Share of voice: Why it matters for your brand and how to own more of the space

People are exposed to thousands of messages every day—from search results and sponsored posts to opinion pieces and AI summaries. Their minds are already full. And if your brand isn’t showing up clearly and consistently in the right places, it’ll easily  be forgotten.

That’s where share of voice (SOV) comes in.

Share of voice measures how frequently you show up when someone searches your category, scrolls through LinkedIn, reads the news, or asks a chatbot a question. It’s the space your brand occupies across those touchpoints compared to everyone else in your market.

Originally, a brand’s share of voice was a media metric used in advertising. But that’s changed. Today, it’s a signal for how confidently your brand stands out from the competition across search, social media, and content, and your likelihood of reaching your target demographics.

It’s about space.

Mental space. Digital space. Category space.

And if your brand isn’t taking enough of it, someone else’s is.

So, how do you know how loud your brand is?

And more importantly, how do you start owning more of the right space?

Let’s break it down.

What is share of voice, and why is it now more important than ever before?

Share of voice is a way of measuring how visible your brand is compared to others in the same space. It shows the portion of attention your brand owns—whether that’s in search results, ads, social media, press coverage, or other marketing campaigns—relative to your competitors.

Think of it like this: If 10 brands appear in your industry, how often are people seeing you instead of them? Out of everyone talking, how much of the conversation belongs to you?

Let’s say you’re an ecommerce brand selling skincare products online. If customers in your category are generating 10,000 monthly searches across relevant keywords like “hydrating serum” or “best sunscreen for dark skin,” and your website appears in 2,000 of those searches, your search share of voice would be 20%. That means your brand is capturing one-fifth of the visibility for those high-intent queries and the rest is owned by your competitors.

Traditionally, share of voice was used in advertising to measure how much media space a brand bought. But the landscape has shifted. Today, SOV is about earned attention just as much as paid, and it’s a powerful indicator of how much space your brand holds in people’s minds.

When people search, scroll, read, or ask—do they find you or someone else?

Why SOV now spans paid, earned, owned, and organic channels

Share of voice measures it all now. It’s no longer restricted to just ads or media spend. Instead, it now measures your entire brand presence across all marketing channels.

To really understand your visibility, you need to look at four core areas: paid, earned, owned, and organic.

1. Paid is any visibility you pay for—like Google Ads, display campaigns, or sponsored social posts.
2. Earned is what you don’t pay for directly—PR mentions, backlinks, influencer tags, and customer shout-outs.
3. Owned is what you control—your website, blog, email newsletters, and product pages.
4. Organic visibility is what you’ve earned through SEO and content—the clicks, impressions, and shares that come without paying per view.

Each of these channels contributes to your total share of voice.

If you only focus on one channel—like running paid advertising or ranking on Google—you risk leaving major visibility gaps in your digital marketing strategy.

Why?

Because people move between platforms when making decisions.

They might see your ad, but if your site doesn’t show up in organic search, or if you’re missing from review articles and influencer videos, they’ll go with someone else.

The strongest brands don’t just appear once—they show up again and again, in different formats and in different places, building familiarity and trust as they go. 

Picture this: Brand A is running Google Ads and a few paid social campaigns. Brand B is doing that too—but they’re also sitting in one of the top three organic spots, getting cited in AI search results, and showing up in the local map pack when you search for nearby skincare. Which one feels more established? Which one would you buy from?

That’s why a strong share of voice isn’t just about being seen; it’s about being seen everywhere that matters.

In the era of AI, “Who owns the narrative?” is more literal than ever

With tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini now answering search queries directly, brand visibility is getting rewritten—literally and in real-time.

Before, someone would type a question into Google and scan through links. You had a chance to get their attention if you ranked high or had a catchy meta title.

But now? People ask the question, and an AI tool gives them a ready-made answer, which is often summarized from the top-performing content on the internet.

If your brand isn’t part of what’s being summarized, mentioned, or cited, you’re simply not in the answer. And if you’re not in the answer, you’re not in the conversation.

Let’s say someone asks an AI tool, “What are the best retinol serums for sensitive skin under $25?” If your skincare brand has no product reviews, no helpful blog posts, no comparison content, and no mentions from third-party publishers, your product won’t be named by the AI. The tool answers the question, and you’ve lost a share of voice without anyone even visiting your site (or even your competitors’ sites).

Visibility alone isn’t enough anymore. You also need the right narrative.

Why? 

Because AI tools aren’t just repeating your tagline; they’re piecing together the story of your brand from content across the web.

That means your product descriptions, reviews, how-tos, social mentions, and even industry roundups all influence how you’re framed.

And if you don’t shape your narrative, someone else will.

SOV isn’t a vanity metric: It predicts market share and brand salience

Let’s clear this up: Share of voice isn’t a vanity metric.

It doesn’t just tell you who’s loudest—it tells you who’s most likely to win. It has to be a key part of your competitive analysis.

Don’t let the word “voice” fool you. This isn’t about fluff or soft signals. It’s about your brand’s visibility and dominance in the market.

There’s a strong, direct link between share of voice (SOV) and share of market (SOM), which is the percentage of total market sales your brand owns.

For example, if you sell skincare products and your brand makes up 10% of all retinol serum sales in your region, your share of the market is 10%.

Here’s the key: If your share of voice is higher than your share of market, you’re likely to grow. This is called excess share of voice (ESOV), and it’s one of the clearest indicators of future growth.

Here’s how the relationship between SOV and SOM works:

• SOV > SOM → Brand is likely to grow
• SOV = SOM → Brand is stable
• SOV < SOM → Brand is at risk of decline

The tangible benefits of increasing SOV

Share of voice isn’t just about looking good on a dashboard. A strong SOV compounds into real business results:

Higher brand recall

The more places people see your brand—search, socials, articles, ads—the more likely they are to remember it first.

Think about someone scrolling TikTok, then seeing your product in a review article, then again on Google. That repetition builds mental availability. The more mentions of your brand across media channels, the stronger your base.

Example: A user sees “XYZ Retinol” in three different places across two weeks. When they walk into a Target store looking for a serum, guess which brand name pops into their head first? You guessed it…  XYZ Retinol. 

Higher click-through rates (CTR)

Brands with a strong share of voice tend to get more clicks even when they’re not in the first position because people already recognize and trust the name.

Example: A well-known skincare brand might rank third on Google for “retinol serum for sensitive skin” but still get the most clicks because people know the name and trust it.

Higher lifetime value (LTV)

Stronger SOV doesn’t just help with first-time sales; it helps with customer trust and loyalty.

People who consistently see your brand are more likely to come back, refer others, and spend more with you over time.

Example: A customer who’s bought from you before and continues seeing your content, ads, or reviews is more likely to return and try your other products without needing a hard sell.

Compounding trust and credibility

Visibility across multiple channels builds credibility.

If customers see your brand mentioned by content creators, ranked in search, showing up in newsletters, and featured in expert guides, they’re more likely to believe you’re the real deal.

Example: Your brand shows up in a dermatologist’s top picks, an AI answer, and a comparison blog post. That layering of content makes people conclude, “Okay, everyone’s talking about them, so they must be good.”

Organic share of voice: The new SEO power metric

Share of voice is fast becoming the most valuable way to understand your total visibility across where you rank, as well as how much of the search landscape you actually own.

Unlike traditional rank tracking, which only tells the position you’re in, organic SOV looks at the full picture: who’s getting seen, clicked, and remembered.

How to calculate search SOV: Keywords, volume, and CTR curve

To find your share of voice and directly tie it to search visibility, you don’t just count keywords—you weigh them. Start by grouping your branded and non-branded keywords and looking at where you appear in search. Ranking in position one for a high-volume keyword matters far more than showing up on page three for one that is infrequently searched. 

That’s where search volume (how frequently the term is searched each month) and the CTR curve (how likely someone is to click depending on rank) come in. Together, they turn raw rankings into a more realistic measure of visibility. 

Here’s how it works in practice: Let’s say you’re a skincare brand that ranks for 100 relevant keywords:

1. Record your ranking for each individual keyword
2. Use an average CTR curve to determine each keyword’s likely click-through rate (e.g., position one has a CTR of 30%, position two has a CTR of 15%, etc.)
3. Multiply the estimated CTR for each keyword by its monthly search volume to get the estimated monthly organic traffic for each keyword
4. Add up your estimated monthly traffic for all keywords in the group
5. Add up the monthly search volume for all keywords in the group to determine the total possible monthly traffic for the keyword set
6. Calculate your SEO share of voice by dividing your total estimated traffic by the total possible monthly traffic, then multiply by 100 to convert to a percentage

For example: Say you rank in the second position for one of your keywords, which has a monthly search volume of 1,000.

According to your CTR curve, the second position has an expected CTR of 15%, so you take .15 (CTR) x  1,000 (search volume) = 150 estimated monthly traffic for that keyword, based on that share of voice formula.

You then repeat this step for each keyword. Once complete, add up all of the estimated monthly traffic. Let’s say this gives you an estimated monthly traffic of 120,000 for all keywords in the group. 

Next, let’s say the total monthly search volume for all keywords in the group is 720,000. To calculate the SEO SOV, you would take (estimated traffic / total possible traffic) x 100.

The important part: It’s not just about the big number at the end. Breaking your keywords up into segments shows you whether you’re winning visibility on the right terms—the high-intent searches where new customers are making decisions—rather than chasing volume that doesn’t move the needle.

Segmenting your SOV: What are you visible for?

SOV gets more useful when you break it down. Not all visibility is equal.

Branded vs. non-branded

• Branded keywords are searches using your own brand name, like “XYZcleanser.”
• Non-branded keywords are broader category terms, like “best gentle cleanser for dry skin.”

You want to grow SOV for both, but especially for non-branded keywords because that’s how new people who’ve never heard of your brand find you. Branded traffic means they already know you, while non-branded traffic is how you grow.

Informational vs. commercial

• Informational keywords are early-stage searches like “how to treat acne scars naturally.”
• Commercial keywords are closer to purchase, like “best serum for acne scars under $25.”

You want to show up for both. Strong skincare brands don’t just appear when someone’s ready to buy—they’re present across the entire journey, from education to decision.

Visibility early in the customer journey builds trust and authority. By the time the customer is ready to purchase, you’ve already earned their attention and consideration.

TOFU to BOFU (Top to bottom of funnel)

TOFU and BOFU stand for ”top of funnel” and “bottom of funnel”—think of it as the journey a customer takes before buying.

• TOFU (Top of funnel): Awareness stage—searches like “what causes oily skin”
• MOFU (Middle of funnel): Consideration stage—”best routine for oily skin”
• BOFU (Bottom of funnel): Purchase stage—”buy oil-free moisturizer online”

Great brands appear at every stage—they don’t wait for someone to be ready to buy. They educate, engage, and build trust before the sale even happens.

Tracking your SOV by funnel stage helps you see where you’re doing well and where you might be completely invisible. For example, you might dominate BOFU keywords but be missing entirely when customers are still learning—that’s a gap you can close.

SOV vs. traffic: Visibility before the click

It’s easy to confuse SOV with website traffic but they’re not the same.

Traffic	SOV (organic)
After the click	Before the click
Measures visitors	Measures visibility in SERPs
Tells you what came in	Tells you what could have come in

Think of SOV as your visibility opportunity. It shows how well you’re positioned before users even land on your site.

Tools that help

Let’s talk tools. There are now a few SEO platforms that help brands track organic SOV the right way.

• Semrush Enterprise offers share of voice metrics and reports based on keyword groups, which is great for monitoring how much space you occupy in your niche. Think of it like a market share report but for search results. It’s a great way to see whether your content is truly owning the conversation in your category.
  
  
• SEOmonitor takes it further with a dedicated share of voice graph. This shows your visibility against competitors over time, giving you a clear picture of who’s gaining ground and who’ s losing traction. Even better, it includes sentiment matrices, so you’re not just measuring how often you’re seen, but whether that visibility is positive. 
• You can also slice visibility by SERP feature—like snippets, images, videos, and People Also Ask boxes—to see where you’re dominating and where you’re invisible. That means you can pinpoint exactly where you’re showing up, and just as importantly, where you’re invisible. 

These tools help you answer:

• Are you only ranking in blog posts but missing out on zero-click results?
• Are competitors dominating the visual spaces, like image and video carousels?
• Are you winning branded terms but only scraping the surface with general queries?

Understanding these answers shapes the kind of content you create, and whether it’s cutting through or just existing. 

How share of voice correlates with market share (and when it doesn’t)

People buy what they notice and remember. That’s why big brands fight to stay visible—because visibility leads to growth.

And it’s not just a hunch. There’s a long-proven link between share of voice (how visible you are) and share of market (how much of the market you actually own).

Let’s break it down.

When your SOV is higher than your SOM

If your share of voice is bigger than your current share of the market, your brand is more likely to grow.

That gap is excess share of voice, and it’s one of the clearest indicators of future growth.

Why does it work like this?

Because visibility drives mental availability. And mental availability is what gets you chosen at the moment of purchase.

That’s the core idea behind research from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute—one of the leading voices in brand growth. They found that strong brands do two things well:

• Physical availability: They make it easy for people to buy their product.
• Mental availability: They stay front of mind so that people think of them when it matters.

Share of voice boosts mental availability. Whether it’s in search, on social, in ads, or in content—if you’re consistently visible, you’re remembered more often.

Why excess share of voice predicts growth

Marketing effectiveness researchers Les Binet and Peter Field have tracked this principle for years. Their data shows a clear pattern: Brands that maintain a higher SOV than SOM tend to grow in the long run, especially if they consistently invest over time.

This is because higher visibility across paid, owned, earned, and organic channels builds familiarity. And in buying decisions, familiarity wins.

That’s why ESOV isn’t a soft, fluffy metric. It’s a growth lever.

Here’s a quick example of what this looks like

Let’s say your skincare brand has:

• 10% market share, but
• 15% share of voice (you’re more visible than competitors)

That 5% excess often translates into future growth because you’re reaching more people, more often, in more places. You’re remembered, and when they’re ready to buy, they come to you.

More visibility isn’t always better

Think of it like shouting in a crowd: If everyone hears you but no one knows what you’re about, you’ve wasted the opportunity.

That’s what happens when brands chase visibility without clear positioning.

A high share of voice without a strong message is just noise.

If your brand sounds bland, confusing, or forgettable, getting seen more won’t help you grow.

Example: High SOV, low sentiment

Let’s say a skincare brand spends big on ads and dominates the searches for “face serum” and “anti-aging cream.”

They rank high, and their name’s everywhere, but their customer reviews are poor, their TikTok reactions are negative, and people associate them with irritation or breakouts.

That’s a case of high visibility, low sentiment.

People see you, yes—but what they feel when they see you isn’t helpful and doesn’t result in sales.

Example: Visible but not valued

Another brand might consistently appear in search results or content roundups but lack a strong reason to be chosen.

Maybe their messaging is generic—“Glow from within”—and their packaging looks like every other serum in the aisle.

They’re technically present, but they’re not memorable.

That’s visibility without value, and it doesn’t convert.

The fix: Visibility + meaning

To turn SOV into real growth, you need more than reach.

You need relevance, positioning, and trust.

That’s what makes your visibility count. Not just that people see you, but that they get you, like you, and remember you when it’s time to choose.

How to increase your share of voice across marketing functions

Don’t just make noise—make an impact.

SOV isn’t about shouting louder. It’s about showing up smarter. If your brand keeps appearing, saying something useful, and sounding like someone worth trusting, you grow.

It’s that simple.

Here’s how to build that kind of presence across every marketing function.

SEO: Don’t just rank—dominate the whole SERP

Showing up on Google isn’t just about blogs anymore. You want to own the entire results page, not just a slot on it. Use share of voice to triage and prioritize your efforts.

• Target featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, image packs, top stories, site links, local pack, and video carousels—the full SERP buffet.
• Build content clusters that cover topics from every angle.
• Brand every single piece—titles, meta, visuals, voice.
• Use strategic internal linking to boost topical authority and keep readers engaged.

Say you’re going for “retinol for beginners.” You don’t write just one guide. You show up with FAQs, how-to videos, skin cycling explainers, ingredient myths, and real user results—all connected, all recognizably you.

Paid search: Compete with brains, not just budget

Anyone can run ads, but not everyone can win attention. In paid search, share of voice isn’t just about how much you spend, it’s about how often and how well your ads show up. Smarter ads beat bigger budgets every time. 

Your PPC share of voice is measured as impression share—the percentage of times your ad was shown compared to how often it could have been shown. This tells you how visible your brand really is on search engines like Google, and what might be limiting your reach. 

To get your current impression share: 

1. Open Google Ads and go to the “Campaigns” tab
2. Click the “Columns” icon > “Modify columns” > “Competitive metrics”
3. Select the impression share metrics you want to see, such as “Search impr. share,” “Search exact match IS,” and “Search lost IS (rank)” 

If your impression share is low, it could mean your bids are too low, your budget is too limited, or your ad quality isn’t competitive. This is your signal to optimize—not just increase spend, but sharpen your whole strategy. 

Here’s how to increase your share of voice and make your paid search work harder: 

Use user personas and a share of voice matrix to align ads to audience types

First, break down your target audience into clear segments (e.g., “price sensitive,” “results-driven,” “brand loyalists”). Then build a simple matrix showing what kind of messaging each group responds to and how often they’re seeing it. Tailor your ad angles to speak directly to what each type cares about. This way, you’re not just advertising, you’re connecting.

Target competitor terms and high-converting BOFU keywords

Don’t just show up for generic terms. Win ground by bidding on competitor names or product-specific keywords that signal strong purchase intent like “best retinol for sensitive skin.” These are the moments when searchers are ready to convert. Showing up here steals both share of voice and market share.

Create custom landing pages for each audience segment

Relevance isn’t just important for the ad. A strong click-through means nothing if your landing page is generic. Build specific pages that match the ad promise and meet each audience’s needs. For example, if your audience is frustrated with burning retinols, your ad might say, “Still flaking from harsh retinols? There’s a gentler way.”

The landing page then delivers dermatologist-backed proof and calming ingredients made for sensitive skin. That’s how you drive action and improve your quality score, which means more impressions for the same (or less) cost. 

PR and comms: Say something worth quoting

Set your PR efforts apart. Good coverage starts with something to say—not just something to sell.

• Place bold opinions your competitors won’t touch.
• Use data-driven stories to offer unique angles journalists want to cover.
• Repeat coverage comes from being useful, not just available.
• Monitor tone and reach using media-monitoring tools—look at sentiment, media quality, and how your visibility stacks up against competitors.

Example: “80% of our customers used to react to drugstore retinol. Here’s what worked instead.” That’s data, valuable customer insight, and a story—not just another product launch.

Social media and community: Be the brand that starts conversations

Social media isn’t just about looking good. It’s about being unforgettable.

• Own the hashtag and define your category
• Incentivize brand ambassadors and partner voices to keep the message going
• Be consistent with visuals, tone, and values across all platforms
• Make your brand feel like a person—reply, repost, start trends, and get involved

Example: You don’t post “Meet our new toner.” You say, “We made this because your skin said ‘ouch’ to everyone else’s.” You spark conversations, create rituals, and make people feel seen.

Measuring share of voice: Metrics, methods, and modelling

Tracking SOV properly goes beyond tallying a few brand mentions. You need a system: a mode and a dashboard that brings it all together across SEO, paid, PR, and social. Think of it as your “how loud are we vs. the competition?” control panel.

Let’s look at how Semrush Enterprise assists with measuring your share of voice for growth.

Unified share of voice dashboard (The dream setup)

Imagine this: Your SEO, paid media, social, and PR teams are all tracking the same core visibility metrics in one dashboard. A unified view of how visible your brand is across every channel and whether that visibility is actually driving growth. 

That’s exactly what Semrush Enterprise offers. 

This dashboard links together your brand impressions, keyword rankings, paid reach, press coverage, sentiment, and traffic—all tied to a specific category and benchmarked against competitors. It keeps your teams focused on what matters most: building consistent, category-leading presence across every touchpoint.

SOV metrics to track

Percentage of voice by volume (mentions, impressions, traffic)

Start with the basics. This metric shows what share of the total conversation you own.

• Mentions: How often you’re named online or in media vs. others in your space
• Impressions: How often people see your brand—even if they don’t click
• Traffic: How many people actually come to your site compared to competitors

Why it matters: If you’re only winning on one front, like impressions but not clicks, that’s a visibility gap and a growth opportunity.

Sentiment-weighted SOV

Not all mentions are good mentions. This model adjusts your SOV by how people feel about your brand when they talk about it.

• Positive sentiment lifts your weighted SOV
• Negative press or poor reviews drag it down

Why it matters: You don’t just want to be loud. You want to be loud and loved. A skincare brand, for example, might dominate mentions—but if most of those are complaints about reactions, they’re just loudly losing. Sentiment analysis helps you get there.

Competitive SOV heatmaps

Heatmaps help you visualize which topics, platforms, or regions you dominate and where your competitors are louder.

• You might have visibility on Instagram, but not on YouTube
• Or you’re top for “vitamin C serum,” but nowhere on “skincare routine”

Why it matters: Heatmaps help you rebalance effort and ad spend. They also quickly make gaps obvious.

Return on investment of share of voice

Let’s be honest: SOV isn’t the end goal. Growth is. 

So how do you connect visibility (SOV) to actual results like traffic, leads, or revenue?

Leading indicator

When your SOV increases, it’s often an early sign that your brand is gaining ground. You’re showing up more often—in searches, on social, in ads, and in the media. This usually comes before you see a jump in traffic or sales. 

It’s like your brand is starting to take up more mental space with your audience. They’re seeing you more, trusting you more, and beginning to associate you with that category. This is the first clue that market share might follow.

Lagging conversion

That said, visibility alone doesn’t pay the bills. Just because people see you more doesn’t mean they’ll buy right away. It takes time for awareness to turn into action—clicks, sign-ups, or purchases. But if your SOV is steadily rising, it’s a sign that you’re planting seeds. When conversions do happen, you’ll be able to trace it back to the groundwork your brand successfully laid.

Why does all this matter? 

Think of SOV like watering a plant. You won’t see new leaves instantly pop up, but if you stay consistent, growth will come. 

Who to benchmark against: The real competition

Visibility in SOV also depends on who you’re seen next to. That’s why benchmarking your SOV starts with knowing who your actual competitors are.

Direct competitors

Your category or niche is your battlefield. Compare SOV against brands that offer the same thing you do, to the same people.

Why it matters: This is the most accurate way to measure how well your brand is performing. If a customer is comparing you side-by-side with Brand X or Brand Y, your visibility should match or beat theirs.

Category leaders

These are the brands that dominate your space—even if they’re bigger than you. They set the tone for the conversation.

Why it matters: Benchmarking here shows you what “winning” looks like at scale.

Narrative owners (thought leaders + media)

Sometimes the real competition isn’t a brand, it’s the people shaping the conversation.

• A beauty editor at Vogue
• A YouTuber reviewing skincare routines
• A research firm releasing white papers in your field

Why it matters: To grow your SOV, you don’t just need coverage—you need alignment with the conversation drivers. That’s how you get cited, shared, and seen.

Share of voice is just the beginning

Share of voice is about more than just volume—it’s about value.

Anyone can shout and be seen. But what sticks is what shows up consistently, in the right places and in ways that actually matter. When you understand where your brand awareness stands and how often you appear compared to everyone else, you stop guessing and start gaining ground.

But visibility alone doesn’t mean people are talking about you or remembering what you stand for. To really understand your brand’s influence, you need to look beyond rankings and impressions and start tracking what people are saying.

That’s where brand mentions come in, helping you measure resonance, reputation, and relevance in the real world. Who’s talking about you, where, and why—and how that noise stacks up to your competitors. It’s the missing layer that turns share of voice into real brand power.