Optimise For Voice Search

Ok, Google: How do I optimise for Voice Search?

As the way people search for information on the web changes, it’s vital that we as marketers, adapt our marketing strategy to take advantage of this new technology and not be left behind by competitors. Users are looking for easier, faster ways to retrieve information that is important to them – and it’s vital that our brands are positioned in an optimal position to benefit from this change.

So, what is Voice Search?

Voice Search has exploded over the past 18 months, with leading technology giants such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google all investing and developing in Voice Search technology, home technology hubs and virtual assistants, in order to provide the user with information and control of various appliances and apps, via the spoken word, rather than a traditional text input.

This technology also allows the user to search various search engines by speaking into their devices, rather than the traditional typing of their search queries, allowing the user a much easier method of interacting with their various devices, whether at home or on-the-go.

Why is Voice Search Important?

Voice Search is changing the way that people use traditional search engines to find what information they are looking for. Mobile and tablet devices are now accounting for 60% of all online traffic – and it’s using these devices to research and explore online content, such as search engines, that opens an opportunity for the online marketer.

You’ll see the some of the most popular Voice Search Apps below, and their associated default search engine.

Google are reporting that the number of voice searches has doubled in the past year – and here at Circus, we’re confident that this trend will only continue to grow, as more and more users switch from using traditional methods – such as searching on small-screen mobile devices – to adopting easier and faster responses from Voice Search technology.

Voice Search & PPC

So what does this mean for your existing PPC campaigns? With users adopting new technology and searching in different ways, the existing PPC account structure and keyword selection will also need to adapt and change to fulfil this change in customer behaviour. It’s worth taking time to review your account structures, keyword selections, search term reports and consider some of the optimisation tips below.

PPC Optimisation Tips

• Keyword Research

Misspellings from strong accents and mispronunciations are common place with Voice Search. Research common misspellings of brand name, product names or key search terms and add them to specific “Voice Search” campaigns.

•  Long-Tail Keywords

Traditional search terms tend to contain around one to three words. Voice Searches tend to be a lot longer, often containing up to ten words in any query – usually in the form of a question.

• Ad Copy

It’s important to review and update copy. Try adding copy that answers questions, while also driving traffic to relevant landing pages.

• Negative Keywords

As always, it’s vital to add negative keywords to limit the amount of irrelevant traffic, especially around information gathering terms. Is the query worth the cost of the click?

• Local-Based Optimisation

Mobile voice search is three times more likely to be local-based than traditional search. Consider localised ad copy.

• Natural Language

Update your keyword selection to include “natural language” keywords as users search differently than text searches, by incorporating natural language.

Voice Search is an exciting development within the word of Search and PPC and it’s important to be adopting your digital strategy accordingly, to ensure that when users are interacting with these new devices, your brand or website are maintaining and growing their level of visibility – to the right user, at the right time.

If you would like a helping hand with configuring your PPC strategy to incorporate Voice Search, or any other element of PPC advertising, then please contact us for a free, no obligation PPC review and consultation with one of our PPC Experts.