Voice Search Stats Funeral Homes Should Know in 2021

A few years ago, experts predicted that voice search would account for half of all searches by the end of 2020. That date has passed us by, and it’s arguable whether voice search has held up to those expectations. What’s not arguable is that voice search is commonly used and a growing trend.

Voice Search Statistics
PricewaterhouseCoopers reported that around 65 percent of people age 25 to 49 speak to their devices at least once a day, many using those technologies to query virtual assistants. Every time someone asks, “Hey Siri, what’s the weather like today?” or “Cortana, what pizza places are near me?”, voice assistants look to search engines for answers. Those are all voice searches.

About 62 percent of people age 12 and up in the United States say they use voice assistants regularly. And almost half of those individuals use voice technology specifically for general web searches — not just to get driving directions or find out where the nearest hamburger joint is.

What Funeral Homes Need to Know
Is a large percent of your audience finding you on voice search? When it comes to topics such as preplanning, it’s more likely — even in 2021 — that people are sitting down to devices and computers to do their research.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t start with Siri or rely on voice search to find out what funeral home options are available during a time of need. That means funeral homes must pay attention to SEO that works for desktop, mobile, and voice.

A few tips include:

• Write concise answers to common questions. About 40 percent of voice search results come from featured snippets — which are also powerful for desktop and mobile searches.
• Follow SEO best practices. The best way to perform in voice searches is to rank high on SERPs. Create quality, comprehensive content that your audience can use.
• Write at a lower reading level. Don’t use a lot of industry speak without explaining it, and avoid too many complex sentences in a row. The average reading level for voice search results is about ninth grade. That’s partly because text that matches how people talk performs better than other types of text in voice search.