The Rise of Voice Search Ads: What It Means for PPC Campaigns

Voice search is the more correct and appropriate phrase today, enabling voice-aloud commands to conduct searches. Rather than entering text, a query is spoken aloud to the assistant, which will then render a verbal reply.

Voice searches have been increasing in numbers, with at least 40% of adults reportedly conducting daily voice searches. It is assumed that by 2026, 50% of all searches will be vocal. Indeed, the increasing uptake of voice-assisted devices and the underlying advancements in voice search technology underpin it.

Voice search is gaining traction in the mainstream, presenting both opportunities and challenges for PPC advertisers. Voice search users behave differently from their traditional text-based counterparts, requiring some alterations in strategies. This shift is not a hurdle, but a chance to innovate and adapt, ensuring that your PPC campaigns remain effective and competitive in the voice-first era.

In contrast to text searches, which are succinct and direct, voice searches are more conversational and extended. This implies that the way the users ask questions is much more natural and familiar, just as one would speak to a person.

E.g., a standard text search would be:

Written inquiry: “Top pizza around me”

However, a voice search would go:

Voice Queried: Hey, Siri, where is the best pizza restaurant nearest to me?

Thus, voice search, which involves shorter questions and a conversational style, needs to be evoked by a PPC campaign. Advertisers must focus on long-tail keywords and question keywords, as they are more relevant to the way people talk.

Voice search is directly related to local purposes. The most common use of a voice assistant is when people need to find local businesses, restaurants, or other local services, and the percentage of voice searches related to proximity is also very high.

For example:

• “Where is the nearest coffee shop?”
• Where’s the nearest car repair?

With the growing trend towards voice search, businesses with physical locations must ensure that they target local search terms through their PPC campaigns. Local search optimization using location-based keywords has become increasingly relevant for reaching customers who are most likely to make a purchase or visit.

The results of a voice search are frequently supported by featured snippets (short answers that respond to a search question, usually shown above the search results in an answer box).

These snippets typically provide brief answers to user questions. 

In cases where, for example, a user phrases their question as “What is the capital of France?”, the voice assistant will take the answer reading from the featured snippet. This means that establishing yourself in a featured snippet is extremely important for a PPC advertiser who always wants to stand out in voice search results.

In voice searches, most arise from mobile devices. To ensure the success of your PPC campaigns, your site should be mobile-friendly. A responsive and fast-loading site, which demonstrates an excellent user experience, will persuade a prospective customer to visit when they find you through voice search. This is why mobile optimization is crucial to your PPC strategies, as it can significantly impact the performance of your campaign and user experience.

The lead generation MetaLogic Digital enabled a youth-centered Parkour gym to grow by more than 3.5 times, employing strategic media buying, campaign segmentation, and creative optimization. By reducing CPL from £40.62 to just £7.25, we demonstrated how performance-led PPC can drive tangible growth.

Read the full case study to learn how we achieved this. 

https://metalogicdigital.com/case-studies/how-media-buying-scaled-lead-generation-for-a-parkour-gym/

More conversational than traditional text searches, voice search enhances and augments other aspects of keyword targeting. Focus on keywords that reflect natural speech, such as:

• “Best pizza restaurant in [city]”
• “How to fix a broken smartphone screen”
• “Where is the nearest gas station?”

By incorporating these longer, question-based keywords, you can capture voice search traffic that might otherwise be overlooked.

Local intent plays a significant role in voice search. Users often search for businesses or services in their local area. Make sure to:

• Use location-based keywords in your ad copy and landing pages.
• Set up and optimize your Google My Business profile.
• Utilize location extensions in Google Ads to increase your business’s visibility to users in your target area.

To increase your chances of appearing in voice search results, aim to secure a featured snippet. Here’s how you can optimize for this:

• Answer common questions clearly and concisely in your content.
• Use Bullets, Numbered Lists, and Headings
• Create Engaging and Useful Content to Address Some Needs

When most voice searches occur on mobile devices, ensure your site is mobile-friendly. Google rewards mobile-friendly sites by ranking them higher, indicating that mobile optimization can positively impact both organic search and PPC performance.

To provide an example of a local business that has already optimized its PPC campaign for voice search, we will observe Bella’s Bistro, a local eatery. Their advertisements before optimization were targeting general words, such as ‘the best Italian restaurant’. They examined their traffic with voice search, however, and found that many of their clients were using voice search devices to order the finest Italian food in their immediate area.

Bella’s Bistro updated their PPC campaign by targeting more location-specific long-tail keywords, such as:

• “Best Italian restaurant in [city]”
• “Authentic Italian food near me”

They ensured that their Google My Business listing was up to date while also starting to use location extensions in their Google Ads. As a result, they observed an increase in foot traffic and a rise in reservations from the voice search market.

1. Measuring ROI
   Tracking the success of voice search PPC ads can be complex due to the limited availability of analytics tools for voice-specific queries.
2. High Competition
   With fewer results displayed for voice searches, competition for top positions is intense.
3. Ad Relevance
   The requirement for optimizing and testing ads to make them relevant to conversational queries must be maintained continuously to achieve maximum performance.

1. AI-Powered Personalization

AI will enable advertisers to create highly personalized voice ads tailored to users’ preferences, history, and behavior.

2. Integration with IoT Devices

Voice search ads will expand beyond smartphones to encompass IoT devices, including smart refrigerators, cars, and wearables.

3. Voice commerce is on the rise

The growth of voice commerce is poised for massive expansion, as consumers will now be able to shop directly via voice assistants.

Voice search isn’t just changing how people search—it’s changing the way brands are discovered. With the transition to talking instead of typing by consumers, any PPC strategy must adapt to this new, more conversational search language.

These are innovative times at MetaLogic Digital, and we understand that voice search is not a fad; it is a change. To unlock the potential of voice-based searches, we enable brands to optimize natural language keywords, mobile-first intent, local, and in-the-moment searches, which generate tangible outcomes.

Future-focused brands aren’t waiting—they’re adapting now. Ready to make your PPC campaigns voice-ready?
Let MetaLogic Digital guide the way.