Share of Voice in Search Metric Definition

Share of Voice (SOV) in Search measures the percentage of total search visibility or market share a brand holds compared to its competitors. It helps businesses understand their presence in search results, including organic and paid search, and assess how well they dominate the search landscape in their industry.

Detailed Explanation

What is Share of Voice in Search?

Share of Voice (SOV) in Search refers to the proportion of total impressions or visibility a brand has in search engine results, relative to its competitors. It is a key indicator of how often a brand appears in search results for relevant keywords compared to other brands in the same industry. A higher SOV in search means a brand has greater visibility and presence in the search space, making it more likely to attract clicks and traffic.

How it Works?

Share of Voice in Search is calculated by analyzing the share of impressions, clicks, or search engine visibility a brand achieves compared to its competitors for a set of targeted keywords:

Share of Voice = (Brand’s Search Impressions / Total Search Impressions) x 100

This metric can be applied to both organic and paid search results. It helps businesses evaluate their position in the market, identify opportunities to improve search rankings, and optimize keyword strategies for better visibility.

Types of Share of Voice in Search Metrics

1. Organic Share of Voice: Measures the percentage of organic search visibility a brand holds compared to competitors for relevant keywords.
2. PPC Share of Voice: Assesses the visibility of a brand’s paid search ads relative to competitors, often tracked through Google Ads metrics.
3. Local Search Share of Voice: Focuses on the visibility of a brand in local search results and map listings compared to other nearby businesses.
4. Branded Search Share of Voice: Tracks the share of search visibility for branded keywords, indicating how often users search specifically for a brand.

Illustrative Scenarios

Examples

• An e-commerce company tracks its Organic Share of Voice for keywords related to “running shoes.” A 30% SOV means that out of all the impressions for running shoe keywords, 30% belong to the company’s website, while competitors share the remaining 70%.
• A digital marketing agency monitors PPC Share of Voice for its client’s search ads in the “digital marketing services” category. A 25% SOV suggests that the client’s ads receive 25% of the total impressions for related search queries.

Segmentation

Share of Voice in Search can be segmented by search type (organic or paid), device type, or geographical region to identify where a brand has the most or least visibility. For example, businesses can analyze whether they have a higher Share of Voice on mobile devices compared to desktop or if their SOV is stronger in certain regions or cities.

Factors Influencing Share of Voice in Search

1. Keyword Strategy: The selection of targeted keywords and their relevance to the brand’s products or services directly impacts SOV in search results.
2. Quality of Content: High-quality, informative content that matches search intent can boost organic visibility and improve Share of Voice.
3. Ad Spend: For paid search, a larger ad budget can increase the number of impressions and boost the brand’s SOV in search ads.
4. Competitor Activity: Changes in competitors’ SEO or PPC strategies can affect a brand’s relative share of voice in search results.
5. Search Engine Algorithm Changes: Updates to search engine algorithms can impact rankings and visibility, affecting a brand’s SOV over time.

Strategies to Improve Share of Voice in Search

1. Optimize for High-Value Keywords: Focus on keywords with high search volume and relevance to your business to increase your organic visibility.
2. Invest in Quality Content: Create valuable and engaging content that answers user queries effectively to boost organic rankings and visibility.
3. Increase PPC Budgets for Competitive Keywords: Allocate more budget to paid search campaigns targeting competitive keywords to increase ad visibility.
4. Monitor Competitors’ Strategies: Keep track of competitors’ search strategies to identify opportunities and adjust your own SEO and PPC tactics accordingly.
5. Improve Local SEO: Optimize for local search by managing your Google My Business profile and encouraging customer reviews to boost visibility in local results.

Benchmark Indicators

Benchmarks may vary depending on the actual number of competitors, however it is important to note that understanding Share of Voice in Search benchmarks by industry in a hypothetical scenario of 3-5 main competitors helps businesses evaluate their search visibility and set realistic goals for increasing market share:

• Technology Industry: Share of Voice benchmarks typically range from 20% to 40% for competitive keywords, with higher SOV indicating strong visibility in search results.
• Healthcare Industry: Share of Voice benchmarks range from 15% to 30%, focusing on visibility for health-related services and local search results.
• Financial Services: Share of Voice generally ranges from 10% to 25%, with a focus on high competition keywords like “loans” and “investment services.”
• E-commerce: Share of Voice benchmarks range from 15% to 35%, with SOV influenced by product keywords, seasonal trends, and ad campaigns.
• Education Sector: Share of Voice can range from 10% to 25%, focusing on keywords related to courses, programs, and online learning.
• Real Estate: Share of Voice benchmarks range between 5% to 15%, with a focus on local search visibility for property listings and real estate services.

Tools for Measuring Share of Voice in Search

1. SEO Tools: Platforms like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz track keyword rankings and calculate organic share of voice for selected keywords.
2. Google Ads: The Auction Insights report in Google Ads provides insights into PPC share of voice compared to competitors.
3. Social Listening Tools: Tools like Brandwatch and Mention can provide insights into brand mentions and share of voice beyond search results.

Common Pitfalls and Mistakes

1. Ignoring Competitor Analysis: Failing to monitor competitors’ search activities can lead to missed opportunities to improve SOV.
2. Focusing Solely on Paid Search: Relying only on PPC strategies can limit long-term SOV growth; a balanced approach including organic SEO is essential.
3. Neglecting Keyword Relevance: Targeting keywords that are not closely related to user intent can result in low visibility and reduced SOV.
4. Underestimating Local Search: Failing to optimize for local search can lead to lower SOV, especially for businesses with physical locations.
5. Not Adjusting to Algorithm Changes: Ignoring search engine algorithm updates can negatively impact rankings and SOV over time.