Longstanding search-engine optimization metrics are becoming less informative. Many do not translate into traffic, owing to Google’s new features in search result pages, such as “People also ask,” local packs, and image packs. Moreover, AI-generated answers, called “snapshots,” will soon appear in Google’s Search Generative Experience.
Domain authority is an example. It attempts to assess site strength solely from backlinks despite Google de-emphasizing their importance.
So how do we evaluate modern SEO performance? Here are three of my new go-to metrics.
Brand Authority from Moz
Moz’s new Brand Authority reflects a brand’s search engine strength on a scale of 1 to 100. The metric is mainly based on the variety and volume of branded search queries, including the business and product names.
Moz’s new “Brand Authority” reflects a brand’s search engine strength on a scale of 1 to 100. Click image to enlarge.
Brand Authority helps evaluate and compare your brand’s strength to competitors’. It’s handy for diagnosing ranking losses and gauging viral marketing and public relations campaigns.
There is no “good” Brand Authority — some niches have limited opportunities for exposure. Use the metric to compare sites and tactics. For example, a competitor gaining in rankings could have an elevated Brand Authority score. Investigate what they’re doing to achieve it.
Authority Score from Semrush
Authority Score by Semrush measures the reputation and trustworthiness of a website based on several factors:
- The number and quality of external backlinks. Links from high Authority Score sites increase the grade.
- How the site ranks for relevant, highly competitive keywords.
- Red flags, such as referring domains from the same IP network and a too-high percentage of dofollow links.
Semrush’s algorithm combines those assessments and more to assign an Authority Score from 1 to 100.
It’s a relative metric for comparing domains in similar niches, not an absolute mark. Thus, like Moz’s Brand Authority, there’s no good or bad Authority Score. Use it for higher-listing sites to evaluate the ranking difficulty of specific keywords.
Semrush’s Authority Score combines multiple factors. It’s a relative metric for comparing domains in similar niches. Click image to enlarge.
Visual Rank from DemandSphere
Gone are the days when Google served 10 blue links per page that matched a search query. We could actually estimate organic click-throughs based on a position!
No more. Search results now include visual and interactive elements that engage users, distract them from clicking, and encourage them to scroll deeper. Hence we cannot evaluate SEO performance from rankings alone.
Visual Rank from DemandSphere reflects “share of voice,” the pixel percentage of a search-result page occupied by a site or brand.
The tool analyzes a given query’s top 20 SERP features — organic listings, ads, knowledge panels, images, videos, and more. It then assigns values to the features based on their prominence and visibility to searchers. For instance, top organic listings likely have higher values than sidebar ads, but lower listings could have less.
Google itself could have a high Visual Rank given the SERP sections with no external links, such as answers and ads.
Visual Rank from DemandSphere reflects “share of voice” (SoV), the pixel percentage of a search-result page occupied by a site or brand. Click image to enlarge.
