Share of Voice: What Is It & Why It Matters?

Last Updated on 31/10/2025

Want to see how your brand compares against the competition?

Start monitoring share of voice (SOV) to establish your market position.

Digital marketing has presented us with a plethora of new and interesting opportunities to promote our companies and products.

However, it also increased the number of indicators we needed to monitor.

It can be daunting to monitor your brand’s health, awareness, traffic, ROI from advertisements, conversions, and other key metrics.

Furthermore, you must understand how all these metrics relate to your competition within a broader context. Otherwise, you’re attempting to run your business without a clear direction.

Fortunately, there is a number that shows you exactly where you are in the marketplace. The share of voice statistics serve as an excellent starting point for mapping your sector and may provide extensive data on your competitors.

What Is The Share of Voice In SEO?

Share of voice in SEO refers to the assessment of your website’s visibility in organic search results for specific keywords or themes, which can help you identify opportunities to outrank your competitors. Keyword rank tracking systems base their SEO share of voice measure on the percentage of potential clicks you and your competitors may receive, considering search volume, ranking position, and click-through rate.

This is an oversimplification, but Share of Voice is comparable to determining which portion of the market share belongs to you.

Is the entire pie yours?

Or do you only have one taste of each slice?

Share of Voice in SEO may be quantified in two ways: space ownership and SERP-generated traffic. Share of Voice by Space Ownership estimates the number of organic listings in a SERP that your business has. 

share of voice

Image Source: Search Engine Journal

On the other hand, traffic Share of Voice is computed by multiplying the search volume of a keyword by the average CTR of your website’s SERP position. Both are valuable, but keep in mind that while these metrics are enlightening, they are not perfect.

There are several reasons why these are not accurate measures of Share of Voice. Since Google does not provide us with all the data, we have no way of knowing how many people click on advertisements or snippets. We therefore presume that everyone who visits a SERP clicks on a result. Although it cannot be completely precise in its measurement, Share of Voice in SEO continues to give useful information.

Why Is Share of Voice In SEO Important?

share of voice

Image Source: Awario

Share of voice in SEO is significant because it helps a brand understand its current position in a specific market, as well as potential issues it may face, and compare its success to that of its competitors. 

It’s an excellent technique for companies to compare their popularity and exposure to their main competitors.

Knowing where you are right now makes it easier to take the necessary actions to attain growth and effectively navigate a competitive marketplace. 

On that subject, here are some important reasons why you should measure the share of voice: 

  • Consumer insights: One of the most significant advantages of monitoring SOV is that it can provide valuable insights into consumer habits, views, preferences, industry trends, and other relevant information about your target audience.
  • Public relations: SOV, which monitors brand-related media coverage, can be useful in determining the efficacy of your public relations and marketing activities. These insights can also help you make more educated media strategy decisions in the future. 
  • Brand management: Measuring SOV is very useful in brand management and awareness. It reveals how many people are aware of your brand, how frequently it is referenced on various platforms, and the emotions that motivate those comments. As a result, you can proactively manage your reputation more effectively.
  • Campaign tracking: Share of voice may help you measure the success of your marketing strategy. You’ll discover what connects with your target consumers, what your rivals are doing well, and how to incorporate this into your future ads. 

How To Calculate Share of Voice?

share of voice formula

Image Source: Agency Analytics

The following method may be used to calculate your brand’s share of voice:

SOV = your brand’s metrics divided by total market metrics.

This formula remains constant regardless of your marketing channels; the only differences come from your goals and the data you’re measuring.

To that end, the four areas that companies will largely focus on when assessing their share of voice are:

  • SEO share of voice refers to your brand’s organic search exposure compared to your competitors. You may use Ahrefs Rank Tracker to examine your SERP ranks and learn more about your brand’s organic search SOV.
  • PPC share of voice refers to monitoring your ad visibility, specifically Impression Share – the number of times the ad might have shown vs the number of times it did. This information may be found under “Campaigns” in Google Ads.
  • Media share of voice is a metric that measures mentions on blogs and news websites. It can also help you evaluate which online publications mention your top rivals compared to your brand and which sources to focus on.
  • Social media share of voice is a useful and reliable indicator that shows how frequently your business is discussed in consumer conversations on social media.

The Takeaway

The share of voice in SEO is a considerably more challenging statistic than it once was, but it is also far more lucrative.

Calculating SOV for various aspects of your digital marketing plan and segmenting it further based on data analytics provides more than just a starting point for business strategy.

You receive a detailed look into the current state of your firm and the market as a whole.

The insights you find can then be used to inform your product and marketing decisions. Tracking changes in your share of voice over time will reveal the impact of these decisions.

FAQs

What is Share of Voice in SEO and why is it important?

In SEO, share of voice (SOV) refers to the percentage of total organic search traffic received by your website compared to your competitors for specific keywords. It’s significant since it helps quantify your brand’s exposure and dominance in search engine results, which guides your SEO approach.

How can I measure my website’s Share of Voice in SEO?

Measuring Share of Voice in SEO involves monitoring your website’s ranking and traffic for specific keywords and comparing them to those of your competitors. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Google Rank Check, and Moz may give this data by evaluating keyword rankings and organic traffic share.

What strategies can help increase my website’s Share of Voice in SEO?

To boost your Share of Voice, prioritize optimizing high-value keywords, producing high-quality and relevant content, establishing authoritative backlinks, and enhancing overall site performance. Regularly evaluating your success and modifying your approach in response to competition analysis and search trends is also critical.

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