{"id":530,"date":"2018-01-11T16:18:29","date_gmt":"2018-01-11T16:18:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/11\/ces-2018-google-ramps-up-assistant-with-smart-displays-native-podcasts-recipes-and-news\/"},"modified":"2020-03-02T17:25:55","modified_gmt":"2020-03-02T17:25:55","slug":"ces-2018-google-ramps-up-assistant-with-smart-displays-native-podcasts-recipes-and-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/11\/ces-2018-google-ramps-up-assistant-with-smart-displays-native-podcasts-recipes-and-news\/","title":{"rendered":"CES 2018: Google ramps up Assistant with smart displays, native podcasts, recipes and news"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Amazon Echo and its voice assistant, Alexa, might be the current market leaders in voice-activated smart technology, but recent announcements from the 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ces.tech\/\">Consumer Electronics Show<\/a> have shown that\u00a0Google fully intends to challenge Amazon for that crown.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0past few days have seen some big\u00a0developments \u2013 and a couple of even bigger teasers\u00a0\u2013 for the future of <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/05\/31\/image-optimization-for-seo\/\">Google\u2019s<\/a> smart assistant, the imaginatively-named Assistant.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, the first day of CES 2018, <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/05\/21\/no-need-for-google-12-alternative-search-engines-in-2018\/\">Google<\/a> published a post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.google\/products\/assistant\/new-devices-more-google-assistant-ces-2018\/\">to its official blog<\/a>\u00a0announcing\u00a0partnerships with\u00a0more than a dozen electronics companies to produce <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/04\/25\/whats-it-like-using-duckduckgo-in-2019\/\">Google<\/a> Assistant smart speakers\u00a0\u2013 some with a very significant upgrade.<\/p>\n<p>The blog post\u00a0also highlighted the breadth and depth of &#8220;Actions&#8221;, the name given to built-in apps and integrations\u00a0for the <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/06\/17\/local-seo-guide\/\">Google<\/a> Assistant. At the same time,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/09\/05\/google-search-console-what-the-latest-updates-mean-for-marketers\/\">Search Console<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/12\/21\/guide-google-analytics-confusing-terms\/\">users<\/a> began\u00a0receiving\u00a0notifications that their <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/06\/03\/podcast-seo-tips-101\/\">podcast<\/a>, recipe and news content was eligible to be included in a new &#8220;Actions directory&#8221;, which is being rolled out over the next few days.<\/p>\n<p>This appears to be part of an increased focus on what can be accomplished with Assistant, shifting its emphasis from finding information (Google\u2019s long-time speciality) to carrying out tasks.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot of news to unpack, so let\u2019s look at what exactly these developments involve, and what they mean for SEOs and the wider <a href=\"https:\/\/sewprod.wpenginepowered.com\/2019\/06\/06\/regulation-in-seo-industry\/\">industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>SEOs using structured data are first to the Google Assistant party<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While a comparatively smaller <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/02\/06\/using-python-to-recover-seo-site-traffic-part-one\/\">development<\/a> than the flashy revelations of major electronics partnerships and smart <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/01\/04\/google-ads-conversion-rates-industry-compare\/\">displays<\/a>, Google\u2019s introduction of native support for podcasts, recipes and news to the Assistant is nevertheless big news for SEOs.<\/p>\n<p>I owe a hat tip to Aaron Bradley of SEO Skeptic, whose post to the <a href=\"https:\/\/plus.google.com\/106943062990152739506\/posts\/Y5KUe6X4Sxm\">Semantic Search Marketing Google+ group<\/a> first tipped me off to this development. In turn, he was tipped off by SEO consultant Dan Shure, who tweeted about a <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/30\/inside-googles-new-search-console-whats-new-whats-the-same-and-whats-still-to-come\/\">Google Search Console<\/a> alert he\u2019d received inviting him to \u201cimprove discovery\u201d of his podcast in the <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/06\/10\/online-reviews-powerful-seo-weapons\/\">Google<\/a> Assistant:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Whoa&#8230; just got this new search console notification I&#39;ve never seen before about making Podcasts more discoverable in Google Assistant <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PfrMYLkChe\">pic.twitter.com\/PfrMYLkChe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Dan Shure (@dan_shure) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dan_shure\/status\/950555208521863169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/07\/11\/seo-lead-site-migration\/\">Google<\/a> is gradually rolling out a browsable directory of Actions for the Google Assistant, allowing users to more easily discover what the Assistant is capable of.<\/p>\n<p>Podcasts, recipes and news will be the first wave of content added to this directory \u2013 though only content published with <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2017\/06\/07\/the-highs-and-lows-of-google-amp-1-5-years-on\/\">AMP<\/a>, or marked up with structured data such as <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/07\/19\/the-complete-beginners-guide-to-schema-org-markup-2\/\">Schema.org<\/a>, will be getting the nod.<\/p>\n<p>This means that webmasters and SEOs who have been marking up their content with structured data are already ahead of the curve in making that content available via <a href=\"https:\/\/sewprod.wpenginepowered.com\/2019\/01\/11\/voice-search-optimization-guide-2019\/\">voice<\/a> \u2013 while those who haven\u2019t\u00a0must hop on the structured data (or <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/07\/17\/the-most-common-seo-errors-research-infographics\/\">AMP<\/a>) bandwagon if they want to be eligible.<\/p>\n<p>Structured data has long been touted by its fans as a great way to get <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/02\/25\/say-goodbye-to-google-14-alternative-search-engines\/\">search engines<\/a> to better surface content from your site, particularly in the form of things like <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/05\/30\/implement-googles-how-to-schema\/\">rich snippets<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/05\/21\/no-need-for-google-12-alternative-search-engines-in-2018\/\">Quick Answers<\/a>. But it can be time-consuming to add and maintain, and the immediate benefit isn\u2019t always so obvious.<\/p>\n<p>This new use case, however, shows that there is a huge potential advantage to \u201cfuture-proofing\u201d your website by adding structured data markup. If Google continues to make Assistant a primary focus going forward, then\u00a0this could be the key to content optimization and discovery in a voice-driven world.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Hey, Google \u2013 look what I can do!<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As discussed, Google is clearly keen to shift the focus of its voice capabilities away from information discovery towards actions.<\/p>\n<p>To this end, it\u2019s heavily promoting \u201cHey, Google\u201d as the slogan for the Google Assistant, placing it in huge letters on top of its CES installation, and creating a #HeyGoogle Twitter hashtag (complete with a unique Assistant emoji) to accompany their Assistant-related updates.<\/p>\n<p>But wait, you might be thinking \u2013 isn\u2019t \u201cOK Google\u201d the wake phrase for the Assistant?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, Google has been a bit unclear on this point, but it seems that \u201cHey, Google\u201d has been an alternative wake phrase for the Assistant for a while now. In late 2016, the website\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.androidpolice.com\/2016\/11\/04\/can-use-hey-google-instead-ok-google-google-home-bad-job-letting-know\/\">Android Police reported<\/a> that the Google Home responds to both \u201cOK Google\u201d and \u201cHey, Google\u201d, but Google voice search (e.g. on mobile) responds only to \u201cOK Google\u201d \u2013 making it possible to differentiate if you have multiple devices within earshot.<\/p>\n<p>Now,\u00a0as Google moves its focus away from search and towards actions, \u201cOK Google\u201d\u00a0is out and \u201cHey, Google\u201d is\u00a0in.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We&#39;re introducing a new way to talk about all you can do with your <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoogleAssistant?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#GoogleAssistant<\/a>: Actions. It&#39;s the simplest way to get things done. Explore over a million Actions with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HeyGoogle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HeyGoogle<\/a> \u2192 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fNQmaeFGeU\">https:\/\/t.co\/fNQmaeFGeU<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NrB4eyTO7s\">pic.twitter.com\/NrB4eyTO7s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Google (@Google) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Google\/status\/950533820318597120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 9, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Compare the messaging in Google\u2019s tweet above with this video which introduced Google Assistant in late 2016:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Meet your Google Assistant, your own personal Google\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FPfQMVf4vwQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While both videos show what can be done with the Assistant, the 2016 video emphasizes \u201cfinding\u201d things, linking the Google Assistant directly and visually with the Google search bar, and positioning it as \u201cyour own personal Google\u201d \u2013\u00a0like a search engine for your life.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, Google\u2019s new messaging focuses on the many things the Google Assistant is capable of, emphasizing the availability of \u201cover a million Actions\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>We in the industry have known for a while that Actions were the Google Home\u2019s answer to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2019\/05\/31\/image-optimization-for-seo\/\">Amazon<\/a> Echo\u2019s Skills, but this is their big debut to consumers, with Google <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.google\/products\/assistant\/new-devices-more-google-assistant-ces-2018\/\">writing\u00a0that<\/a> \u201cSince the Assistant can do so many things, we&#8217;re introducing a new way to talk about them. We\u2019re calling them Actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is not to say that Google has abandoned searching via Assistant, however; it made sure to develop powerful natural language search capabilities as its first order of business, with CEO Sundar Pichai\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/862r3XS2YB0?t=10m19s\">demonstrating their potential\u00a0at Google I\/O in 2016<\/a>. But now, Google is getting serious about challenging rivals Amazon, Microsoft and Apple for dominance of the smart assistant and smart device arena.<\/p>\n<p>If Google continues to make either structured data markup or AMP a prerequisite for content being discoverable with Assistant, then this will mean SEOs\u00a0must invest in either one or the other if they want to be competitive in this space.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Smart displays: coming soon to Google Assistant<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Finally, we have the very exciting news that Google has partnered with a range of electronics manufacturers including\u00a0iHome, LG, Lenovo and Sony, to produce Assistant-powered smart speakers \u2013 some of which will include a screen.<\/p>\n<p>Google has put out the following video to showcase what a screen-enabled Assistant will be able to do:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Your Google Assistant: coming soon to smart displays\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ARA0AxrnHdM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This is Google\u2019s response to the Echo Show, Amazon\u2019s new smart speaker with an inbuilt touchscreen, which was released in the US in June 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Crucially for Google, it will be able to make use of its YouTube ownership to one-up Amazon, after withdrawing <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2020\/01\/02\/quantum-supremacy-and-eight-seo-trends-2020\/\">YouTube<\/a> support on the Echo Show and the Fire TV late last year. Google\u2019s smart display speakers will also offer video conferencing via Google\u2019s video calling app, Duo.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>In short, the key takeaways from the last few days are that Google is going all-in on its bid to be Amazon\u2019s main competitor in the smart speaker space. What this means for marketers and SEOs in the long run mostly remains to be seen, however.<\/p>\n<p>In the short term, it will be interesting to see how marketers with podcasts, recipes, and news get on with Google\u2019s new Assistant Directory. Google is keen to get their opinions as well, with <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/950634339733311488\">John Mueller tweeting<\/a> that he would \u201clove to hear any feedback on the process\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Have you had any <a href=\"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2018\/01\/30\/inside-googles-new-search-console-whats-new-whats-the-same-and-whats-still-to-come\/\">Search Console<\/a> notifications about content being included in the new Assistant Directory? Will you be investing in structured data or AMP, if you haven\u2019t already, in order to be eligible for Google Assistant? Leave a comment with your thoughts on the latest developments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Amazon Echo and its voice assistant, Alexa, might be the current market leaders in voice-activated smart technology, but the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show has shown that Google fully intends to challenge Amazon for that crown.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,12,5],"tags":[152,519,520,521,522,523,524],"content_type":[27095],"class_list":["post-530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events","category-industry","category-mobile","category-seo","tag-alexa","tag-amazon-echo","tag-ces-2018","tag-consumer-electronics-show","tag-google-actions","tag-google-assistant","tag-google-home","content_type-news"],"acf":{"tad_independentcommercial":false,"tad_content_format":false},"post_info":{"name":"Rebecca Sentance","title":"","thumbnail_url":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/assistant-voice-120x90.png","category":"Events","timeago":"8y"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530"},{"taxonomy":"content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content_type?post=530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}