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What is the visibility index?

The visibility index expresses the visibility of a domain in Google rankings. The higher this index is, the more visitors can be expected for this domain via Google. The visibility index can be used to measure the success of SEO measures, for example. The indicator can also be used for competitive analysis and algorithm update effects of Google

  • Belongs to the metrics that are important for SEO
  • Stands for the visibility of a domain on Google
  • Extensive keyword sets are used for calculation
  • Meaningful competitive analyses can be carried out with it

How the visibility index works

The visibility index is one of the metrics that are important for the search engine optimization of websites. Visibility is determined based on rankings of the page within a defined keyword data set. To generate the visibility index, the top 100 rankings of hundreds of thousands or even millions of keywords are continuously determined. These keywords are thematically very broad and cover the most common or most frequently searched terms or combinations thereof. A small part of these keywords is also adapted to current events, so that the index always remains meaningful. Depending on the tool provider (e.g. Sistrix), the visibility index is calculated from the ranking regarding the monitored keywords as well as the expected traffic from both the positioning and the keyword. The quality of the visibility index always depends on how extensive the keyword set of the respective provider is, how often this keyword set is updated and which keywords are really covered. Especially with regard to longtail, the data used for visibility indices is rather weak. A value in the visibility index can be considered good if it is better than those of most similar competitors on the market. However, this does not mean that the value cannot always be improved. How well a domain scores in the visibility index naturally depends on the depth, breadth and popularity of its content. The website of a major newspaper naturally has many more keyword rankings than, for example, an online olive oil shop, due to the wide range of topics it covers

The Visibility Index in Search Engine Optimization

The visibility index gives an approximate indication of how a page is developing from an SEO point of view. It is helpful to know the ranking history of the top keyword positions in the search result lists. But these positions do not say much about the real traffic and conversions achieved by the site. For long-term analyses, the visibility index provides clear indications as to whether a website was affected by a Google penalty, for example. Anyone evaluating such visibility indicators should always bear in mind that this index does not necessarily always reflect the current status. Usually, the data displayed is not live data, but can be several days old. With the help of the visibility index, meaningful competitive analyses can be carried out. For example, one can identify the most successful sites in a certain segment. These can then be used as so-called best practice examples to increase your own success. Thus, optimal, exemplary or proven SEO methods can be identified and adapted. The visibility index does not depend on external effects or seasonal cycles. Furthermore, increases in the visibility index do not necessarily have an immediate effect on traffic. From the point of view of SEO work, the visibility index has several advantages over tools like Google Analytics. First of all, extensive historical data has been available for over a decade for all domains in many countries. Furthermore, this data is not only for your own domain, but also for all competitors. The data is also free of trends or other dependencies such as weather, holidays and public holidays. Thus, there is a reliable measurability and evaluation possibility. Please note that the visibility index is only one of several important indicators for webmasters to check the success of measures. The focus should also always be on other KPIs such as traffic data and bounce rates or the length of stay. Such figures show how the user actually deals with the content of the website. One thing is certain: there is a strong correlation between the visibility index and the number of visitors via the Google search engine. However, it is not uncommon for the visibility index to be confused with the SEO Traffic Index

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