Mobile search – Google is not the only one watching you…meet Cortana
Date: May 28, 2014Category: Author: Jennifer
One Sunday afternoon about 4pm, I got a notification on my phone. It was Google Now telling me how long it would take me to drive to my parents’ house. My first thought was, “How does Google know my parents address?” Being a very familiar drive, I’d never asked Google to map or look up my parents’ home. It then hit me – Google had been watching me! You see, every Sunday afternoon, about this time, my family and I hop in the car and head over to visit my parents. Google Now had noticed this routine engagement and thought it’d be proactive and help me get there. I was amazed and alarmed all at the same time.
It’s no secret or surprise that Google’s been monitoring us for quite some time. In fact, just two years ago, Google revised its privacy policy to allow them to track users’ activities across all of their websites and integrate the collected information for an enhanced user experience. An example is the ads you see while browsing the internet. I’m sure you’ve noticed how personalized they are to you, reflecting your most recent shopping activity. It was around this same time Google introduced Google Now, an intelligent personal assistant for the Android and iOS operating systems, as well as for Google Chrome.
Google Now was certainly not the first virtual personal assistant – Apple’s ever popular Siri had been on the scene, captivating hearts of iPhone users all over the word, for several months prior. And now, jumping in rather late in the game, Microsoft has introduced us to the newest personal assistant, Cortana. Named after a character from the popular video game, Halo, Cortana may be younger than her competitors, but she is certainly not behind in technology and boasts some impressive features.
The Bing Platform: More Helpful, Personal and Intelligent from Bing on Vimeo.
All of these virtual assistants have a common purpose – to watch our habits and track our behavior in order to deliver us the most relevant information and personalized experience possible. Whether this scares you or delights you, it should definitely motivate you to use it to your business’ advantage. So how do you ensure these three fine assistants recommend your business during mobile search? The key is in understanding how and where they collect their information.
Let’s take a look at them in order of seniority, starting with Siri. As of about a year ago, Apple has teamed with Bing for general search queries. However, for local business information, Siri relies primarily on Yelp. Therefore, if you want your customers to hear Siri’s soothingly robotic voice recommend your business, your main focus needs to be on getting current Yelp reviews. The more positive reviews you gain, the better your chances. You also want to be sure you’re ranking well on Bing search.
As for Google Now, naturally the data gathered comes from Google itself, including its Google+ social network. A properly set up Google+ page for your business with plentiful and current reviews will be the key to receiving recommendations from Google Now.
Last, but certainly not least, Cortana is powered by Microsoft’s own search engine, Bing. For local search, like Siri, Cortana taps into Yelp to deliver local business recommendations. Once again, reviews, reviews, reviews are key to getting Cortana’s coveted attention.
The takeaway – Yes, you are being watched, but so are your customers. Use this to your advantage and get noticed by these three nosy virtual assistants by following best SEO practices with Google and Bing. Above all, relentlessly request and collect as many positive reviews with Google+ and Yelp as possible. For help with this, check out our new IDW Reviews Management Tool and sit back while Google Now, Siri, and Cortana notice how special you are and start directing customers your way.