A Marketers Guide to Google Assistant

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For the last fifty years, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) has been the annual spot for tech brands to show off their newest and most exciting developments. This year, there was one phrase that took the convention by storm: “Hey Google”.

With the introduction of its voice assistant, Google has redefined the boundaries of what an integrated personal assistant can do. Combining voice skills with the power of their search engine and the scope of their offerings, Google Assistant is changing the world as we know it.

A Beginner’s Guide to Google Assistant

Google Assistant, like its name implies, is a voice-controlled smart assistant designed to make your daily life easier. The device uses Artificial Intelligence (AI), which means that the more you use and interact with it, the more it can learn.

This process allows it to better anticipate and adapt to your needs. Similar to recommendations of additional content you may like on a blog, Google Assistant uses can also include keeping track of your questions and habits to provide you with a more personalized experience.

The program is activated when you say, “Hey Google”, beginning the conversation between user and device. Once initiated, Google Assistant can perform a wide variety of tasks: it can do things like search up that sushi restaurant where you had the best hand rolls of your life two years ago, check the weather so you know if it’s safe to wear your amazing new coat, and even update your friends that you’re on your way.

What Can It Connect With?

 The service is available for download on virtually all your smart devices: your phone, speakers, watch, computer, TV, display system, headphones, and even your car. This is useful as it will allow customers to seamlessly link their lives across platforms. Through a simple phone command, you can perform tasks you may have forgotten to do like turning off house lights or lowering your thermostat while you’re away.

With over 400 million devices already connected, Google Assistant is starting to be adopted by brands as a means of reaching more customers across their devices.

With over 400 million devices already connected, Google Assistant is starting to be adopted by brands as a means of reaching more customers across their devices. The rise of the Google Assistant developer has made it simpler than ever to transfer your brand’s content into a connected app and access a wider audience.

Will it Work with My Apps?

Of course! In fact, it’s so easy to connect with this software that a ton of your favorite companies have already optimized their platforms to partner with Google Assistant. Google Assistant can turn on your favorite Spotify playlist for you when you’re elbow deep in dishes. It can walk you through that Food Network recipe you’re making to impress your date and can turn out your Philips Hue lights when you’re already in bed.

Other partners taking advantage of Google Assistant marketing include news providers like CNN, NPR, and The Huffington Post, and music services like Pandora and Google Play Music. There are also apps available on the device that help make your life easier, such as WeMo, which allows you to operate your home electronics remotely.

How Can Businesses Harness the Power of Google Assistant?

When it comes to figuring things out, you can think of your Google Assistant as your own personal assistant. When you ask Google Assistant to help you with something, it answers you after performing its own web search.

Most of today’s users are asking Google Assistant to look up information through their phone. One key difference between searching for something on your mobile via your assistant versus typing it out is the number of results you see. Google Assist on a cell phone will show four or fewer results, with an option listed at the bottom of the screen to continue on to the actual results page.

What does this mean for your business? Let’s quickly talk about search engine optimization (SEO). This is a marketing discipline utilized by brands to improve their online search visibility, and brands who invest in SEO tend to see improved organic search results. This essentially means that their information is showing up closer to the top of the results page.

Good SEO tactics ultimately increase the number of searchers that end up on a company’s site, which, in theory, translates to more sales and more revenue. This means that if you can get your information listed among these limited results, your returns will grow exponentially.

This is where the newly termed PASO (personal assistant search optimization) comes in. It may sound complicated and confusing, but the concept itself is straight forward: keeping your SEO strategy up to date and relevant can help you become more visible to Google Assistant’s pool of users.

It’s also important to remember to take advantage of the fact that these phones are being used so often: use tools like location-specific searches in your Google Assistant marketing strategy to help optimize your chances of getting views.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Searching?

Localized searches will help users find what they’re looking for, faster. As Google Assistant learns and adapts to individual users, more patterns will emerge in how best to get your company seen.

Something to think about getting involved with is “Actions on Google”, a service you can offer on your app that allows users to directly interact with your brand. For example, if your app can teach users about art, Google Assistant is able to set up a direct interaction between you and its users if it’s ask about art. Partnering with a Google Action developer is becoming a more common solution for brands looking to take advantage of this feature as an interactive way to connect with customers.

With this technology being so new, your brand can take advantage of being among the first to think about PASO and getting involved with actions. The start of this is ensuring you’re making your information available on sites frequently used by PAs. The earlier your company optimizes, the better your chances are for being selected as the top result in these searches.


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