This article highlights five trends that are shaping the future of digital marketing in India
voice search, vernacular SEO, local SEO, AI/personalized SEO, and social commerce.
1. Growing Use of Voice Search in India
Voice search is dramatically changing India's digital landscape with the advent of inexpensive smartphones, low-cost data, and digital assistants such as Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri that have made voice search not only possible but an everyday occurrence.
According to Google, India is the world's fastest growing voice search market with a growing adoption of 270% in the last several years.
So, why does this matter?
Conversational Search: Customers are more likely to ask "What's the best vegetarian restaurant near me?" rather than typing pare short keywords. This means that businesses must optimize for long-tail and conversational search queries.
Mobile: In India, 80% plus of voice searches comes from phone mobile devices. This means organization will need to consider site speed and transition for consumers using mobile devices.
Local Intent: Research reveals that 58% of voice searches come with local intent which makes local SEO all the more important.
Actions To Take Now
Share content in FAQ format for typical voice questions.
Deploy schema markup to help Google comprehend your content better.
Keep Google Business Profile refreshed with content for “near me” searches.
Ensure fast loading mobile- friendly web sittes that have secure HTTPS connections.
Voice search will not be another passing fad, and it is becoming an integrated part of India’s SEO strategy.
2. The Significance of Vernacular Content
When we talk about vernacular SEO, it becomes extremely important in a linguistically diverse country like India, with 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects spoken in the country. 90% of new internet users prefer to access the internet in their regional language.
Advantages
Broader Reach: Any content produced in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and so on will naturally attract a larger audience. Flipcart and Amazon both provide functionality for users to browse their sites in a variety of languages.
Higher Trust: Individuals are more likely to click on advertisements or visit websites that have the same language as their native language.
SEO Benefits: When the content aligns with their language and preference, search engines reward it.
Best Practices
Keyword Research: Research keywords in the regional language using Google Trends or Keyword Planner to find the regional equivalent.
Natural Tone: Do not follow a word-for-word translation; write the same content in the vernacular way people actually speak.
Multilingual Approach: Write blogs, FAQs, and write reviews in your vernacular.
Example: One of the main factors influencing YouTube India’s growth was that they catered to creators publishing content in different regional vernaculars thus enabling creators to find new audiences in rural and semi-urban areas.
3. The Significance of Local SEO
Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a significant asset to small business sustainability because it enhances visibility and subsequently increases sales. For instance, a café in Kochi or a clinic in Coimbatore will affirm a boost to their credibility when associating presence to their business by just coming up on local searches, and will have numerous individuals walk through their doors as a result.
What Makes Local SEO Effective
1) Voice + Local Search: Being that the majority of voice searches have local intent, being on the local search listings entails a great return on investment.
2) On-the-Go Searches: There is an increase in reliance in India for maps and mobile search to navigate and get recommendations on-the-go.
Main Activities
Google My Business: Make sure the NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) is accurate and complete, uploads photos, provides a description of your services, and gathers customer reviews.
Local Citations: Make sure you are listed on directories such as Justdial, IndiaMart, and Sulekha.
Locally-related Content: Write posts related to holidays, events in your city, or local fads, e.g., “Best sweet shops for Diwali in Ahmedabad.”
Reviews & Ratings: Get reviews for high ratings, which greatly increases the chance of being in part of Google's Local 3-Pack.
Case Study: A salon located in Pune added more localized descriptions and Hindi reviews to its Google My Business (GMB) listing and advertised locally. In 3-4 months overall walk-ins increased by 40%.
4. Using AI to Customize Your Strategy
Artificial intelligence is transforming brand/customer relationships. It allows brands to analyze behavior and intent to personalize influenced marketing at scale.
AI Uses
• Anticipatory/Browsing Analytics: Predict user intent and recommend products.
• Chatbots: Respond immediately, schedule appointments, answer FAQs, etc. in multiple languages.
• Content Recommendations: For example, Netflix and Spotify utilize AI to recommend movies, shows, music, etc.--brands can do the same to recommend blogs, discounts, or products.
Why This is Important in India
With India's scale and diverse online audience, the personalized experience becomes crucial. AI allows brands to serve different recommendations (in English, Hindi, Tamil, etc.) creating an experience that seems uniquely personalized to each individual.
5. The Importance of Video & Social Commerce
India is one of the biggest consumers of online video in the world. From YouTube to Instagram Reels to ShareChat, video is dominating online engagement. At the same time, social commerce—buying directly from social apps, is also booming.
Effective video strategies:
Short-form video: Short, engaging videos showing a new product or a product in use are effective on Reels and Shorts.
Live video: Utilize Instagram Live or Facebook Live to unveil products and host Q&A sessions.
Collaborating with an influencer: Collaborate with local creators who have built credibility, and can reach the local market.
Some examples of social commerce:
Meesho and Flipkart Social Commerce are thriving in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
Instagram and Facebook Shops make it easy for users to shop in-app.
With UPI integration, the checkout experience is quick and seamless.
For example, a boutique in Jaipur used Hindi-language Reels and influencers, resulting in a 300% increase in orders over 6 months.
In Conclusion
Digital marketing in India is increasingly defined by cultural regions, a mobile-first culture, and AI. Businesses that take advantage of voice search optimization, the vernacular for SEO, local search visibility, AI personalization, and video/social commerce will have a competitive advantage.
The online audience in India is becoming less homogenous and is more multi-lingual, experiential, and fast growing. Brands-particularly brands tapping into these trends-can further connect with their consumers, capture consumers online (and move them into offline), improve their SEO rank, and drive sustainable growth.