Share of Voice (SOV)
Definition
Share of Voice (SOV) is the percentage of AI-generated answers in which a brand appears when users ask about a category, product type, or need. It shows how often AI assistants recommend, mention, or reference your brand compared to competitors. SOV answers: 'When people ask AI assistants for recommendations, how often are we the answer?'
Why It Matters
AI assistants are major discovery tools. Users rely on them to decide:
- what to buy
- which brands to trust
- which products match their needs
- how to compare alternatives
A higher SOV means: you appear more frequently, you win more recommendations, you displace competitors, you shape category perception, and you increase top-of-funnel demand. A low SOV means competitors control the conversation.
What It Reflects
SOV looks at observable patterns in AI-generated answers:
1. Mention Frequency
How often your brand appears in relevant answers.
2. Recommendation Positioning
Whether the brand is: first choice, top 3, mentioned as an alternative, or not mentioned.
3. Competitor Presence
Which brands appear more often in key prompts.
4. Category Strength
How consistently the brand appears across: general prompts, intent queries, comparison prompts, long-tail questions, and exploratory prompts.
5. Model Variation
Differences across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, and others.
No algorithms, weights, or internal logic are disclosed.
Where It Is Used
SOV is a key dimension inside Edge, influencing:
- overall AI Visibility Score
- competitive landscape analysis
- content improvement priorities
- category positioning recommendations
- message testing priorities for Arena
- activation priorities for Deal
High SOV equals strong market perception inside AI assistants.
Real-World Examples
- If ChatGPT recommends your competitor for "best shampoo for oily hair" and never mentions your brand, SOV is low in that category.
- If Gemini lists your brand consistently as a top 3 option, SOV strengthens.
- If Perplexity cites competitor-owned pages more than yours, competitor SOV rises.
What SOV Does Not Include
SOV does NOT expose: prompt sets, how prompts are weighted, scoring formulas, internal ranking logic, or data pipelines. It is based only on visible AI outputs.
How Brands Can Improve SOV
Brands often improve SOV by: strengthening product clarity, improving PDPs and landing pages, adding structured facts, fixing outdated or missing content, reducing inconsistencies, increasing authority sources, optimizing category relevance, validating messages in Arena, and deploying unified content with Deal. Better clarity plus better authority equals higher SOV.
