enable a seamless user experience. As voice assistant adoption continues to climb, so does the need for brands to have a strong Voice Engine Optimization (VEO) strategy.

How do Consumers use Voice Search?

  • 82% of voice assistant users worldwide use voice assistants to seek information locally.
    • 36% of users are accessing brands’ customer service.
    • 35% of users are shopping.
    • 34% of users are ordering a meal.
    • 28% are making a payment.
  • 88% of consumers are likely to use driving directions to a nearby location after a voice search.

With the rising use of voice assistants in cars, it’s important for businesses to know what factors are crucial in optimizing your VEO strategy. Voice assistant users are seeking information with heavy buyer intent. Capturing this audience is an essential strategy for driving more revenue to your business.

The Rise of the Multi-Assistant Car

Voice assistant use in cars by consumers is rising tremendously. Voicebot’s report revealed a 13.7% growth in users of in-car voice assistants from September 2018 to January 2020. In-car voice assistants further fulfill the consumer experience by giving individuals more control over their life behind the wheel. Consumers have highly favorable sentiment around in-car voice assistants. 94% of consumers are expecting to use them the same or more in the near future. This is a valuable opportunity for businesses to be the provider for their services to nearby customers. Voice assistants are a necessary feature for drivers who want to find products and services in a distraction-free way.

Frequency and Use of In-Car Voice Assistants

Voicebot’s report revealed that 41.7% of consumers are using voice assistants in the car monthly and 22.9% are using it daily. There are services such as Siri, Amazon Auto Echo, and the Google Assistant dominating the market right now. As usage continues to climb, we can expect to see new and innovative ways consumers will utilize in-car voice assistants. In the near future, we may see the ability for voice assistants to provide sponsored results for local businesses, or the option for consumers to voice search in more complex ways. Whether drivers are searching for the nearest gas station or restaurant, the number of voice-assistant users is expected to grow rapidly.

It comes as no surprise that 52.8% of individuals are using their voice assistants to ask for driving directions, according to Voicebot. Google and Apple Maps are continuously updating their navigation services with in-depth features to provide a better driving experience for users. These updated services offer drivers easier ways to identify local and relevant businesses. Around 23% of users are utilizing their voice assistants to ask about restaurants or place orders for food and beverages. It’s important for brands to know the presence of voice assistants inside cars can help influence a consumer’s next purchase. Cars with integrated voice technology represent new avenues of revenue for local businesses, automakers, and voice assistant providers.

Three Keys to Your Best VEO Strategy in 2020

With the rising use of voice assistants in cars, it’s important for businesses to know what factors are crucial in optimizing your VEO strategy. Voice assistant users are seeking information with heavy buyer intent. Capturing this audience is an essential strategy for driving more revenue to your business.

Voice assistants are quickly becoming a ubiquitous method of choice to help consumers search for information. Voice searches are 30 times more likely to be action queries than text searches. This information alone in addition to the above research are an integral reason why brands need to pivot their focus to create a refined VEO strategy. In 2020, brands don’t have the choice to continue to ignore the rise of voice search. Your business will be lost to competitors if you choose to ignore the new era of how consumers are purchasing products and services. An optimized VEO strategy will help your brand move toward ranking number one on Google and Yelp.

#1 – Local SEO

The key for businesses to get found by consumers on the road is through local SEO. In-car voice assistant users have heavy local intent when they’re searching for products and services. Consumers want answers and solutions whenever and wherever they are. The power of voice search enables consumers to fulfill their “moment-of-need” search on the go. Imagine you’re leaving work and realize you need to pick up a gift for your friend’s birthday party in the evening. You don’t have time to stop the car and search. The best solution is utilizing your voice assistant to provide you with a local and convenient store on the way to work. A strong local SEO strategy gives brands the ability to be found on voice assistants by increasing rankings. Review responding, citations, and listing all play a factor in local rankings. Understanding how these ranking factors affect local SEO will help your brand optimize for local search.

#2 – Create Credibility

Brand credibility is necessary if you want your business to be the consumer’s choice. Similar to Google, voice assistants are designed to provide the best answer available. When consumers use voice assistants, especially on the road, they’re presented with one to three leading options. Whether it’s a grocery store or restaurant, those limited options are chosen by voice assistants because of their strong online reputation. Reputation and credibility play an instrumental role in helping search engines provide the best options to consumers.

A great tactic for building your brand reputation is to create a review strategy. A strong review strategy helps brands earn more reviews, analyze customer feedback, and respond to all reviews quickly. Businesses with large amounts of reviews are seen as highly credible and have higher search rankings. The higher your search ranking is, the better chance your brand has to be a top result by voice assistants.

#3 – Create Voice-Friendly Content

Voice-search friendly content is more conversational. As part of your VEO strategy, your brand will need to focus on long-tail keywords. Drivers on the go are asking questions like, “Where is the best Mexican food near me?” Think about the natural keyword phrases that your brand’s target audience will ask and focus on those conversational phrases. We recommend using a tool like Ubersuggest to focus on keyword phrases specific to your industry.

40.7% of all voice search answers come from featured snippets. Featured snippets are displayed in an question and answer format which is why it’s perfect for voice search content. Brands can optimize for featured snippets by adding an FAQ page or section to answer common customer questions. Earning featured snippets helps to ensure that your brand is at the top of organic search results.

Voice assistants are rapidly becoming integrated into our lives in many ways. They have evolved to become a solution that helps consumers take hands-free action. As more consumers continue to employ the use of in-car voice assistants, brands need to capture the driver’s buyer intent with a strong VEO strategy. Request your free brand audit today to see if your brand is optimized for the voice search revolution.