10 Voice Search Statistics You Need to Know in 2024

The current rush that characterizes most human productive activities and the development of increasingly sophisticated and powerful communication devices have become the main drivers for using voice search technology. 

Since their inception, voice recognition technologies have sought to facilitate human interaction with different electronic devices, and the field of Internet queries has not escaped this unstoppable trend. Do you want to know more? Check these 10 voice search statistics you need to know:

1. At least 27% of the global population has used voice search.

Voice searches have been on the rise in recent years. In 2018, for example, Google already counted at least 1.5 billion users who had used this resource on their mobiles. That is 27% of the global population at the time. 

The increase has not stopped, as the pandemic caused a 7% increase in the use of voice searches, making this year, with the rise of video and voice assistants, projected as a year in which this type of navigation will be a trend. In the United States alone, around 63% of the population uses voice searches.

2. In 2023, about 8 billion devices with voice search capabilities are currently available

Estimates made by Statista in 2020, when there were about 4 billion voice search-capable devices, predicted that the number of available units would be greater than the total world population: 8.4 billion.

The projection is plausible. Artificial Intelligence developments are advancing by leaps and bounds to the point that home devices or smart speakers have become a whole market that, as of 2021, was valued at 9.04 billion dollars. That is two billion dollars more than the previous year, according to Fortune Business Insights.

3. Amazon and Google dominate the smart speaker market in the U.S. by 90%.

The variety of Echo devices available for users to access Alexa is well known, making Amazon the dominant company in the U.S. smart speaker market with a 70% share.

Google follows far behind with a 25% share of the market and Apple with the remaining 5%. 

However, with four years of unstoppable sales, the market in that country may slow down its growth. That does not mean that these companies will stop advancing their voice resources, but that they will focus on strengthening their virtual voice assistants in the service of virtual commerce.

4. Over 58 % of consumers prefer using voice search to find local business information.

While some surveys claim that at least 58% of those who have used voice searches do so to find information about local brands, other studies show that only about 16% trust the information provided by the assistants, as it often needs to be updated.

Keep your website optimized and make it friendly for voice commands so your audience can find your brand correctly. Remember that voice searches are becoming more common among the new generations, and, according to Google, from 2020, at least 20% of mobile searches will be performed in this way.

5. Virtual voice assistants have an 82% share of the smart speaker market.

As mentioned above, large companies such as Apple, Avnera, and Baidu are turning their attention to developing advances in their voice-supported search engines. 

That scenario is because sales of wireless devices in countries such as the U.S. have reached a saturation point and because voice recognition technology is increasingly penetrating residential and commercial environments to the fact that it comprises 82% of the current market for voice-controlled devices over wireless speakers.

6. 58% of consumers aged 25-34 use voice searches daily

According to a survey released by UpCity in late 2022, more than half of U.S. Internet users between the ages of 25 and 34 have used voice search at least once daily. 

However, young adults are not the only ones turning to this technology to find information faster. According to the same study, 43% of users over the age of 55 use voice searches at least once a week. 

7. 17% of voice searches performed are related to weather information

While the most traditional uses for voice search technology are related to weather information (17%) and geolocation assistance when driving (14%), they are not the only ones.

In 2022, a study revealed that in addition to the above searches, the second most common search made by voice recognition is linked to commercial information for local restaurants and shopping stores (16%). Next on the list are: 

• Meanings of terms or fact-checking (13%).
• Online products (12%).
• Communication with other contacts (12%).
  
  

8. 90% of voice searches are in English.

Although the country considered for this figure was the United States, you must remember the various nationalities residing there.

For this reason, a behavioral study of different individuals with different mother tongues showed that even in multi-ethnic countries, 90% of voice searches are in English. So that could be a kind of consensus in the primary language to obtain more effective results with fewer errors.

The UpCity survey also revealed that 7% of voice searches are done in English and Spanish and only 1% in another language.

9. Speaking exclusively of product consumption, restaurants dominate 51% of voice searches.

In addition to restaurants and cafes (businesses that capture more than half of voice searches), the industries most searched by this type of command in recent years, according to Forbes, are: 

• Grocery stores: 41%
• Food stores: 35%.
• Clothing stores: 32%
• Hotels/bed and breakfasts: 30%
  

10. Only 1.7% of the keywords in the voice search appear in the title of the displayed result. 

Several studies have concluded that keywords are insignificant in voice search since only about 1.7% of voice search keywords appear in the title of the displayed result.

The reason is that, generally, those who use this tool use a conversational tone depending on their basis for searching, making their interaction with the technology more personal.

Conclusions

• The widespread adoption of smart speakers and virtual assistants such as Amazon's Alexa and Google Home has made it easier for consumers to use voice search.
  
• Voice search is faster and more convenient than typing on a keyboard or screen, making it an attractive option for users since they can obtain results by searching with a conversational tone.
  
• The widespread use of mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, has made voice search more accessible for users on the go or multitasking.
  
• Optimizing your website for voice search is advisable, especially if you have a food or clothing brand, as these are the most searched businesses through voice recognition.