What Is Share of Search & How to Leverage It for Growth
In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses are constantly seeking ways to measure the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. Traditional performance metrics like impressions, click-through rates, and conversions offer valuable insights—but they don’t always capture the full picture of brand health or market position. That’s where more advanced brand awareness indicators come into play.
One increasingly valuable metric is Share of Search. Unlike traditional KPIs that focus on engagement or conversions, share of search tells you how often people are actively looking for your brand compared to your competitors. It’s a powerful, data-driven proxy for brand awareness and consideration.
Why does this matter? Because if more people are searching for your brand by name, it likely means your message is resonating, your visibility is growing, and you’re gaining traction in your market. And that can lead to real business growth—more traffic, more leads, and ultimately more sales.
In this guide, we’ll break down what share of search is, how to measure it, why it matters, and most importantly, how to increase it to stay ahead of your competitors.
What Is Share of Search?
Share of search refers to the percentage of search engine queries for your brand compared to the total searches for all brands in your industry or category. It’s a straightforward way to understand how often people are actively seeking out your brand online versus your competitors.
For example, imagine four fitness tracker brands: Brand A, Brand B, Brand C, and Brand D. If Brand A receives 120,000 searches out of a total of 335,000 searches across all four, its share of search is roughly 36%. This means over a third of all interest in that product category is directed toward Brand A.
In essence, share of search acts as a proxy for brand awareness and consumer interest. When more people are searching for your brand specifically—rather than just generic product terms—it indicates that your brand is top-of-mind, trusted, or gaining popularity. Tracking this over time can help you spot trends, measure marketing impact, and assess how well your brand stands out in a crowded market.
III. Share of Search vs. Share of Voice vs. Share of Market
While often used interchangeably, Share of Search, Share of Voice, and Share of Market are distinct metrics that reveal different aspects of your brand’s performance and visibility.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
- Share of Search: The percentage of branded search queries for your business compared to all brands in your category.
→ Measures brand interest and awareness online. - Share of Voice: The percentage of visibility or mentions your brand receives in a specific channel (e.g., social media, PPC, SEO) compared to competitors.
→ Reflects brand presence across marketing channels. - Share of Market (Market Share): Your brand’s percentage of total sales within a market.
→ Indicates actual business performance and customer acquisition.
Metric | Focus Area | Key Insight |
Share of Search | Search Engine Queries | Brand interest & awareness |
Share of Voice | Marketing Visibility | Channel presence vs. competitors |
Share of Market | Revenue/Sales | Business performance |
Together, these metrics give a holistic view of your brand—from visibility and awareness to actual sales performance—helping marketers make smarter, data-backed decisions.
IV. How to Calculate Share of Search
Calculating Share of Search is simple and relies on search volume data for your brand and your competitors within the same category.
The formula is:
Share of Search (%) =
(Search Volume for Your Brand ÷ Total Search Volume for All Brands in the Category) × 100
Example:
Let’s say you’re analyzing four skincare brands:
- Brand A: 120,000 searches
- Brand B: 90,000 searches
- Brand C: 50,000 searches
- Brand D: 75,000 searches
The total search volume is 335,000.
Brand A’s Share of Search = (120,000 ÷ 335,000) × 100 = 35.8%
This means that over one-third of people searching in this product category are specifically looking for Brand A—an indicator of strong brand interest.
To gather accurate search volume data, you can use tools like Google Trends (for relative comparisons) or Semrush’s Keyword Overview (for precise monthly search volumes). We’ll cover both tools in detail in the next section.
V. Why Share of Search Matters
Share of Search (SoS) is more than just a visibility metric—it’s a strong indicator of consumer intent and brand momentum. When people search for your brand by name, they’ve already moved beyond generic awareness. They’re curious, engaged, and often closer to making a purchase.
Branded searches signal higher intent than non-branded ones. For example, someone searching “best running shoes” is still exploring options. But someone searching “Brand X running shoes” is already familiar with your brand and possibly ready to buy.
That’s why tracking SoS over time can reveal the real-world impact of your marketing efforts. If your share is growing, your brand is likely gaining mindshare, outpacing competitors, and becoming more relevant in the eyes of consumers.
Rodrigo Cesar, CEO and Founder of SSinvent, puts it this way:
“Share of search is one of the most meaningful indicators of brand relevance and momentum. It doesn’t just measure how many people are searching in your category—it measures how many are specifically searching for you. That shift from generic to branded search is what tells me a brand is breaking through the noise.”
In short, a rising SoS means you’re not just competing—you’re leading. And that’s a valuable edge in any industry.
VI. Tools to Measure Share of Search
To accurately track your brand’s Share of Search, you need reliable tools that provide search volume data and comparative insights. Two of the most effective options are Google Trends and Keyword Overview tools like Semrush.
1. Google Trends
Google Trends allows you to compare branded search interest over time using indexed data from Google’s search engine.
How to use it:
- Go to Google Trends
- Enter your brand name and set your location.
- Click “Explore,” then select “+ Compare” to add competitor brands.
- Adjust the time range and search type (Web, Image, News, etc.) using filters.
Understanding the scores:
- A score of 100 represents peak interest for that brand in the selected time frame.
- A score of 0 means search volume was too low to register.
- These are relative values, not exact numbers, so they’re best for trend comparison over time.
Pro Tip: Bookmark the unique URL to quickly access up-to-date data whenever needed.