May means the full onset of spring, and that means increased mobility. As temperatures rise and dryer days become more frequent, we find ourselves getting outside at every opportunity. Let May be the month you do a thorough examination of your website and content to ensure that you are ready for mobile voice search. Over half of all internet traffic occurs on mobile devices, and a steady one third of all online purchases comes from smartphones.
Today’s consumers are searching for information and products on Siri, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana. If you asked any of these voice search digital assistants where your business is located, when it’s open, or what you offer, what would they say? Well you can bet your customers are asking these questions — 58% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information in the last year alone.
Let’s call this month “Mobile Search May” and focus on reworking our website and blog content to optimize it for voice search. Do some research of your own and share some tips and strategies you will start using with your readers. Why not challenge your readers to share their own mobile and voice search tips with you on social media or a specific blog post? You could then share their ideas widely to help even more of your readers.
Holidays and Special Days
May 1, 2019: May Day – May Day, the first of May is celebrated around the world. It has a number of meanings. In many other countries it is a celebration of spring and the coming of summer. It is celebrated with many spring flowers, many of them blooming right in your own backyard. To communist and socialist countries, it is a celebration for the workers.
May 2, 2019: National Brothers and Sisters Day – National Brothers and Sisters Day is the day to reflect on the best times. Give them a call or email that shows them how important they are to you!
May 5, 2019: Cinco de Mayo – On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. This single military battle meant the defeat of a strong European colonial power and a victory for the Mexican people. This is the root of Cinco de Mayo. Contrary to popular belief, it is not the celebration of Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on September 16th.
May 12, 2019: Mother’s Day – The first Mother’s Day was May 10, 1908 in Philadelphia. This special day is always on the second Sunday of May and is a grand day to honor the most significant person in our lives. Mothers the world over deserve our respect and honor for the selfless role they play. If possible, spend time with your mother on this special day.
May 27, 2019: Memorial Day – Memorial Day is officially celebrated on the last Monday during the month of May. It is dedicated to service men and women who gave their lives for freedom and country. The roots of Memorial Day observance, goes back to 1865 and the end of the Civil War. Memorial Day was traditionally held on the 30th of May. In 1971, Congress changed it to the last Monday, in order to provide a three-day holiday weekend.
Birthdays
- May 1, 1916- Glenn Ford, actor
- May 1, 1967- Tim McGraw, country western singer
- May 2, 1903- Benjamin Spock, physician, author, child-rearing expert
- May 2, 1904- Bing Crosby, singer, actor
- May 3, 1937- Frankie Valli, singer, the “Four Seasons”
- May 3, 1946- Greg Gumbel, sportscaster
- May 4, 1929- Audrey Hepburn, actress
- May 4, 1959- Randy Travis, country singer
- May 5, 1818- Karl Marx, socialist, political theorist
- May 6, 1895- Rudolph Valentino, actor
- May 6, 1915- Orson Welles, actor, director, “War of the Worlds” radio hoax on October 39, 1938
- May 6, 1961- George Clooney, actor
- May 7, 1812- Robert Browning, poet
- May 7, 1833- Johannes Brahms, composer
- May 7, 1840- Peter Tchaikovsky, composer
- May 7, 1901- Gary Cooper, actor
- May 8, 1884- Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. President (1845-1853)
- May 9, 1949- Billy Joel, singer, songwriter
- May 10, 1838- John Wilkes Booth, actor, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln
- May 10, 1899- Fred Astaire, dancer/actor, born Frederick Austerlitz
- May 11, 1888- Irving Berlin, songwriter
- May 12, 1907- Katharine Hepburn, actress
- May 12, 1925- Yogi Berra, baseball player, manager
- May 14, 1686- Gabriel D. Fahrenheit, physicist, mercury thermometers, created Fahrenheit scale
- May 14, 1944- George Lucas, filmmaker
- May 15, 1969- Emmitt Smith, NFL Running Back
- May 16, 1905- Henry Fonda, actor
- May 16, 1953- Pierce Brosnan, actor, “James Bond”
- May 17, 1936- Dennis Hopper, actor
- May 18, 1897- Frank Capra, director
- May 18, 1952- George Strait, country singer
- May 20, 1908- James Stewart, actor
- May 21, 1951- Al Franken, comedian, actor, writer
- May 22, 1859- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer, detective stories
- May 22, 1907- Lord Laurence Olivier, actor, director
- May 23, 1958- Drew Carey, actor, comedian
- May 24, 1940- Gary Burghoff, actor, “Radar” in TV series “MASH”
- May 25, 1803- Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet
- May 26, 1907- John Wayne, actor, best known for westerns
- May 26, 1923- James Arness, actor
- May 26, 1949- Hank Williams Jr., country singer
- May 27, 1794- Cornelius Vanderbilt, financier, railroad tycoon
- May 27, 1837- Wild Bill Hickock, frontiersman, lawman
- May 27, 1915- Herman Wouk, novelist
- May 28, 1908- Ian Fleming, novelist
- May 29, 1917- John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S. President, assassinated in office (1960-1963)
- May 30, 1909- Benny Goodman, bandleader, musician
- May 31, 1819- Walt Whitman, poet
- May 31, 1930- Clint Eastwood, actor, director
What special days or observances help you celebrate May? How can you leverage these holiday events or happenings to attract customers and impact your business? Share them in the comments and of course, share them with your readers! Until next month, get your online content voice-search-ready, and as always, keep writing!