This is behind the Visibility Index!

You are interested in website creation, search engine optimization and visibility. Then you have probably already come across the Visibility Index. In this article we will explain to you the function and mode of operation of the Visibility Index. We show how you can check and improve it.

Explanation of terms

The Visibility Index indicates the visibility of a website in the Google results (SERPs) in a key figure. The value can be used to determine the success of a website.

The visibility index increases with the number of rankings. Because the more rankings a website has, the higher the index and thus the visibility.

However, it should be noted that the Visibility Index only indicates the visibility of the website, not the traffic. Website traffic indicates the number of visitors to the website. A good Visibility Index therefore only means that the website is often shown in Google search results, but not how many visitors also end up on the website.

Since 2018, the visibility index has been the standard for evaluating the success of SEO measures. The index not only indicates the current situation, but also the development. The effects of Google updates can also be traced.

usefulness

The visibility index allows you to compare your website with the competition. The index has now been determined in over 40 countries and for around 100 million websites. You can compare your changes and developments with the competition worldwide.

calculation

The calculation of the visibility index depends on the tool used. There is no rule of thumb for the calculation, but the calculations are very similar.

search results

First, the search results for a large number (up to 1 million) keywords are determined. However, only the first 100 search results for the individual keywords are taken into account for the index. In addition, only organic hits are included. Google ads are not part of the Visibility Index. The number of keywords is exchanged regularly and adapted to current events.

weighting

The recorded search results are weighted in the next step. The search volume of the keywords, the search intention and the probability that a result will be clicked are used for the weighting. In order to calculate the Visibility Index, the ranking of the search results, the expected traffic of a website through the search volume and through the ranking as well as the search intention are required.

result

To get a result, all parts must be added. The result reflects the overall visibility index of the website. However, the tools can also display a partial index.

data update

The information about the interval at which the data is updated varies. Only intervals from once a week to not updated daily are given. The index is always created automatically at midnight and can be viewed for 90 days. Only the index created on Mondays is archived. This means that the values can also be compared historically.

limits

As with many things, the Visibility Index has limitations. We show you three limits that should be kept in mind.

→ Visibility and traffic

The visibility index measures the success of SEO measures. Visibility and traffic can collide strongly. Because if the index increases, this does not automatically mean that the traffic on a website also increases. The visibility index reflects the search engine optimization.

→ Keyword collections

Some websites deal with specific topics and are not in the interest of the general public. The keywords of such a niche site are usually not represented to a large extent in the keyword collections of the tools. As a result, the index for such a website will be relatively low.

It is similar with long tail keywords. Again, the keyword collection is very limited.

→ Combination and actuality

The Visibility Index involves only assumptions and probabilities in the area of traffic. In order to be able to make a clear statement, the visibility index should be combined with concrete traffic analyzes and web analyses.

It should also be noted that the index is not always up-to-date.

meaningfulness

The visibility index gives an indication of the success of an SEO measure. The index is suitable for understanding the development of the website and the influence of an update. A good visibility index shows that your website is seen on the internet. Conversely, a low score doesn’t mean you have a bad website. Because Google takes many different factors into account when ranking. For this reason, the index should be viewed with additionally determined values and data. The visibility index only serves as a point of reference for the evaluation of an SEO measure.

The same tool should always be used when calculating the index. Because, as already mentioned, there is no uniform formula for calculation. The visibility index can only be compared when using the same tool.

Conclusion

The visibility index gives a good overview of SEO measures. The index allows you to compare your own website with the website of the competition. However, the index also has limits and these should always be considered when grading.