As Search Advertising Shifts, Digital Audio Remains on Top

As AI evolves and becomes deeply integrated into everyday tools and experiences, a fundamental shift is happening in the very infrastructure of the internet. With Google leveraging Gemini to power AI Overviews and Bing incorporating ChatGPT, we’re seeing a massive rise in “zero-click searches.” These are the search results where users get immediate answers directly on the results page without even clicking through to a brand’s website.

For search engines, these shifts are innovation. However, brands that have long relied on pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are starting to feel the pressure. The user journey we’ve been used to for decades is changing, from linear “search-click-convert” paths to fragmented, AI-assisted discovery. If your brand has historically invested in search, here’s why it’s worth shifting to audio in this new AI era.

As search evolves, audio remains a leading medium

Digital audio advertising has remained relatively AI-resistant and is already seeing enhancements that benefit advertisers (think more dynamic ads, streamlined buying, audience targeting, and more). But it doesn’t have to be a choice of one versus the other. Audio complements search campaigns. And for many marketers adapting to this new landscape, it stands out as the better medium.

While search is changing in ways that alter long-standing processes and historical consumer habits, digital audio advertising continues to be a bastion of consistency, trust, and engagement. As the internet changes, here is why audio should remain at the forefront of your digital advertising strategy.

Driving search volume

With users getting answers to their questions directly on the search results page, major publishers and brands are seeing up to a 60% drop in traffic. It’s becoming a common scenario: Educational top-of-funnel (TOFU) content written to build awareness is up against tough competition from AI like ChatGPT, which can stitch together a tailored answer for every user, right at the top of the fold.

The value of branded search is evolving—and that’s where audio has a distinct advantage. Audio doesn’t just capture existing demand, it generates it. It’s an active approach: You’re not waiting for someone to find you; you’re planting the seeds that will prompt them to search for your brand or product specifically.

Audio ads can drive an average of 18% of clients’ branded search volume. Take podcasts, for instance. When you run an ad on a leading show like SmartLess or Rotten Mango, you aren’t just building awareness—you’re driving listeners to actively search for your brand to learn more or make a purchase.

Showing up during screenless moments

Traditional search advertising has a fundamental limitation: It requires a screen and visual attention. But your customers aren’t always looking at their devices. Visual attention is prioritized elsewhere when people engage in daily activities, from driving home from work to preparing dinner to exercising. Audio effectively fills this gap, showing up in screenless moments. In fact, 79% of audio consumption takes place when visual media formats are not available.

With the growing usage of smart speakers, digital audio is becoming an active experience. For example, innovations like voice-activated ads allow listeners to become active participants in the ad experience. Smart speaker users can request additional information or initiate actions—all with their voice. Branded search is transitioning into voice search, offering more immediate action and a conversion that could skip the screen altogether.

Fighting screen fatigue

Digital burnout is on the rise as consumers feel exhausted by notifications, tabs, feeds, spreadsheets, and blocks of text. In fact, 81% of Gen Z adults and 78% of millennial adults often wish they had an easier time disconnecting from digital devices. In response, 46% of global Gen Zers are limiting their screen time in some way. This digital fatigue is overwhelmingly visual, and many consumers turn to audio as an escape from information overload.

There’s a clear shift in consumer sentiment, with one in two listeners saying audio content helps them escape from too much visual stimulation. Between podcasts and television, listeners are 2.2x more likely to choose the former as a good way to spend their time. Plus, 43% of listeners say that listening to audio content helps reduce their daily screen time. Audio has become the safe space audiences turn to when they need to recharge.

When you advertise on audio, you’re reaching users who enjoy the screen-free nature or have consciously chosen to avoid visual noise. When ads feel more seamless and like a content break, users are more receptive to the brand messaging at the heart of your campaign.

Driving ad recall and reinforcing messaging

Audio goes beyond getting clicks and driving purchases—it’s sticky. Search ads may not always build emotional connections or become embedded in one’s memory. By contrast, audio ads have a track record of outperforming visual media when it comes to brand recall, brand choice uplift, and attention benchmarks.

 The stickiness of audio makes it a complementary partner to search campaigns. When consumers eventually turn to Google or Bing, your brand is already a known entity rather than a big question mark. When you combine search and audio, you get a powerful, cross-channel ad campaign that resonates and works throughout the funnel.

Sparking consumer action

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding audio is that it’s more of a brand awareness play versus a full-funnel tool. Despite the preconceived notions, audio goes far deeper than the top of the funnel. It’s an effective driver of middle- and bottom-of-funnel action, and it directly influences the research and purchase phases.

When it comes to podcasts, nine in 10 podcast listeners have taken an action after hearing a product or service advertised, and almost three in four say they’ve researched a service or product after hearing an ad on a show. Full-funnel action is just as effective on streaming audio, where 56% of listeners aged 18+ have taken an action after hearing ads on the channel, primarily researching a product.

These consumer actions encompass many real-world steps: opening a browser to search for the brand heard on Today’s Hits, typing a discount code mentioned on The Mel Robbins Podcast, or even clicking on a branded search result down the road—a brand one now recognizes thanks to a previously-heard audio ad.

Get started with SiriusXM Media

Branded search isn’t going away, but LLM integrations are rapidly changing how people search (and whether they visit your website). As AI reshapes search engine results, digital audio remains incredibly resonant and a perfect complement to the volatility of visual media formats.

We bring together the best of all things sonic with the #1 podcast network among listeners 13+ and leading streaming audio platforms. And, you won’t have to do it alone—we can guide you through the process, from campaign planning and strategy to making real-time adjustments, to ensure your next digital audio ad campaign goes the distance. Let’s chat.

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