Targeting Voice Keywords with PPC

7
Jun 2018

Targeting Voice Keywords with PPC

Are you using voice related keywords in your PPC campaigns? If you are like most people, you most likely are adding phrases such as, “local,” “near me,” or “nearby” to your keywords. That step is a good start, but people are changing how they search by voice. As users become more comfortable using digital assistants, search queries are growing more conversational.

Using conversational keywords should be your top priority when trying to reach customers on mobile devices. To rank well for these queries, it takes a new mode of thinking. No longer will short phrases work. Long-tail keywords and complete sentences are starting to become familiar.

Think Mobile

When you are using your phone to search, sometimes you are home, but a majority of the time, people are out traveling or at work. The search results and queries will be different. Take for example a restaurant.

If you are targeting people at home, you most likely will want keywords associated with cuisine or making a reservation. For the mobile user, however, you want a narrower focus. People looking for a restaurant on the go want to find the closest one. Search engines know this, and that reason is why they look for local keywords. The same is true for a retail location.

For those use “near me” type keywords, you are ahead of others, but these keywords will not keep you ahead of the curve. The rules are adapting to the changes. Right now, things are changing faster than Google and Bing can adjust, but the search engines are working to make sure that they deliver the best results for mobile users.

Using Long Tail Keywords

A good tactic is to use conversational long-tail keywords. You will need to think like your customer to do so. As you think about search queries, they would use you will create a list of long-tail keywords that will help you focus on voice keywords.

Do you remember the question words from elementary school?  Who, what, when, where, how and why: these are the best place to start when you develop a list of long-tail keywords for your voice search PPC campaigns.

Another way to create more long-tail keywords is to use localization. You can add a city or a community to the keyword phrase, but you can also add phrases using landmarks and “near” such as “near the library” or “on Main Street.” One caveat with these keywords is to make sure that your targeting is local. These are best for city targeting or a small radius.

Using Modified Broad Match

Digital Assistants are getting smarter, and with that growth, search results are becoming more contextual. How do you stay ahead of the curve with these fast changes? The use of modified broad match keywords allows you to target keywords phrases that may not exist yet but will be used in the future.

Adapting to voice will be the most critical step you will take with your PPC campaign, and it will take some trial and error. While you can do it yourself, it is best to get professional help. Contact us today to help you get ahead of the voice search curve.

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