What it means
Share of voice (SOV) is a marketing metric that compares your brand's presence to the total presence of all brands in your category. The exact calculation depends on the channel:
- In paid search, SOV is your impression share versus the maximum possible
- In organic search, SOV is your share of the top-ten rankings across your category keywords
- In AEO, SOV is your citation share - the percentage of relevant AI prompts where your brand is named
Higher share of voice generally correlates with higher market share over time.
Why it matters
Share of voice is one of the most useful long-term marketing metrics because it controls for category size. A small but growing SOV in a small category can be more valuable than a large but stagnant SOV in a saturated one.
For AEO programs, tracking citation share as your AI SOV is the cleanest way to demonstrate progress. It removes the noise of broader traffic changes and shows the specific impact of getting cited.
How it's used
To measure share of voice for SEO:
- Pick the 30 to 50 keywords most central to your business
- Track rank position and search volume for each
- Calculate weighted visibility across the set
- Compare to competitors over time
For AEO, replace keyword rankings with prompt citations and follow the same monthly process.