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Share of Search

최종 업데이트:

Definition

Share of Search (SoS) is the percentage of total search volume for a defined category or set of brand-related queries that your brand captures. It measures brand visibility in search relative to competitors.

SoS(%) = (Your brand search volume ÷ Total category search volume) × 100

Summary

SoS tracks brand search visibility vs competitors. Rising SoS suggests growing brand awareness and market interest. Use Google Trends, Semrush, or custom keyword sets. Complements ranking metrics with brand-level competitive view.

Why Share of Search matters

Beyond rankings

Rankings measure position for specific keywords. SoS measures overall brand presence in a category — how much of the "search pie" your brand owns.

Leading indicator

Research (e.g., Les Binet, Peter Field) links Share of Search to market share. Brands with higher SoS tend to gain market share over time.

Competitive benchmarking

Compare your SoS to key competitors. Track trends quarterly or annually to assess brand health and marketing effectiveness.

How to calculate Share of Search

Step 1: Define category keyword set

Identify keywords representing your category. Examples:

  • B2B SaaS: "project management software," "CRM tool," "collaboration platform"
  • E-commerce: "running shoes," "wireless earbuds," brand + product terms
  • Local services: "plumber [city]," "dentist near me," category + location

Include brand names (yours and competitors) and generic category terms.

Step 2: Get search volume data

Sources:

  • Google Trends: Relative interest over time (free, comparative)
  • Semrush / Ahrefs: Absolute volume for keyword sets
  • GSC: Your brand query impressions (your share only)

Step 3: Calculate SoS

SoS = (Your brand query volume) / (Sum of all brand + category query volumes) × 100

Example: Your brand 10,000 + Competitor A 15,000 + Competitor B 8,000 + Generic 50,000 = 83,000 total. Your SoS = 10,000 ÷ 83,000 ≈ 12%.

Share of Search vs Share of Voice

MetricScopeData source
Share of SearchSearch volume (Google)Keyword tools, Trends, GSC
Share of Voice (SoV)SERP visibility/rankingsRank tracking, impression share
AI Share of VoiceAI answer citationsAI citation tracking tools

SoS focuses on search demand; SoV on SERP presence. See AI Share of Voice for AI-specific metrics.

Strategies to increase Share of Search

1. Brand awareness campaigns

PR, content marketing, and advertising that increase branded search volume directly raise SoS.

2. Category content ownership

Rank for generic category terms to capture non-brand searches. Expands total addressable search volume.

3. Entity and knowledge panel

Strong entity signals and knowledge panels increase brand query volume and visibility. See Entity SEO and Brand SERP for details.

4. Product and feature launches

New products and features create new branded search demand.

5. Competitive displacement

Content and SEO that capture competitor-branded queries (where allowed) can shift SoS.

Measuring SoS over time

Recommended cadence

  • Quarterly: Track SoS for category keyword set
  • Annual: Compare year-over-year for strategic planning
  • Post-campaign: Measure SoS before/after major brand campaigns

Visualization

Line chart: SoS % over time for your brand vs top 3 competitors. Identifies trends and campaign impact.

Local market application

SoS in local markets

Define category keywords in local language. Local brand names and generic terms (e.g., local-language equivalents vs English terms) affect volume. Use local keyword tools and Trends with geo filters.

Limitations

Small markets may have insufficient volume for reliable SoS. Focus on relative Trends comparison when absolute volume is low.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Is Share of Search the same as market share?
A. Related but not identical. SoS measures search interest; market share measures actual sales/revenue. SoS is often a leading indicator of market share.

Q. Can I get SoS from GSC alone?
A. GSC shows your brand query data only. You need competitor and category volume from other tools to calculate full SoS.

Q. How many keywords should I include in the category set?
A. Enough to represent the category without being so broad that generic terms dominate. Typically 20–100 keywords, refined over time.

Q. Does SoS include AI search?
A. Traditional SoS uses Google search volume. AI Share of Voice is the parallel metric for ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc. See AI Share of Voice for details.

Q. Why did my SoS drop despite more traffic?
A. Competitors or category grew faster. SoS is relative — your volume can rise while share falls if total category volume grew more.

Related sources

  • Binet, L., & Field, P. The Long and the Short of It. IPA. (Share of Search as market share predictor)
  • Google Trends. https://trends.google.com
  • Think with Google. Share of Search as a brand health metric.

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📘ConceptPillar
AI Share of Voice
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Brand SERP
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