Share of voice

Share of voice (SOV) is your share of the total visibility available on a defined set of queries or prompts, relative to competitors. In classic search it is usually derived from rankings weighted by click-through rate or search volume; in AI search it is the percentage of answers (or mentions) on your prompt set that include your brand versus competitors.

How is AI share of voice calculated?

Definitions vary by vendor. Ahrefs Brand Radar defines AI Share of Voice as “the percentage of AI responses within your topic set that mention or cite your brand versus competitors.”^[1] OtterlyAI describes “Share of AI Voice” as “the percentage of citations you own versus competitors.”^[2] Semrush reports share of voice in its brand performance reports.^[3] Always check which base (responses, mentions or citations) a tool uses.

How is classic search share of voice calculated?

Rank trackers typically weight each ranking by expected CTR, sometimes also by search volume, then divide your total by the total for all tracked domains. Semrush’s related Visibility % is CTR-based for top-100 rankings.^[4] See visibility score.

How should you use share of voice?

• Fix the query or prompt set and the competitor list before comparing periods.
• Segment by topic and funnel stage.
• Use it with absolute metrics; SOV can rise because competitors fell.

Frequently asked questions

See also

• Visibility score
• Measuring visibility
• AI citation tracking
• Brand visibility
• ChatGPT ads
• Branded search
• AI visibility score

References

Sources accessed October 14, 2026 unless another date is given. See all sources.

1. “Brand Radar”. Ahrefs. product page, accessed October 14, 2026.
2. “OtterlyAI: AI Search Monitoring Tool”. OtterlyAI. product page, accessed October 14, 2026.
3. “Where does the data in Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit come from?”. Semrush Knowledge Base. accessed October 14, 2026.
4. “What is Visibility %?”. Semrush Knowledge Base. accessed October 14, 2026.