(SoV) describes a brand's relative presence versus competitors in AI answers. A brand can rank solidly in classic Google search and still be mentioned less often than a competitor in ChatGPT or Perplexity.
Example within a prompt set:
- Competitor A: 40 percent of mentions,
- Competitor B: 25 percent,
- own brand: 15 percent,
- others: 20 percent.
Not only frequency matters, but also prominence, that is how early a brand is mentioned. If a competitor is mentioned more often, earlier or in more detail for relevant prompts, this is called competitive dominance in AI answers.
Share of Voice is improved through topical authority, clear differentiation, and credible off-site presence. Stable changes require repeated measurement across fixed prompt sets and competitor comparisons.
Share of voice in AI answers #
For generative engines, SoV asks: out of all relevant user prompts, how often does the answer mention your brand versus competitors? Because assistants typically name only a handful of options, AI share of voice is a winner-takes-most metric — small shifts in the underlying sources can flip who gets recommended.
Working with SoV #
- Track SoV per topic, not just globally — strengths are usually topic-specific
- Watch competitor gains as early warnings, not just your own losses
- Combine SoV with : being mentioned often in a negative tone is not a win
- Compare across assistants — each model weighs sources differently