Share of Search (SoS) is a marketing measurement metric that calculates the percentage of search queries related to your brand compared to the total search volume for your entire product category or competitive set. This digital marketing KPI provides insights into brand visibility, market position, and consumer interest relative to competitors.
How Share of Search Works
Share of Search measures your brand's "share of voice" in the digital search landscape. The calculation is straightforward:
Share of Search = (Your Brand's Search Volume / Total Category Search Volume) × 100
For example, if your brand receives 10,000 monthly searches and the total category receives 100,000 searches, your Share of Search would be 10%.
Key Components of Share of Search Analysis
Brand Search Volume
- Branded keyword searches (company name, product names)
- Branded + product category combinations
- Misspellings and variations of brand names
- Brand-related long-tail queries
Category Search Volume
- Generic product or service terms
- Competitor brand searches
- Industry-specific keywords
- Solution-oriented search queries
Competitive Context
- Direct competitor search volumes
- Indirect competitor analysis
- Market leader benchmarking
- Seasonal fluctuation patterns
Benefits of Tracking Share of Search
Brand Awareness Measurement
Share of Search serves as a leading indicator of brand awareness, often correlating with traditional brand tracking studies but providing real-time insights at a fraction of the cost.
Market Position Analysis
Understanding your position relative to competitors helps identify growth opportunities and potential threats in your market space.
Campaign Performance Evaluation
Changes in Share of Search can indicate the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, PR initiatives, and brand-building activities.
Predictive Market Intelligence
Research suggests Share of Search can be predictive of future market share changes, making it valuable for strategic planning.
Share of Search vs. Other Marketing Metrics
Share of Search vs. Market Share
- Market Share: Actual sales or revenue percentage
- Share of Search: Search interest percentage
- Relationship: Often correlated but not identical; search share can predict market share changes
Share of Search vs. Share of Voice
- Share of Voice: Broader metric including all media mentions
- Share of Search: Focused specifically on search behavior
- Advantage: More actionable and directly tied to purchase intent
Share of Search vs. Brand Mention Volume
- Brand Mentions: Total volume of brand references
- Share of Search: Relative position within category
- Context: Share of Search provides competitive context that raw volume lacks
Calculating Share of Search: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Define Your Category
Identify relevant keywords that represent your product or service category. Consider:
- Core product terms
- Alternative naming conventions
- Industry jargon and professional terms
- Consumer-friendly descriptions
Step 2: Gather Search Volume Data
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Google Trends to collect monthly search volumes for:
- Your brand terms
- Competitor brand terms
- Category generic terms
Step 3: Calculate Individual Brand Shares
For each brand (including yours):
- Sum all branded search volumes
- Divide by total category search volume
- Multiply by 100 for percentage
Step 4: Analyze and Benchmark
Compare your Share of Search against:
- Market leaders in your category
- Direct competitors
- Your historical performance
- Industry benchmarks
Tools for Share of Search Analysis
Free Tools
- Google Trends: Compare relative search interest over time
- Google Keyword Planner: Basic search volume data
- Google Search Console: Your own branded search performance
Paid Tools
- SEMrush: Comprehensive competitive analysis
- Ahrefs: Detailed keyword and competitor research
- Similarweb: Market intelligence and competitive insights
- Brand24: Brand monitoring with search insights
Custom Solutions
Many marketing measurement platforms, including advanced MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) solutions, incorporate Share of Search as a key input for comprehensive attribution analysis.
Best Practices for Share of Search
Regular Monitoring
- Track Share of Search monthly or quarterly
- Monitor during and after major campaigns
- Watch for seasonal patterns and trends
- Set up alerts for significant changes
Segment Analysis
- Analyze by geographic regions
- Segment by product lines or services
- Consider device-specific trends (mobile vs. desktop)
- Examine demographic variations when possible
Competitive Intelligence
- Monitor competitor campaign launches
- Track new entrant impact on category searches
- Identify emerging competitive threats
- Benchmark against category leaders
Integration with Other Metrics
- Correlate with brand awareness studies
- Compare with actual sales performance
- Align with media mix modeling inputs
- Connect to customer acquisition metrics
Common Challenges and Solutions
Data Quality Issues
Challenge: Inconsistent or incomplete search volume data
Solution: Use multiple data sources and focus on relative trends rather than absolute numbers
Seasonality Effects
Challenge: Seasonal businesses may see dramatic SoS fluctuations
Solution: Year-over-year comparisons and seasonal indexing
Category Definition
Challenge: Defining the competitive set and relevant keywords
Solution: Regular review and refinement of keyword lists based on customer research
Attribution Complexity
Challenge: Connecting search behavior to business outcomes
Solution: Integrate SoS with comprehensive measurement frameworks like MMM
Industry Applications
E-commerce
Track product category dominance and seasonal shifts in consumer interest
B2B Technology
Monitor thought leadership and solution awareness in professional markets
Consumer Goods
Measure brand equity and competitive positioning in retail categories
Financial Services
Assess brand trust and consideration in highly regulated industries
Healthcare
Understand patient and provider search behavior for treatments and services
Future of Share of Search
As search behavior evolves with voice search, AI-powered search, and changing consumer habits, Share of Search methodology continues to adapt. Emerging considerations include:
- Voice search optimization impact
- AI-generated search results influence
- Cross-platform search behavior
- Privacy-first measurement approaches
Conclusion
Share of Search provides marketers with a powerful, cost-effective method for measuring brand performance and competitive positioning. When integrated with comprehensive marketing measurement frameworks, it offers actionable insights for strategic decision-making and campaign optimization.
For brands seeking to improve their market position, regular Share of Search monitoring should be a cornerstone of their measurement strategy, providing the competitive intelligence needed to drive growth and defend market share.
Authors
Lauri Potka is the Chief Operating Officer at Sellforte, with over 15 years of experience in Marketing Mix Modeling, marketing measurement, and media spend optimization. Before joining Sellforte, he worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, advising some of the world’s largest advertisers on data-driven marketing optimization. Follow Lauri in LinkedIn, where he is one of the leading voices in MMM and marketing measurement.