Visibility Share of Voice

Extended definition

Visibility Share of Voice measures your brand's proportion of total AI visibility within your market category. Calculation: (your citations / total category citations) × 100%. Category definition is critical: too broad dilutes signal (all software), too narrow inflates share (ultra-niche subcategory). Share of Voice reveals competitive positioning: 45% share indicates category leadership, 8% indicates challenger position, <2% indicates invisibility. Tracking share over time shows market position trajectory: gaining share indicates competitive progress, losing share indicates erosion even if absolute citations increase. Share of Voice also benchmarks against market share: visibility share significantly below market share suggests underperformance; visibility share above market share indicates momentum. Advanced measurement tracks Share of Voice by segment, buyer stage, and AI engine.

Why this matters for AI search visibility

Absolute citation counts lack context: 100 citations sounds good but is poor if category has 5,000 total citations. Share of Voice provides competitive context for interpreting visibility metrics. For strategic planning, Share of Voice targets guide investment: achieving 30% share in fragmented category may require different strategy than achieving 10% share in concentrated category. Share tracking also reveals competitive dynamics: your citations may increase but if competitors grow faster, your share declines, indicating relative weakness. For executive communication, Share of Voice translates into business language: 'we have 18% visibility share, competitor has 42%' is clearer than 'we have 847 citations.' Share of Voice also enables realistic goal-setting: doubling citations is ambiguous goal, capturing 25% share is specific measurable target.

Practical examples

• Share of Voice tracking shows brand with 12% share in enterprise CRM category despite 31% market share, indicating significant visibility gap and growth opportunity
• Competitive share analysis reveals 3 competitors control 67% of category visibility share, creating oligopoly where remaining 40 vendors fight for 33% share
• Share of Voice segmentation shows strong 34% share in mid-market segment but weak 6% share in enterprise, guiding investment toward enterprise visibility