Visibility Index: Meaning, Benchmarks and How to Improve It

A visibility indexThe visibility index is an SEO metric that condenses many of a domain's organic Google rankings into a single value. It shows whether search visibility is rising, stagnating or falling.Open glossary entry → shows how present a website is in organic Google results. It combines many rankings into one number. At a glance, you see whether your visibility is rising, stagnating or falling.

But there is no single visibility indexIndexing is the step in which a search engine processes crawled content and decides whether a URL is added to the search index. Only indexed pages can appear in search results.Open glossary entry →. Every tool calculates differently. SISTRIX weights a huge keywordA keyword is the search term users enter into a search engine to find information, products or providers. Keywords are the basis against which rankings and visibility are measured.Open glossary entry → set by search volume and click probability. RankScan measures only your own keywords with the Search VisibilitySearch visibility describes how present and findable a website is in the organic search results. It is not the same as traffic, but reflects theoretical findability.Open glossary entry → Score and compares you with the strongest provider in your market.

This article explains both approaches. It shows how the RankScan search score is calculated, what a good score is and what to do when a topic is below 50.

A visibility index is not a Google metric and not a revenue metric. It is a compass for your search presence.

What Is a Visibility Index? #

A visibility index combines organic Google rankings into one value. Instead of checking hundreds of keywords one by one, you see one number for the whole domain or for a topic.

Every visibility index answers the same question: how often and how far up does a website appear for the search terms the tool observes? The answer depends heavily on which search terms these are and how the tool weights positions.

Is the Visibility Index a Google Metric? #

No. There is no official Google visibility index. The visibility index is a tool metric. SISTRIX, XOVI, Semrush, Ahrefs and RankScan use their own keyword sets and their own calculations.

This means:

• A SISTRIX value is not comparable with a Semrush value.
• A SISTRIX value is not comparable with the RankScan search score.
• What matters is the trend within the same tool.

So choose one leading system and follow the trend there.

How Tools Like SISTRIX Calculate It #

This section describes a third-party method. RankScan calculates differently, see the next section.

SISTRIX describes the calculation of its visibility index in three steps:

1. Keyword set: For each country, SISTRIX collects the search results for one million keywords. The keywords form a cross-section of search volume. The organic results count, usually 100 per keyword.
2. Weighting: Every result counts according to the search volume of the keyword and the expected click probability of its position.
3. Summation: The weighted values of all rankings of a domain add up to its visibility index.

Source: SISTRIX: Calculation of the Visibility Index

At SISTRIX, a ranking on a heavily searched term therefore counts more than a better ranking on a rarely searched term. The index says a lot about the market position of a large domain. For a small niche website, the general keyword set often contains only a few of its search terms. Its value is then small, even if it performs well on its own topics.

The RankScan Search Visibility Score #

RankScan does not measure visibility with a general keyword set. The Search Visibility Score uses only the keywords you have added to your topics. So the question is: how much of what is achievable in your market have you already won?

The score exists for the whole property and for each topic. It ranges from 0 to 100.

Points per Keyword #

For each keyword, your best position up to the measured depth counts. The position earns points:

Your own points are the average over all keywords. Two things deliberately do not count:

• Brand keywords: Keywords with your own brand name are left out. For "your brand" you are almost always first, and every competitor would look weak.
• Search volume: Every keyword counts the same. You chose the keywords yourself because they matter to your business.

Leader and Reference Value #

The leader is the strongest provider on the same keywords. RankScan calculates its points the same way as yours. A provider is a competitor you have added or the domain of a brand that RankScan rates as relevant in your market. Platforms, directories and your own domain are never the leader.

The leader of a topic is the same as in the RankScan comparison table and in the task Gap to the leader.

If nobody in a market is well visible, the comparison with the leader would be too easy. That is why a reference value of 30 points applies. If the leader has fewer, the first half of the score measures against 30. The score card tells you when the reference value applies.

Target #

The second half measures against a fixed target of 70 points. 70 points is an average. If all keywords are on positions 4 to 10, the result is exactly 70. Mixed positions can give the same average: one keyword on position 1 (100 points) and one on positions 11 to 20 (40 points) also give 70. The target therefore does not guarantee that every keyword is in the top 10. This way, even a leader sees how much room is left.

The Formula #

Search score = 100 × ( ½ × min(1, own points ÷ max(leader, 30))
+ ½ × min(1, own points ÷ 70) )

RankScan rounds the result to a whole number.

Example with made-up numbers: You have 35 points, the leader 57.

• Leader half: 35 ÷ 57 gives about 0.61, half of that 0.31.
• Target half: 35 ÷ 70 gives 0.5, half of that 0.25.
• Score: 100 × (0.31 + 0.25) gives 56.

Second example, also made up: You have 20 points, the leader only 25. The reference value applies, so the first half measures against 30.

• Leader half: 20 ÷ 30 gives about 0.67, half of that 0.33.
• Target half: 20 ÷ 70 gives about 0.29, half of that 0.14.
• Score: about 48, even though you are ahead of the leader.

When Is a Score Calculated? #

The score needs enough measurements. A value is only calculated when a stored results list exists for at least 80 % of the keywords. If single measurements are missing, the card shows "Score from n of m keywords". Below that threshold, it shows "Too few keywords measured" instead of a score.

Visibility Index and Search Score Compared #

Both values are useful. They simply answer different questions.

What Is a Good Visibility Index? #

For a classic visibility index, there is no universally good value. A local dentist, a Swiss B2B provider and a national publisher have completely different potential. Such a value is always relative to industry, country, market size and competitors.

The RankScan search score is different. It already has a benchmark built in: the leader and the target. The card classifies it like this:

A score of 100 means: you are at least tied with the leader and reach the target. A score below 100 is therefore normal even for market leaders.

How to Read the Score #

In the "Search" Chapter of the Task List #

The search score is not a task. It has no status, and you do not report it as done. In the task list, it appears as a goal in the chapter header of the "Search" chapter:

Search: 3 of 5 topics at 50 or above · Score 62

The first number counts the active topics with a score of 50 or above. The second counts all topics with a score. The third is the score of the whole property. Below it are the tasks that can raise the score.

On the "Search Visibility" Page #

The score card shows your score and the change since the comparison date. The sentence next to it usually names the leader. The comparison table shows the leader, other providers and the competitors you have added, with their points per keyword and the number of their top 10 keywords. The topic table shows which topic pulls ahead and which holds back.

Trend Instead of a Single Value #

A single value says little. Watch the trend. After a jump, first check whether the keyword set has changed. New or removed keywords shift the score without any change to your website.

Topic Below 50: What Now? #

A score below 50 means: in this topic, you win less than half of what is achievable. Usually too few keywords are in the top 10, or the leader is clearly ahead of you.

Look at the Tasks of the Topic First #

These tasks work on individual keywords or pages and fit a weak topic. The first four are in the "Search" chapter, the last one in the "Technical" chapter:

• "Gap to the leader": The leader is in the top 10 for a keyword, you are worse than position 20. More in the article Gap to the leader.
• "Lost ranking": A keyword has dropped clearly in two measurements in a row. More in the article declining rankings.
• "Pages at the edge of the top positions": Pages with an average position between 5 and 20 according to Search ConsoleGoogle Search Console (GSC) is a free Google tool that shows how a website performs in organic search, with data on impressions, clicks, click-through rate and average position, plus indexing and technical issues.Open glossary entry →. More in the article striking distance keywords.
• "Wrong page ranks": A different page than the chosen one ranks for a keyword. More in the article keyword cannibalization.
• "Topic page missing": The topic has no page yet that carries the subject. More in the article page for a topic.

Work through these tasks in their order. Each one states its own check. The score follows with the next ranking measurements.

Review: No Step Can Be Derived #

Sometimes a topic is below 50, but no task fits. RankScan then lists the topic in the chapter header as a review: "No step can be derived. Check the prompts, keywords and the page of the topic."

For search, this means:

1. Check the keywords: Do the keywords match your offering? A keyword for which you have no matching service lowers the score without you being able to win it. Remove it or move it to a fitting topic.
2. Check the page of the topic: Is a page selected as "Page for this topic"? Does it carry the subject in its title, H1The H1 is a web page's main heading. It names the central topic, is visible to users and should generally appear only once per page.Open glossary entry → and subheadings?
3. Look at the leader: Open the comparison table. Is the leader really a provider like you? If an important competitor is missing, add it.

Visibility Is Not the Same as Traffic #

Visibility measures where you stand. Traffic measures who clicks. The two do not always move together.

Visibility can rise without traffic rising when:

• rankings rise for keywords with little demand,
• elements of the results pageThe Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page a search engine returns after a query. Besides the organic listings it often contains extra elements such as ads, featured snippets or AI Overviews.Open glossary entry → take clicks away,
• AI OverviewsAI Overviews are AI-generated answer boxes from Google that appear above the classic search results. They summarize information from the web and can change click distribution.Open glossary entry → deliver the answer directly,
• your snippetA snippet is the compact display of a result in the search results, usually made up of a title, URL and description. It is what users see before clicking.Open glossary entry → is weak.

Traffic can rise without visibility changing when:

• seasonal demand rises,
• more people search for your brand,
• you have improved a snippet.

When traffic changes, Google recommends checking the performance data in Search Console and segmenting it by query, page, country and device. Source: Google Search Central: Debugging drops in Google Search traffic

The RankScan search score measures positions, not clicks. The "Search Visibility" page shows clicks from Google Search separately once Search Console is connected.

Visibility, Clicks and AI Overviews #

A website can keep ranking well and still get fewer clicks. Often this is due to elements above the organic results:

• AI Overviews,
• featured snippetsA featured snippet is a highlighted answer excerpt that Google displays above the classic results. It answers a query directly and is often called position zero.Open glossary entry →,
• "People also askPeople Also Ask (PAA) is a Google SERP element that shows related questions with expandable answers. It helps users explore a topic further and can affect clicks.Open glossary entry →",
• local results,
• shopping results,
• ads.

Google describes AI Overviews and AI Mode as search features that use content from the web and can show websites as sources. Source: Google Search Central: AI features and your website

The search score counts organic positions only. How often AI assistants name your brand, RankScan measures separately in the AI VisibilityAI Visibility describes whether and how visible a brand, website or person is in AI-generated answers. It measures mention, position, description and source linking across multiple platforms and prompts.Open glossary entry → Score. More in the article Generative Engine Optimization.

Why Visibility Stays Low #

These causes are general SEOSearch Engine Optimization (SEO) covers all measures that help a website become more visible in unpaid (organic) search results.Open glossary entry → knowledge. They apply to every visibility index.

1. Too Few Top 10 Rankings #

Many keywords on positions 20 to 50 earn hardly any points. In the search score, positions 4 to 10 count 70 points, positions 11 to 20 only 40. The step onto page one therefore has a strong effect.

2. Wrong Keyword Coverage #

The website ranks for niche terms, but not for its main topics.

3. Search Intent Missed #

The page does not match the type of search results. A guide rarely ranks for a keyword where Google shows shops.

4. Wrong Page or No Page #

Two of your own pages compete for one keyword, or there is no matching page at all.

5. Technical Brakes #

Indexing errors, wrong canonicals, noindexnoindex is a robots directive telling search engines that a page should not appear in search results. The page must remain crawlable for it to work.Open glossary entry → or slow renderingJavaScript rendering is the process by which a browser or crawler executes JavaScript code to build the final, visible page. Content that is not already in the delivered HTML only appears after this step.Open glossary entry → limit visibility.

6. Strong Competitors #

Sometimes your own page is good, but the leader is better: more content for the search intentSearch intent is the goal behind a search query: does the user want to learn something, buy something or reach a specific page? Content only ranks well if it matches this intent.Open glossary entry →, more links from other websites, clearer snippets.

Improving Visibility: The Most Important Levers #

These levers are also general SEO knowledge. In RankScan, the tasks in the "Search" chapter lead to the specific keywords and pages.

1. Keywords close to page one first: Pages on positions 5 to 20 already have relevance. Targeted expansion often moves them forward faster than a new page.
2. Match the search intent: Compare your page with the top results. Do page type, structure and questions fit?
3. One page per topic: Choose one page for each topic and strengthen it. Avoid two pages for the same keyword.
4. Update content: Add what is missing and keep facts current. More in the article updating content.
5. Improve snippets: A clear title and a good meta descriptionThe meta description is an HTML element in the page <head> that briefly summarises the page's content. Google can display it as the description in the search result.Open glossary entry → get more clicks from the same position.
6. Keep the technology clean: Indexability, canonicals and page speed are the basis.
7. Win links: Outside the top 20, authority is often missing. Links from fitting websites help.

Do not optimize the number. Optimize the right rankings for the right topics.

Example: Many Rankings, but a Low Search Score #

The numbers in this example are made up.

Starting Point #

A B2B provider tracks 20 keywords without brand keywords in one topic. It ranks almost everywhere, but rarely on page one:

Positions 2 to 3: 1 keyword (90 points)
Positions 4 to 10: 3 keywords (70 points each)
Positions 11 to 20: 6 keywords (40 points each)
Positions 21 to 50: 8 keywords (20 points each)
not found: 2 keywords (0 points)

That gives 700 points, an average of 35 points per keyword. The leader has 50 points.

• Leader half: 35 ÷ 50 gives 0.7, half of that 0.35.
• Target half: 35 ÷ 70 gives 0.5, half of that 0.25.
• Score: 60.

What Helps #

Six keywords are on positions 11 to 20. If the provider brings four of them into the top 10, its points rise from 35 to 41. The score rises to about 70, without a single new keyword.

The way there leads through the tasks of the topic: "Pages at the edge of the top positions" for the pages with impressionsImpressions indicate how often a website's search result was shown in Google Search, regardless of whether it was clicked. They are a core Google Search Console metric and reflect a page's raw visibility for given queries.Open glossary entry →, "Gap to the leader" for keywords where the leader is in the top 10.

Common Interpretation Mistakes #

Mistake 1: Confusing Visibility with Revenue #

A high value is not a business model. What matters is whether the visibility brings the right people.

Mistake 2: Comparing Tools Directly #

A SISTRIX value, a Semrush value and the RankScan search score measure different things. Only compare the trend within the same tool.

Mistake 3: Counting Brand Keywords #

Rankings for your brand show existing demand. The search score therefore leaves them out. Growth shows in the keywords without your brand.

Mistake 4: Misreading Score Jumps #

If the keyword set of a topic changes, the score changes too. After a jump, first check whether keywords were added or removed.

Mistake 5: Keeping Irrelevant Keywords #

A keyword that does not match your offering lowers the score permanently. Maintain the keyword set like a target list.

Mistake 6: Creating Too Much New Content #

More pages do not automatically increase visibility. It is often better to improve and merge existing pages.

Checklist: How to Analyse Visibility Correctly #

This checklist is general. You find the RankScan-specific points directly in the app.

• Which tool is your leading system?
• How does the score develop over several weeks?
• Which topics are below 50?
• Who is the leader, and does the reference value apply?
• Do the keywords of each topic match your offering?
• Does each topic have a selected page?
• Which keywords are on positions 11 to 20?
• Which important keywords do not rank at all?
• Which tasks are open in the "Search" chapter?
• Do visibility, clicks and enquiries match?

In addition, declining rankings, Gap to the leader and Generative Engine Optimization help you narrow down the cause and define the next steps.

Conclusion: Visibility Is a Compass, Not a Goal in Itself #

A visibility index helps you understand how your search presence develops. It is not a Google metric and not a revenue figure.

The RankScan search score measures your own keywords against the strongest provider and against a fixed target. This shows you how much is achievable in your market and how much you have already won.

If a topic is below 50, start with the tasks in the "Search" chapter. If there are none, check the keywords, page and leader of the topic.

Sources and Further Reading #

• SISTRIX: Calculation of the Visibility Index
• SISTRIX: Visibility Index
• Google Search Central: Debugging drops in Google Search traffic
• Google Search Central: AI features and your website