The adoption of smartphones and smart speakers in homes across the U.S. has led to an overwhelming increase in the use of voice search by consumers. The ease of asking a simple question as opposed to typing it into a search engine is transforming the way consumers seek out local business information (phone numbers, address, location, hours of operation) and the tools they utilize to find it.

A recent study from BrightLocal revealed that 58% of U.S. adults have used voice search to find local business information within the last year, while 25% reported that although they hadn’t yet used it for this purpose, they would consider it in the future. The most popular tools utilized for conducting voice search included smartphone (56%), desktop/laptop (28%), tablet (26%) and smart speaker (18%).

The types of local business info consumers are looking for include addresses (45%), directions (45%), phone numbers (45%) and hours of operation (44%). Local marketers should start with these data points when optimizing or “marking up” content for voice search. Marketers should also understand the technical requirements and tactics associated with improving visibility in the growing number of related voice searches.

This data comes from a BrightLocal study, “2018 Voice Search for Local Business,” n= 1,012 US-based consumers. To access the graphic above, click here.