What share of voice measures
Share of voice describes relative presence. In paid media it may relate to advertising exposure; in organic or AI search it can refer to modeled visibility or sampled brand mentions. State the method before comparing numbers because these are different measures.
For B2B search, choose a topic set that reflects your actual buyers. A large presence for broad consumer queries tells you little about whether the business appears during specialist purchasing research.
Define the denominator
In a simple mention-based calculation, divide your brand’s counted mentions by all counted mentions across the selected brands. Specify whether repeated mentions count once or several times, which answers were sampled, and whether branded prompts are included.
Other tools use weighted rankings, estimated traffic, or impression estimates. Those measures may be useful, but they are not interchangeable with the simple mention calculation. Report the definition alongside the result.
A B2B example
A vendor monitors questions about procurement software for mid-sized manufacturers. Its report compares a fixed set of competitors using the same prompts and counting rules each month. This produces a consistent view of that sample, not a claim about every conversation in the market.
How to use share of voice
Look for topics where relevant competitors appear and your business does not. Review representation and supporting sources before deciding what to improve. Keep qualified enquiries and pipeline alongside visibility measures; relative presence is not market share or revenue.
Frequently asked questions
Is share of voice the same as market share?
No. Market share concerns a share of sales or another defined market outcome. Share of voice describes presence under a chosen visibility method.
Can a score change when my visibility stays the same?
Yes. Competitors can become more or less visible, and changing the topic set or counting rules changes the denominator. Compare like-for-like samples.
Related glossary terms
Further reading
Put this into practice
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