Building on from the success of the Google Optimisation Project, the voice search programme which is currently being implemented in partnership with Miles Partnership, aims to analyse and improve voice search results for Samoa and Samoa tourism businesses across platforms which include Google, Apple, Amazon and Trip Advisor.
While primarily focused on voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa, the program also builds on previous activities carried out via the Google Optimisation Program and recent Google Street View capture.
The Voice Search Optimisation programme through an audit has determined how potential and real-time visitors are using voice search to research, plan and book travel to Samoa and provided specific content additions and improvements to ensure a seamless experience to those utilising local voice search for transactional and informational queries in-market.
Travel, hospitality and related categories are highly searched with voice and in a Google/Phocuswright Travel Study in 2017, it identified that 1 in 3 international travellers are interested in using digital assistance to research or book travel.
According to Skye van den Oever, the Digital Project Lead at Miles Partnership, “With the use of voice assistants expected to grow to over 8 billion globally by 2023 and the most popular uses of these devices focused around local business information, navigation and research - it presents an exciting opportunity for operators and destination content creators alike to have their brands surfaced to more people who are actively seeking this information.”
The program has been one of many digital capability building and digital activation programmes that are helping to position and prepare Samoa for visitors when border reopen.
