Search engine optimization metrics that have been used for many years are becoming less informative. Thanks to new features on Google's search results page, such as “People also ask,” local people packs, and image packs, many don't lead to traffic. Additionally, AI-generated answers called “snapshots” will soon appear in Google's Search Generative Experience.
Even domain authority is outdated. Although Google doesn't emphasize the importance of backlinks much, they still try to evaluate the strength of a site from backlinks alone.
So how can you evaluate your latest SEO performance? Here are three of my new go-to metrics.
Moz brand authority
Moz's new Brand Authority reflects a brand's search engine strength on a scale of 1 to 100. This metric is primarily based on the type and volume of branded search queries that include business and product names.
Moz's new Brand Authority reflects a brand's search engine strength on a scale of 1 to 100. Click on the image to enlarge.
Brand Authority helps you evaluate your brand's strengths and compare them to those of your competitors. Useful for diagnosing ranking declines and evaluating viral marketing and public relations campaigns.
There is no such thing as a “good” brand authority, and some niche markets have limited opportunities for exposure. Use this metric to compare sites and tactics. For example, a highly ranked competitor may have a high brand authority score that's worth researching.
Authority score from Semrush
Authority Score by Semrush measures a website's reputation and trustworthiness based on several factors:
- Number and quality of external backlinks. Links from sites with high authority scores will increase your grade.
- How your site ranks for relevant and competitive keywords.
- Red flags such as too high a percentage of domain referrals or dofollow links from the same IP network.
Semrush's algorithm combines these ratings and more to assign you an authority score from 1 to 100.
This is a relative metric for comparing domains in similar niches, not an absolute metric. So, just like Moz's brand authority, there is no right or wrong authority score. Used on top-ranked sites to evaluate ranking difficulty for specific keywords.
Semrush's authority score is a combination of several factors. This is a relative metric for comparing domains in similar niches. Click on the image to enlarge.
DemandSphere Visual Rank
Gone are the days when Google offered 10 blue links for every page that matched your search query. In fact, you can estimate organic click-throughs based on location.
No more. Search results now include visual and interactive elements that grab users' attention, distract them from clicking, and encourage them to scroll deeper. Therefore, rankings alone cannot evaluate SEO performance.
DemandSphere's Visual Rank reflects your “share of voice,” which is the percentage of pixels on a search results page that a site or brand occupies.
This tool analyzes the top 20 SERP features (organic listings, ads, knowledge panels, images, videos, etc.) for a given query. Then, assign values ​​to the features based on their prominence and visibility to searchers. For example, higher ranking organic listings may have more value than sidebar ads, while lower ranking listings may have less value.
Considering SERP sections with no external organic links such as answers or ads, Google itself may be able to obtain a high visual rank.
DemandSphere's Visual Rank reflects the “share of voice” (SoV), which is the percentage of pixels on a search results page that a site or brand occupies. Click on the image to enlarge.
