What is share of voice exactly and why is it so important for online sellers? Share of Voice (SoV) is a marketing metric that indicates what percentage of total visibility in a market your brand or product owns. For bol.com sellers, share of voice is a crucial indicator to understand how well your products perform compared to the competition in search results, ads, and organic listings.
What is share of voice and why is it important?
Share of Voice originally comes from the traditional advertising world and measures your brand's share of total market communication. In the context of e-commerce and platforms like bol.com, SoV refers to the percentage of all possible impressions your product receives for relevant keywords and categories. A high share of voice means your products are shown more often to potential customers, which directly leads to more sales.
The difference between share of voice and market share is important to understand. While market share is about actual sales, SoV measures visibility - the potential to reach customers. A product can have a high SoV but a low market share if conversion lags, or vice versa. Ideally, you work on both metrics simultaneously.
How do you calculate share of voice?
The basic formula for calculating share of voice is simple:
SoV = (Your impressions / Total market impressions) × 100%
Depending on the channel and context, you can calculate SoV in different ways. Below, you'll find an overview of the most commonly used methods:
| SoV-type | Formula | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Search results (organic) | Your organic impressions / Total organic impressions × 100% | Measuring findability in search trends |
| Adverts (paid) | Your ad impressions / Total ad impressions × 100% | Effectiveness of Sponsored Products campaigns |
| Social media | Your mentions / Total mentions in category × 100% | Brand awareness and reputation |
| Total SoV (blended) | Weighted average of all channels | Overall visibility in the market |
Share of voice on bol.com: how it works
On bol.com, share of voice is directly linked to how often your products are displayed when consumers search for relevant keywords. The platform uses a combination of factors to determine which products are shown, including:
- Organic ranking: How well your product scores based on SEO optimization, reviews, sales history, and content
- Paid adverts: Your investment in Sponsored Products and the associated ad budget
- Buy block ownership: Whether you own the buy block, which determines the visibility of your offer
- Availability and delivery time: Products that are quickly available get more visibility
SoV percentages and what they mean
To make the interpretation of share of voice concrete, look at the following benchmarks that are common on bol.com:
| SoV percentage | Interpretation | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | Your product is completely invisible to the target audience | Urgent action needed: SEO optimization, start advertising |
| 1-10% | Minimal visibility, well below average | Focus on keyword optimization and keyword research |
| 10-30% | Average visibility with growth potential | Refine advertising strategy, improve listings |
| 30-60% | Strong visibility, you're a serious player | Consolidate position, monitor competitors |
| 60-100% | Dominant position in the category | Defend position, optimize ACoS |
The difference between share of voice and share of market
A common mistake is to confuse share of voice with share of market. Although they're related, they fundamentally measure different things. Share of voice measures your visibility and reach - how many people see your product. Share of market measures your actual sales - how many people buy your product.
Research shows that there's a strong correlation between these two metrics. Brands with a share of voice higher than their market share (excess share of voice or ESOV) tend to grow faster. This is known as the "ESOV rule" from the work of marketing researchers Binet and Field: every percentage point of ESOV yields an average of 0.7% extra market share growth per year.
5 strategies to increase your share of voice on bol.com
1. Optimize your product listings for organic visibility
The foundation of a high share of voice starts with optimized product pages. Make sure your titles, bullet points, and descriptions contain the right keywords. Use the Listing Generator AI to optimize your listings with the most relevant search terms. A well-optimized listing can increase your organic SoV by 20-40% without extra advertising expenses.
2. Invest strategically in Sponsored Products
Paid advertising is the fastest way to increase your share of voice. By advertising on relevant keywords, you directly increase the number of impressions your product receives. Keep an eye on your ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) to ensure your investment remains profitable. A good strategy is to invest 10-15% of your revenue in advertising, focusing on keywords where your organic position is weak.
3. Monitor your competitors with a ranking tracker
You can't improve your share of voice if you don't know where you stand. Use a ranking tracker to monitor your positions daily for important keywords. This way, you'll see where you're losing visibility and where opportunities lie. With the Keyword Verkenner, you'll also discover new keywords with high volume and low competition.
4. Improve your conversion rate and reviews
Bol.com's algorithm rewards products that convert well and have positive reviews. More sales and better reviews lead to higher organic rankings, resulting in a higher share of voice. Ensure excellent product photos, competitive prices, and fast shipping. Every extra star in your average review score can significantly improve your visibility in search results.
5. Analyze search trends and seasonal patterns
Share of voice isn't a static metric - it fluctuates with seasons, trends, and competitor activity. By analyzing search trends, you can anticipate peak moments and adjust your strategy accordingly. Increase your ad budget in the run-up to busy periods and scale back when demand decreases. This way, you optimize your return on investment while maintaining a high SoV when it matters.
Measuring and analyzing share of voice: tools and methods
Manually calculating share of voice is time-consuming and prone to errors. Fortunately, there are tools that automate this process. For bol.com sellers, it's essential to choose a tool specifically tailored to the platform. With a product tracker, you can monitor not only your own positions but also those of your competitors, giving you a reliable picture of your relative share of voice.
The most important data points to collect are:
- Organic positions per keyword (track daily)
- Ad impressions and impression share from bol.com Advertising
- Buy block percentage - how often you own the buy block
- Competitor analysis - how many sellers there are per keyword and their positions
- Trend data - how your SoV develops over weeks and months
Frequently asked questions about share of voice
What's a good share of voice on bol.com?
This depends on your category and the number of competitors. If you're competing with 10 sellers, a SoV of 20-30% is already excellent. In niche markets with few competitors, you can aim for 50% or higher. The most important thing is that your SoV consistently grows and is higher than your market share (positive ESOV).
How often should I measure my share of voice?
Ideally, you should measure your SoV weekly for the most important keywords and monthly for a broader overview. Use a product tracker to automate this process. Daily measurements are useful for keywords you're actively advertising on, so you can quickly adjust.
Can I improve my share of voice without advertising?
Yes, organic optimization is a powerful and sustainable way to increase your SoV. By improving your SEO, collecting more reviews, increasing your conversion rate, and expanding your assortment, you can significantly boost your organic share of voice. Ads accelerate the process, but they're not an absolute requirement.
What's the difference between impression share and share of voice?
Impression share is a more specific metric that measures what percentage of available ad impressions you've received. Share of voice is broader and includes both organic and paid visibility. On bol.com, impression share corresponds to the SoV metric in the ad dashboard, while total share of voice also includes your organic positions.
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