The future of search is perhaps more predictable than it has ever been. We can see the respective strategies of Google, Amazon, Pinterest, and Bing in front of us already. There are four key tenets of the future of search. It will be: - Brand- driven - Sensory (visual search and voice search will shape this, in particular) - Accurate (A search query will be needed with decreasing frequency) - And yes, it will be mobile (of course)

1. The
future
of
search
2019 and beyond

2. 1 2 3 4
The future of search is:
Brand-driven Sensory Accurate And yes, mobile

3. The future of
search is:
1. Brand-driven

4. 82% of people will click on an SEO result because they know
the brand. This far outweighs any other factor and as screen
space decreases, this will grow in importance.
https://www.redcmarketing.com/secret-life-of-search/

5. Sneaky
Amazon
results
Shopping
(Expect
to see a
lot more
of this)
Paid
search
Lots of
other
options(Good
luck)
“SEO”
A typical commercial query today, above the fold, on desktop:

7. ● Standard
● Taller Organic
Cards
● Local 3-Pack
● Quick Answers
● Shopping/PLA
● Rich Snippets
● Site Carousel
● Site Links
● Site Image
Carousel
● Top Stories /
News
● AMP
● Google Flights
● People also
ask
● Category
● Images
● Videos /
Trailers
● Live
● Top sights
● Reviews
● Blogs
● Knowledge
Panel
● Carousel
● Apps
● Google for Jobs
● Recipes
● Scholarly
Research
● Weather
● Game Scores
● Twitter Tweets
● Discover more
places
● Send to Google
Home
● People also
search for
● See results
about
● Widgets
● Found in
related search
● Quotes
● Events
Over 37 SERP features now available
A number of these
will be relevant to
every business.

8. Branding needs to influence every digital
asset.
Having a ‘brand voice’ will become a quite
literal requirement and forward-thinking
companies are experimenting in this area
already.

9. YouTube
Display
TV
There is consistency in
this branding across
YouTube, TV, and
Display.

10. Home
The gekko is even there on the
homepage to welcome us. Click
through to the product pages,
however...

11. We can safely term this ‘SEO content’. It has none of the brand’s character and, while the information
is important, could be written by any insurance company with a keyword list and a keyboard.
These are the pages that digital assistants will pull information from, so they need to be more than
keywords stitched together with prepositions. Too many brands think this is ‘optimizing for search’, but
the industry has changed - for the better.
SEO

12. Traditional ‘SEO
content’ does not
respond to the
modern consumer’s
needs.
If a digital assistant
can’t find anything
suitable, it reverts to
a traditional SERP.
On mobile, that
means SEO is even
less likely to get the
click.
If SEO doesn’t take
control of this
content space,
another team will.

13. 61% of consumers aged
18-34 discover new
products through social
media.
Google and Amazon both
want to encourage
discovery beyond the
search bar - they know
this shift has happened.
Content creators have not
kept pace, however.
Data: ClickZ, Era of Ecommerce.

14. 14
Machine learning can only be as effective as the learning materials we provide.
Brands are still stuffing their pages with stock images; the technology is there
to provide better results, if we start producing better content.

15. The future of search is:
2. Sensory

16. Shopping has always been visual - we’ve just been
taught to do the opposite online.

18. https://www.clickz.com/resources/the-era-of-ecommerce-
capitalizing-on-the-new-customer-journey/
Screens remain a
vital part of the
shopping journey.

19. People who do shop through their smart
speakers tend to buy paper towels,
detergent and other home staples.

20. From a recently-filed patent by
Amazon:

21. Undoubtedly, people are speaking to their
voice-activated devices in growing
quantities.
There is an opportunity for brands to sell
products/services through these
interactions, as in this Google example.
But this is not ‘voice search’. It’s not even
search.
In the Amazon example from the last slide,
the device infers an underlying intent state
and preemptively makes a
recommendation.
This is much more likely to be the future of
commerce through
Alexa/Google/Siri/Cortana.

22. New structured data formats hint at a
much more interactive future for search

23. What does ‘voice’
really change today?
It’s great to know the
question, but only if it
affects the answer.

24. Input Output Use Cases
Voice Voice
One answer
Actions
Voice Text
Multiple answers
Device with screen
Voice Image
Shopping
Directions (local listings)
Image Image
Shopping
Ideas
Historical user data
(‘searcher’ not directly
active)
Suggestions
(Voice/image/text)
The search engine knows
enough to preempt and
answer the query

25. Intent state Input Output
Open to ideas
Looking for a style
Looking for a specific
type of product
“Which sneakers
should I buy?”
Ready to buy
“Adidas originals
white”
The impact of
visual search
on user
journeys:

26. The future of
search is:
3. Accurate

27. Without the need for
a query, results are
served to the user
based on their likes
and past behaviors.

28. Increasingly, the SERP
answers the query
without need for a click.

30. These
are the
spaces
we need
to
influence
- even if
they do
not result
in a click.

31. The future of
search is:

32. Paid search clicks
continue to rise -
especially on
mobile.

33. The search process
occurs in the
background. Choice is
taken out of the
consumer’s hands.

35. People are asking questions in a way that implies an expectation that the search engine ‘knows’ them.
This isn’t just about going on Answer the Public and picking out a few questions for a new FAQ page.
Your audience is asking what they, as an individual, should buy or do or visit.
A very
personal
question to
ask a
computer...

36. LOCAL LISTINGS
Google Posts is a tentative foray
into social media-lite, but
Google does have an advantage
on the local front. It’s not just
about NAP optimization - it’s
about content and branding too.
Place your screenshot here

37. Search: The New
Customer Journey

38. Informational
queries
Video search
Image search
Vertical
search
engines
Position
Zero
Ratings
and
reviews
Social
media
Product
comparison
Product
questions
Assistant
Search for
store
Subscribe
and save

39. The future of
search
2019 and beyond
Thanks!
Get in touch with any questions:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/clark-boyd-di
gital/