Observed Signal · Nov 20, 2023 · Analysis · Source: CMSWire · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Measure 'Share of Search' to Predict B2B Market Share
A CMSWire editorial argues that in B2B buying, familiarity and trust trump detailed feature comparisons, making brand awareness critical. It introduces 'share of search' as a free, predictive metric: a brand's search volume divided by the total searches in its competitor set. Using Google Trends and Semrush, marketers can track organic search share, which studies by Les Binet and James Hankins suggest correlates with 83% of a brand's market share and can anticipate market changes months ahead. The article advises expanding competitor lists beyond direct rivals and viewing search terms from a customer's perspective. It positions share of search as a practical tool for measuring brand activation success and understanding the B2B buying process.
Provides a free and simple metric for B2B marketers to measure brand awareness, but is not a major industry event or announcement.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- B2B buyers rely on familiarity and trust rather than detailed feature comparison.
- Share of search is defined as a brand's search volume divided by the total searches for all brands in a competitor set.
- Research by Les Binet suggests share of search can anticipate market share several months in advance.
- A study by James Hankins for the IPA found share of search represents 83% of a brand's market share.
- Marketers can measure share of search using free tools like Google Trends and Semrush.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mapped“You can use tools like Semrush to drill down into keyword search data further, for example to calculate the average position your brand rank...”
“That makes sense, he says, when you think of Google as Google does — 'the world's biggest database of human intentions.'...”
“according to a study led by Vizer Consulting's James Hankins for the IPA's new share of search think tank...”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
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