From ranking to Share of Voice: the shift
For years, the question was simple: "What position are we on Google?" Position 1, position 3, page 2... These metrics guided all SEO decisions. Each position gained translated directly into clicks, traffic, conversions.
In 2026, this logic collapses. When 65% of Google searches result in no clicks and AI Overviews respond directly to users, position in SERPs loses its meaning. The user gets their answer without ever visiting your site.
The new strategic question: "What percentage of AI responses mention our brand?"
This is the AI Share of Voice - the metric that redefines visibility in the age of answer engines.
What is AI Share of Voice?
AI Share of Voice (AI SoV) measures the percentage of relevant AI responses that mention, cite, or recommend your brand compared to the total responses on a set of target queries.
AI SoV = (Mentions of your brand / Total AI responses) x 100
On your target queries, across all AI platforms
Specifically, if you monitor 100 questions relevant to your sector and ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini mention your brand in 18 of their responses, your AI SoV is 18%.
This metric captures several dimensions:
- Direct citations - When AI names you explicitly as a source
- Recommendations - When AI suggests your product or service
- Contextual mentions - When your brand appears in the response
- Source attributions - When AI indicates it relied on your content
Why traditional rankings are becoming obsolete
The positional model relied on one hypothesis: the user browses a list of results and clicks. This hypothesis no longer holds.
The rise of direct answers
LLMs don't present a list - they synthesize a response. There is no longer a "position 1" when the response is a unified paragraph. Either you are cited, or you are absent.
The decline of organic clicks
Platform fragmentation
Your audience no longer searches only on Google. They ask ChatGPT for advice, Perplexity for in-depth research, Claude for analysis. Each platform has its own index, its own selection criteria. A Google ranking guarantees nothing on ChatGPT.
Non-linearity of AI responses
In traditional SEO, position 1 > position 2 > position 3. With AI, a brand can be mentioned first in one response and absent from the next on a similar question. SoV captures this variability that static rankings ignore.
The metrics that matter now
AI Share of Voice breaks down into several complementary indicators:
1. Citation Rate
Frequency at which your brand is explicitly cited as a source in AI responses. A high rate indicates that AI consider you a reliable reference.
2. Mention Frequency
Number of times your brand appears in responses, even without formal citation. Measures your presence in the AI's "vocabulary".
3. Mention sentiment
AI don't just mention - they qualify. "Market leader", "popular solution" or "controversial option" don't have the same impact. Sentiment measures the tone of mentions.
4. Source attribution
When AI explicitly indicates relying on your content (via RAG), it's the strongest signal. This means your content was selected from the index to generate the response.
5. Position in response
Being mentioned first in a list of recommendations or last? Order matters, even in a synthetic response.
How to calculate your AI Share of Voice
Calculating AI SoV follows a four-step methodology:
Step 1: Define your query universe
Identify 50 to 200 questions that your target audience asks AI. Include:
- Informational questions ("What is...", "How...")
- Comparative questions ("What is the best...", "X vs Y")
- Transactional questions ("Where to buy...", "Price of...")
- Recommendation questions ("What do you recommend for...")
Step 2: Query AI platforms
Submit each query to the main platforms:
- ChatGPT (GPT-4) - Market leader
- Google AI Overviews - Integrated into searches
- Perplexity - Conversational search
- Claude - Strong in B2B and analysis
- Gemini - Google ecosystem
Step 3: Analyze responses
For each response, note:
- Presence/absence of your brand
- Type of mention (citation, recommendation, contextual mention)
- Position in the response
- Sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)
- Presence of competitors
Step 4: Calculate indicators
Overall SoV = (Responses with mention / Total responses) x 100
Then break down by platform, by query type, by competitor
Automate your AI SoV tracking
Our platform monitors your Share of Voice on the 4 main AI continuously.
Request a demoBenchmarking: positioning yourself against competitors
AI SoV takes its full meaning in comparison. A SoV of 15% can be excellent or mediocre depending on your market.
Building your competitive benchmark
Identify 3-5 direct competitors and measure their SoV on the same query universe. You get a map of AI visibility in your sector.
Analyze the gaps:
- Where do you outperform? - Capitalize on these strengths
- Where do you underperform? - Identify gaps to fill
- Who dominates which types of queries? - Detect opportunities
Sector reference benchmarks
According to our analyses, here are benchmarks by market maturity:
- Established leader: 25-40% AI SoV
- Major player: 15-25% AI SoV
- Challenger: 8-15% AI SoV
- New entrant: 2-8% AI SoV
Setting your AI visibility objectives and KPIs
AI SoV must integrate into your overall strategy. Here's how to structure your objectives:
Primary KPIs
- Overall AI SoV - Your aggregated share of voice
- SoV by platform - Performance on each AI
- Monthly evolution - Progression trend
Secondary KPIs
- Citation rate with source - Quality of mentions
- Sentiment score - Tone of mentions
- Gap vs leader - Distance to competitor #1
Realistic quarterly objectives
Starting from zero, a progression of +3-5 SoV points per quarter is ambitious but achievable with a structured AEO strategy.
Strategies to increase your Share of Voice
Improving your AI SoV requires a multi-dimensional approach:
1. Optimize for RAG
AI select their sources via RAG. Structure your content to be selected: direct answers, factual data, clear structure with schema markup.
2. Strengthen E-E-A-T
Authority and expertise remain major selection filters. 96% of AI Overviews citations come from sources with strong E-E-A-T.
3. Create "citable" content
AI favor content that directly answers questions. Original statistics, clear definitions, actionable lists.
4. Diversify signals
Wikipedia presence, press mentions, quality backlinks - these indirect signals influence the AI's perception of credibility.
5. Monitor and iterate
AI SoV fluctuates. Continuous monitoring allows you to identify drops and adjust quickly.
Reporting AI visibility to clients and stakeholders
AI SoV must be communicated clearly to decision makers:
Recommended reporting structure
- Executive summary - Overall SoV, trend, position vs competitors
- Platform detail - ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini performance...
- Mention analysis - Concrete examples of citations
- Recommendations - Actions for the next quarter
Effective visualizations
Prefer temporal evolution charts and competitive comparisons. SoV is better understood in context than in absolute value.
Linking to business impact
Correlate AI SoV to business metrics when possible: referral traffic from AI, brand mentions, incoming requests citing AI as source.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ: AI Share of Voice
AI Share of Voice is not an additional metric - it's the central metric of visibility in 2026. Brands adopting it now are building a measurable advantage while their competitors continue to monitor increasingly irrelevant rankings.
