Share of voice: definition and formula
Your mentions against everyone named in the same answers.
Definition
Each name counts once per answer; review sites, forums, news and encyclopedias are sources, not sellers, and don’t count.
Formula
share of voice = your mentions ÷ (your mentions + competitors’ mentions)Example
You’re named in 6 answers, competitor A in 9, competitor B in 5: 6 ÷ 20 = 30%.
How to read it
Each name counts once per answer, so an answer that names you and two competitors adds one to you and three to the total.
Competitors are found in the answer: domains of the cited sources, domains written in the text, and names in bold. Your own domain and general sites (encyclopedias, video and social networks, search) are left out, and so are news, review, forum and social sites, which are sources rather than sellers. Marketplaces count as sellers.
It is computed overall and per engine. The Mention rate divides your mentions by answers, share of voice by all seller mentions, so the two can move differently.
Your own row is always shown, even when you weren’t named; if no seller is named in any answer, there is no share to show.
What it does not tell you
- Every competitor: detection is best effort. A competitor named in plain text, without a domain or bold type, isn’t counted, which makes your share look larger; a short bold phrase that isn’t a name can be counted as one.
- Position or tone: neither changes the share.
- A precise number from few answers: with a small total, the share jumps; read it as a trend.
What moves it
- It rises when you are named in more answers or competitors in fewer; both depend on the questions asked, so compare runs with the same questions.
- The competitor list shows who is named most often for your questions, and the stored sources show which pages the engines cited.
Related terms
AI visibility (paid plans): What we record when we ask AI answer engines shopping questions about your category.