Most businesses track SEO performance using familiar metrics like traffic, rankings and conversions. While these are important, they only tell part of the story.
What many companies overlook are visibility-based metrics, which are the indicators that show how dominant your brand is within your market. These metrics help determine where your brand stands in terms of market presence and competitive visibility.
Two of the most important of these are Share of Voice (SOV) and Share of Search (SOS).
You might think they may sound similar. But, there are some big differences between the two. Yes, both relate to how visible your brand is in search engines. However, brand visibility across all digital channels, including social media and media coverage, is equally important for understanding your overall market dominance and future growth.
- Share of Voice shows how much of the search landscape you own
- Share of Search shows how much demand exists for your brand
Together, they provide a clearer picture of market position, growth potential, and commercial impact. Measuring your brand’s presence across search, social, and media channels gives a more complete view of your influence and relevance in the industry.
In this guide, we’ll:
- Break down the difference between share of voice SEO and share of search
- Explain what each metric means in real business terms
- Help you understand which one you should prioritise.
Share of voice and share of search also help brands understand their role in the broader market conversation, highlighting how visible and influential they are within industry discussions.
What is Share of Voice in SEO?
Share of Voice (SOV) in SEO measures how visible your website is across a defined set of keywords compared to your competitors.
In basic terms, it answers the question: ‘Out of all the searches happening in my market, how much visibility does my brand capture?’ Voice measures help quantify a brand’s visibility compared to competitors by evaluating how often your brand appears in search results and conversations relative to others in your industry.
SOV is typically calculated using:
- Keyword rankings
- Search volume
- Click-through rate (CTR) estimates
- Visibility percentage across tracked keywords
Many brands use a specific voice formula to calculate share of voice across tracked keywords, combining metrics like mentions, keyword rankings and engagement to accurately calculate share.
The higher your rankings and keyword coverage, the greater your organic share of voice. Analysing voice data is also crucial, as it provides deeper insights into your market positioning, audience sentiment and competitive landscape.
Why Share of Voice Matters
In competitive markets, SOV is one of the clearest indicators of search dominance. Benchmarking your share of voice against direct competitors provides a more accurate picture of your brand’s performance, as it shows how you stack up against brands offering similar products or services within the same market.
A brand that consistently ranks in the top positions across high-value keywords will naturally:
- Capture more clicks
- Generate more traffic
- Increase lead volume
Example Scenario
Imagine two companies targeting the same 100 keywords (i.e., both companies are competing for the same keywords):
- Company A ranks in the top 3 for 70% of them
- Company B ranks in the top 10 for only 30%
Company A will have a significantly higher SEO share of voice, even if both companies operate in the same market.
This makes SOV a powerful metric for understanding competitive positioning and growth opportunities.
What is Share of Search?
Share of Search (SOS) measures how often people search specifically for your brand compared to your competitors.
It focuses on brand demand, not keyword visibility. Share of search measures your brand’s share of total monthly searches for relevant branded terms, showing the proportion of online visibility your brand holds in search.
In basic terms: ‘Out of all brand-related searches in my market, how many are for my business?’
This includes:
- Branded search queries (e.g. your company name)
- Brand + product/service searches
- Variations of your brand name
Tracking monthly searches for these queries helps assess brand demand and your brand’s share within your industry.
Brand vs Non-Brand Searches
- Non-brand searches = generic queries (e.g. ‘SEO agency London’)
- Brand searches = queries with your brand name
Share of search focuses entirely on the second category.
Why Share of Search Matters
SOS is often used as a proxy for brand strength and market demand. It’s also considered a leading indicator of future brand growth, as increases in share of search often signal rising visibility and trust before corresponding gains in traffic or sales.
As brand awareness grows, more people search for your business directly, increasing your share of search.
Example Scenario
If 10,000 people search for SEO agencies each month, and:
- 2,000 searches include your brand
- 8,000 searches include competitors
Your share of search is 20%.
Over time, growing brands typically see this percentage increase, making SOS a strong indicator of momentum and market growth.
Key Differences Between Share of Voice and Share of Search
Although they are related, SOV and SOS measure very different aspects of performance.
| Factor | Share of Voice (SOV) | Share of Search (SOS) |
| What it measures | Visibility across keywords | Brand demand in search |
| Data source | Rankings, keyword tracking tools, monthly search volume | Search volume for branded terms, monthly search volume |
| Focus | Non-brand and commercial keywords | Branded search queries |
| Business meaning | Market visibility and traffic potential | Brand awareness and demand |
| Use case | SEO performance and competitor analysis | Brand growth and market momentum |
| Revenue impact | Direct traffic and lead generation | Long-term demand generation |
Understanding this distinction is essential for choosing the right metric for your goals.
What Share of Voice Means Commercially
Share of voice has a direct impact on traffic, leads and revenue.
The higher your SOV, the more visibility you have in search results, and the more likely users are to click on your website. Unlike website traffic, which simply measures the number of visitors, share of voice provides a broader view of your brand’s visibility and competitive presence in search, making it a more strategic metric for long-term growth.
Commercial Implications of SOV
- Higher traffic share: More visibility leads to more clicks
- Increased lead generation: More traffic creates more conversion opportunities
- Competitive advantage: Strong SOV reduces competitor visibility
- Keyword gap insights: Identifies areas where competitors outperform you
- Revenue forecasting: Helps estimate potential growth if rankings improve
For example, if your share of voice increases from 20% to 40%, you can reasonably expect a significant uplift in traffic and, with strong conversion rates, revenue.
In this sense, SOV is closely tied to market share in search.
What Share of Search Indicates About Market Position
While SOV reflects visibility, share of search reflects demand.
It answers a deeper question: ‘How many people actively want to find or choose your brand?’
Why This Matters
Share of search is often used by marketers and investors as an early indicator of growth.
An increase in branded search volume suggests:
- Rising brand awareness
- Stronger customer recall
- Increased trust and credibility
- Growing market presence
Example Insight on Organic Search Traffic
A business may have a relatively low SOV but a rapidly increasing SOS. This suggests that:
- The brand is gaining recognition
- Demand is growing
- Future traffic and revenue are likely to increase
This makes share of search a valuable metric for understanding long-term brand trajectory.
Which Metric Should Businesses Focus On?
The answer depends on your current stage of growth and strategic goals. Combining share of voice (SOV) and share of search (SOS) with market research provides a more comprehensive view of your competitive landscape, helping you make better-informed decisions for brand visibility and growth.
When Share of Voice Matters Most
- You want to increase organic traffic
- You’re competing in a crowded search market
- You’re investing heavily in SEO
- You want to dominate non-brand keywords
When Share of Search Matters More
- You’re building brand awareness
- You’re running brand-led campaigns
- You want to measure demand growth
- You’re evaluating long-term market position
Why You Should Track Both
Most businesses benefit from tracking both metrics together.
- SOV shows your visibility and reach
- SOS shows your brand strength and demand
When combined, they provide a more complete picture of performance.
For example:
- High SOV + low SOS = strong SEO, weak brand
- Low SOV + high SOS = strong brand, weak SEO
- High SOV + high SOS = market leader
This balanced approach allows businesses to make more informed strategic decisions.
How to Measure Share of Voice and Share of Search
Accurate measurement requires the right tools and data sources. Increasingly, AI tools are playing a vital role in analysing and summarising web content, helping brands understand and improve their share of voice across digital platforms.
Here are some essential tools and methods for measuring share of voice (SOV) and share of search (SOS):
- Use free tools like Google Trends to monitor seasonal search patterns, detect emerging interests and analyse market share in your sector.
- Leverage Google Ads impression share metrics to assess and compare your paid search visibility within PPC campaigns.
- Track brand mentions and visibility across multiple media channels, including social platforms, search engines and online articles, to get a comprehensive view of your brand presence.
- Monitor organic search traffic to evaluate how much of the search market your site captures compared to competitors.
- Implement a robust SEO strategy to track, analyse and improve your organic search visibility and outperform competitors.
- Track conversations, mentions, hashtags and engagement across social platforms as part of your share of voice measurement.
- Monitor target keywords to assess your ranking, visibility and opportunities for improvement in search results.
- Analyse the impact of marketing campaigns by tracking impressions, audience interactions and campaign-driven conversations to understand their effect on share of voice and brand visibility.
- To learn more about your brand’s AI visibility, try our free AI visibility tool and see how you stand up against your competitors.
Google Search Console
Provides keyword rankings, impressions and click data, essential for estimating share of voice.
Keyword Tracking Tools
Platforms that track rankings across a set of keywords help calculate visibility percentages.
SEO Platforms (Ahrefs / SEMrush)
Offer advanced visibility metrics, competitor comparisons and keyword coverage insights.
Brand Search Data Analysis
Tracking branded keyword volumes helps estimate share of search over time.
Search Trend Tools
Tools like Google Trends can show how brand search interest evolves compared to competitors.
Using these tools together enables businesses to track both search visibility metrics and brand demand effectively.
Brand Stacks and Online Presence
Your brand stack is the mix of digital marketing channels, tools and strategies you use to build and keep your online presence strong. If you’re running a UK SME in finance, your brand stack might include SEO, paid ads, social media marketing, email campaigns and monitoring tools all working together to boost your search visibility and connect with the customers you want to reach.
Share of voice (SOV) shows you how much of the digital space your brand owns compared to your main competitors. It reveals where your brand appears in search results, social media conversations and media coverage. Basically, how visible and influential you are when people talk about your industry. The higher your SOV, the more likely you’ll be top-of-mind when potential customers search for business loans, invoice finance or other funding solutions.
You can increase your SOV by creating quality content that speaks directly to your target audience and tackles their specific challenges, whether that’s cash flow guidance or commercial mortgage insights. You’ll need to optimise your website and content for the right keywords to improve your organic search visibility and drive more traffic. At the same time, using paid ads and PPC can help you gain ground fast in competitive markets.
Your social media SOV matters just as much as part of your brand stack. When you actively join conversations, share valuable content and engage with your audience on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter, you’ll boost your share of social media conversations and strengthen your overall online presence. Monitoring your brand mentions, checking sentiment and tracking media SOV with the right tools lets you see how you’re performing, spot opportunities and adapt your strategy in real time.
You can’t do without media monitoring tools and SEO analytics platforms for tracking your SEO share, impression share and keyword rankings across multiple channels. These tools give you actionable insights into how your brand shows up in search results and online conversations, helping you measure your SEO share and find areas to improve. Free tools like Google Analytics and social media insights can support your analysis, giving you a complete view of your digital footprint.
Consistency matters. Your brand values and messaging should stay the same across all your marketing channels to build trust and credibility with your audience. When you coordinate your marketing efforts, from SEO campaigns to local events and sponsorships, you reinforce your brand’s presence and drive engagement, conversions and real sales.
You’ll gain ground in SOV when you understand your competitive landscape and stay ready to adapt your marketing strategy as market conditions and customer behaviours change. By using a strong brand stack, monitoring key voice metrics and continuously optimising your online presence, your business can increase its market share, drive future growth and establish itself as a leader in the UK business finance sector.
How Businesses Can Increase Their Share of Voice in SEO
Improving share of voice requires a focused, strategic approach to SEO. Creating content that targets key topics and audiences is essential for building visibility and authority in your niche.
To build momentum and improve your share of voice, focus on creating content that addresses your audience’s needs and interests and optimise it for relevant keywords. Practical tips include regularly updating your blog with industry insights, sharing case studies and leveraging social media to distribute your content and engage with your audience.
Target Competitor Keywords
Identify keywords where competitors rank highly and build content to compete directly.
Build Topical Authority
Create comprehensive content around key themes to strengthen relevance and rankings.
Improve Rankings for High-Value Keywords
Focus on keywords with strong commercial intent and high search volume.
Create Content Clusters
Develop interconnected content that supports core pages and improves overall visibility.
Strengthen Technical SEO
Ensure your site is fast, crawlable and optimised for search engines to maximise performance.
These strategies help expand keyword coverage and improve rankings, increasing your overall SOV.
How Dominate Online Helps Brands Grow Search Visibility and Share of Voice
Dominate Online focuses on data-driven SEO strategies that deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
Rather than focusing purely on traffic, the approach is built around:
- Competitor analysis to identify visibility gaps
- Keyword expansion strategies to increase market coverage
- Visibility tracking and reporting to measure share of voice growth
- Conversion-focused optimisation to turn traffic into revenue
- Long-term SEO planning for sustainable growth
By combining technical expertise with strategic insight, Dominate Online helps businesses improve both share of voice and share of search, driving stronger visibility, demand and revenue over time.
Key Takeaways
- SOV = visibility, SOS = demand: Share of Voice measures how much of the search landscape you own, while Share of Search measures how many people actively look for your brand.
- They solve different problems: SOV drives traffic, leads and revenue through rankings, while SOS reflects brand strength and predicts future growth.
- Tracking both gives the full picture: Combining SOV and SOS shows whether you have strong SEO, strong brand demand or both, and where to focus next.
Increase Your Online Visibility
Understanding the difference between share of voice SEO and share of search is essential for any business looking to grow its presence online.
While traditional metrics like traffic and rankings remain important, they don’t fully capture your position in the market.
- Share of Voice shows how visible you are across search results
- Share of Search shows how much demand exists for your brand
Together, these metrics provide a clearer picture of both current performance and future growth potential.
By tracking and improving both, businesses can move beyond surface-level SEO metrics and build a strategy focused on market dominance, brand strength and long-term revenue growth.
Want to improve your SEO efforts and share of search? Book a free strategy call with Dominate Online and learn how to track, optimise and grow your brand.
FAQs: Share of Voice vs Share of Search
What is Share of Voice in SEO?
Share of Voice measures how visible your website is across a set of keywords compared to competitors.
What is Share of Search?
Share of Search measures how often users search for your brand compared to competitors’ brands.
What’s the main difference between SOV and SOS?
SOV tracks keyword visibility and rankings, while SOS tracks brand demand through branded search volume.
Which metric is more important for SEO?
Share of Voice is more important for SEO performance, while Share of Search is more important for brand growth.
Can a business have high SOV but low SOS?
Yes. This means strong SEO visibility but weak brand recognition.
Can a business have high SOS but low SOV?
Yes. This indicates strong brand demand but weaker organic visibility for non-brand keywords.
How do you calculate Share of Voice?
It’s calculated using keyword rankings, search volume and estimated click-through rates across tracked keywords.
How do you measure Share of Search?
By analysing branded search volume compared to competitors’ branded searches.
Why does Share of Search matter for growth?
Rising branded search volume often signals increasing awareness, trust and future revenue potential.
Should businesses track both SOV and SOS?
Yes. Tracking both provides a complete view of visibility, demand and overall market position.