> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mavel.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Share of Voice

> Your brand's share of all tracked-brand mentions in your category's AI answers: the competitive measure of how much of the conversation is yours.

Share of Voice (SoV) is the fraction of all brand mentions across your tracked brand set that belong to your brand, over the selected scope. It answers the competitive question: of all the times an AI engine named any brand we track, how often was it ours?

Formally: `SoV = your brand's mentions ÷ total mentions across all tracked brands`, expressed as a percentage. If Mavel captured 1,000 brand mentions in the selected window, and 340 of them named your brand, your SoV is 34%.

## Why it is zero-sum

SoV is zero-sum within the tracked set: your SoV rising means your competitors' combined SoV falls by the same amount. Unlike Visibility (which can rise for every brand if AI engines start mentioning more brands per answer), SoV can only shift when the relative distribution of mentions changes. A category where every brand gains visibility equally will show flat SoV for all, which is the correct read.

## How mentions are counted

A mention is recorded once per captured answer per brand: the brand's appearance in that answer, regardless of how many times it is repeated in the text. An answer that names your brand three times contributes exactly one mention toward the SoV count. The SoV denominator is the sum of mentions across every brand in your tracked set (your brand plus the competitors you have configured) for the selected prompts, surfaces, and date window.

<Note>
  SoV is computed against the brands you track. Adding or removing a competitor changes the denominator and therefore every brand's SoV number. A 40% SoV with two minor competitors tracked and a 40% SoV against your entire category are very different achievements. Keep the competitor list stable over time if you want trend data that is comparable week to week. See [Brands and competitors](/setup/brands).
</Note>

## How to use it

<Steps>
  <Step title="Set up your competitor list once, then keep it stable">
    Go to [Brands and competitors](/setup/brands) and confirm you are tracking the brands that matter for your category. SoV is only meaningful if the set reflects real competitive alternatives your buyers consider.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read SoV alongside Visibility">
    The Top Brands table on the Overview shows both metrics. A brand can have high visibility and low SoV if it appears in many answers but shares those answers with many competitors who appear even more. Conversely, low visibility with high SoV means the category is rarely mentioned and you dominate what little coverage exists.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Filter by topic">
    SoV varies sharply by topic. You may own the conversation on "integrations" prompts while a competitor dominates "enterprise" prompts. Topic-level SoV tells you where to compete and where to concede.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Watch the delta">
    The period-over-period delta on SoV shows who gained and who lost share over the window. A competitor gaining share is often visible here before it shows up in your own visibility declining.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## How to interpret it

**Rising SoV with rising Visibility**: you are outgrowing the category in AI coverage. The best outcome.

**Rising SoV with flat Visibility**: you are gaining share from competitors, but the category's overall AI mention rate is not growing. You are winning a fixed-size pool.

**Flat SoV with rising Visibility**: the category is growing evenly. All brands are gaining AI coverage proportionally. No competitive advantage is being built or lost.

**Falling SoV**: competitors are capturing more of the category's AI mention share. This is the signal to investigate which prompts you are losing, which surfaces are driving the shift, and which source domains are being cited instead of yours.

## Relationship to the other metrics

SoV is the competitive summary. [Visibility](/results/visibility) is the absolute measure of your own presence. [Position](/results/position) tells you where in the answer you appear. [Sentiment](/results/sentiment) tells you how you are described. A brand can have high SoV and still have low sentiment: it dominates the conversation but not favorably. Read all four on the [Metrics overview](/results/metrics-overview).