IndexWatch 2023: SEO Visibility Winners UK 🇬🇧

From:

Luce Rawlings

Published: 17.01.2024

Find the IndexWatch UK losers report and IndexWatch US here.

As they do every year, Google implemented numerous algorithm updates aimed at enhancing search result quality, some of which rolled out in very quick succession. Amidst these events, the early sign of Google’s transition to the Search Generative Experience (SGE) emerged, with the introduction of infinite scroll, the reduction of FAQs and How-To content, and the removal of indented search results. Which domains managed to come out on top in 2023?

Towards the end of this article, you’ll find complete tables featuring the visibility winners. But before we jump into those, we’ve handpicked some interesting examples from the winners’ list and provided a closer look. What will you take away from these examples to amplify your own SEO strategies?

Increases for governmental & educational institutes

While Google consistently strives to improve search quality and relevance, it does seem that 2023’s algorithm updates have been more effective at distinguishing trusted and authoritative associations. Well-established education and government domains, previously lacking visibility, have now experienced substantial and much-deserved increases in their search engine visibility.

Oxford English Dictionary (OED)

OED.com, the digital home of the esteemed Oxford English Dictionary, has achieved its peak visibility on Google UK, scoring an all-time high Visibility Index of 38.81 (+2,677%) on the UK SERPs.

Operated by the Oxford University Press, this domain has been live since 1996(!), yet it has had minimal visibility on Google search until just before the October 2023 spam update rollout.

The directory that experienced the most organic growth was “/dictionary”. A retrospective analysis of the website reveals the consistent presence of definition pages, in some form, since at least 2009. Viewing various iterations of the homepage between then and now, we can also see the presence of an internal search function for words. Before 2009, access to the dictionary was also restricted to subscribers.

Since 9th October, this subfolder has obtained 206,660 new keyword rankings and increased positions for 1,748 search queries. All of the new positions acquired are associated with dedicated definition pages.

As of 2024, it is suggested that the Oxford English Dictionary boasts roughly 500,000 words. Considering this vast volume, it seems likely that Oxford University Press has been steadily uploading dictionary definitions to their website in the period leading up to October 2023. The sudden organic growth of this section appears to have been influenced by the month’s spam update and the subsequent October 2023 core update, further propelling its new-found search engine success.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The CIA’s website, cia.gov, has also seen tremendous organic visibility growth. Since January 2023, the domain’s visibility score has increased from 1.90 to 13.11 (+589.4%). Unlike OED.com, the Central Intelligence Agency website’s visibility improvements occurred around the time of the February 2023 product review update.

The section which has seen the biggest uptick in Google visibility is “/the-world-factbook”. The World Factbook is a comprehensive online publication maintained and updated by the CIA. It provides detailed information and statistics about countries worldwide. The factbook has been available to the public since 1997, with its dedicated subfolder created in 2017 and redirected until January 2021.

The World Factbook directory has seen notable organic growth across several subsections, but the most significant improvement has occurred within “/countries”. The primary “/countries” page contains a list of countries. When clicked into, these pages contain information associated with each country including about their economy, government, demographics, geography and transportation.

The country-level pages, in terms of both content and structure, typically maintain a top-level approach. This indicates that the increased visibility of the resource is more likely attributed to the freshness, quality, and credibility of information rather than substantial content expansion.

As of 6th February 2023, when “/the-world-factbook/countries” started to gain organic momentum, this section has acquired 30,400 brand new keyword positions and seen improvements in rankings for 3,501 terms.

Upticks for user-generated content

In 2023, the algorithm updates emphasised an increased priority on user experience. This prompted Google to incorporate opinions into search as well as information. This empowered search engine users to be more confident in their determination of the truth regarding a variety of topics and online entities. This also led to increased SERP visibility for websites formed through UGC (user-generated content) or containing UGC elements, such as forums.

LinkedIn

Over the past year, Linkedin.com has seen a surge in its organic visibility, marked by a significant uplift of 331.26 Visibility Index (VI) points.

Prior to 2023, the domain had been steadily gaining traction on Google UK. Yet, February’s product review update does seem to have paved the way for further organic growth.

LinkedIn’s heightened visibility can be attributed to advancements in various segments of its website, particularly within the “/company” section on both the root domain and the UK subdomain, along with the “/pulse” section.

If you are a LinkedIn user, the “/pulse” directory may be familiar. However, for those unacquainted, this specific area serves as the focal point for one of LinkedIn’s latest features: Collaborative Articles. This feature extends invitations to subject matter experts to share insights and respond to questions on specific topics. In the realm of SEO, typical subject matters covered include but are not linked to, link building, content creation and keyword research.

Despite receiving a mixed reception from users, the introduction and expansion of Collaborative Articles have undeniably contributed to significantly enhancing LinkedIn’s overall SEO performance. Whilst specific articles do not reside in “/pulse”, the list of topic categories which link to article URLs – located in “/advice” – are grouped within this particular subfolder. This has essentially created a vast collection of high-authority knowledge hubs on specialist areas cross-industry; from Business Administration to Manufacturing and everything in between.

The “/pulse” directory bolstered 22% of the domain’s total ranking improvements and a whopping 49% of newly acquired keyword positions within the last 12 month period.

Reddit

Reddit.com, one of the largest forum websites on the internet, has boasted an impressive increase of 469.47 VI points compared to January 2023. After a relatively stable start to the year, Reddit’s organic visibility started to experience gains around the time of the August 2023 core update.

When comparing keyword ranking distribution from 16th January 2023 to 1st January 2024, the improvements are phenomenal. The number of keywords rankings across the top 3 search result pages has increased significantly, with Page 2 acquiring approx. 77K new positions, Page 3, approx. 65K and Page 1, approx. 40K (approx. 177K combined).

Inspecting the domain’s directories, we can see that the one which has seen the biggest increase in Google visibility is “/r”. This directory is the home of all of the site’s subreddits – communities/forums within the Reddit platform and their associated user replies.

From delving into keyword ranking data for the “/r” section pre-August Core Update vs 1st January 2024, 149,166 existing rankings have experienced positive influxes. The domain has also obtained 280,586 brand-new keyword rankings.

This suggests that Reddit’s recent SEO success comes down to a combination of content expansion (through the creation of new subreddits) as well as Google’s algorithm giving real-life experience and viewpoints more priority in the search results. But the real question is, is this change for the better?

Enhancements in Ecommerce

Along with educational, government and UGC-based resources, ecommerce websites have also reaped the rewards of 2023’s array of algorithmic shifts.

AWD-IT

AWD-IT is a gamer’s paradise; providing an array of computer components and pre-built computers as well as custom build services for those looking to curate the perfect PC for the optimum gaming experience. 

Since January 2023, awd-it.com’s organic visibility has improved by a staggering 434.46%. Like Reddit, it seems that the August core update was the catalyst for AWD-IT’s visibility growth.

Digging into awd-it.com’s directory data, there is a standout performer – the “/components” section. This particular area includes a diverse range of computer components, with customers able to browse and purchase everything from processors and motherboards to operating systems.

Since 2021, this section has consistently upheld a strong organic search presence vs other areas of the site. The recent surge in performance suggests that the domain may have undergone beneficial changes in more recent years.

Upon examining historical iterations of the website, it becomes apparent that AWD-IT’s design has undergone a significant evolution. In October 2021, the website’s aesthetic differed tremendously. The main menu was positioned within a sidebar, and the primary content was framed by two full-height banners. The design of these banners resembled sponsored placements, although the embedded links were, in fact, internal.

Nevertheless, come January 2022, a revamped website design was introduced. Subsequent to this transition, the homepage design has witnessed several iterations, reflecting the team’s ongoing efforts to experiment with content and functionality placement (e.g. altering the appearance and location of the internal search function).

However, among all these alterations, the one that the most aligns with Google’s intensified focus on E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness & Trust) is the prominent integration of Trustpilot reviews, key product and service benefits alongside the highlighting of payment plans and warranties. Additionally, on product pages, there has been a shift from a Trustpilot widget directing users to the overarching company profile to a more focused approach, featuring product-specific reviews.

While these elements have always held great significance, the current cost of living crisis and reduced disposable income amongst users have elevated their importance to a critical level, making them imperative to highlight in an area of the design where they cannot be missed.

Radley

Radley.co.uk, the UK destination for Radley’s collection of designer leather handbags, purses and accessories, has experienced a remarkable increase of 316.52% in Google SERP visibility compared to the same time last year.

Similarly to AWD-IT, Radley’s SERP visibility remained relatively stabe until 2023. However, the more recent uplift in radley.co.uk’s search success appears to be associated with the February product update rather than the August core update.

Since the February update, radley.co.uk has acquired 14,985 new rankings and seen improved positions for 8,167 existing keywords. But is there a specific directory that has led to these uplifts?

A closer inspection of the directories confirms that in fact, “/handbags” has seen phenomenal growth since the February product update (+330.94%). This indicates that, like AWD-IT, Radley may also have made some pivotal changes in previous years.

Delving deeper into “/handbags” we can reveal the efficiency of the directory. Over 30% of the keywords for which the directory rank for are ranking on page 1. This is an excellent result. On average, successful directories reach about 25% page 1 distribution. If you’re interested in finding more high-performance directories, from many sectors and website types, take a look at the Visibility Leaders project.

2023 winners: the complete list (absolute & percentage tables)

Here is the full list of winning domains. We have included two tables containing the top domains (absolute and percent). These have been filtered to remove adult content.

Percentage increases:

Absolute increases:

Conclusion

Like every year, 2023 has presented its set of challenges. The ongoing emphasis on E-E-A-T underscores a continuous trend in the Search Generative Experience (SGE), emphasising the need to prioritise aspects that enhance user experience, brand trust, and credibility. As SEOs, what key insights can we extract from the domains that have excelled this year?

• A lack of a ranking doesn’t necessarily reflect a shortcoming on your brand’s part. In instances involving prominent and long-established domains like the Oxford English Dictionary and the CIA, it appears that, for some reason, Google hasn’t shown them the TLC they deserve until 2023.

• Likewise, algorithm updates may also determine how much of certain content types are included in the search engine results, and this is also beyond our control. For example, to align with their objectives for SGE, more user-generated content has been ranked for specific long-tail queries.

• Making the simplest user experience changes and incorporating elements into your design that provide strong E-E-A-T signals can make a huge difference to a website’s overall ranking potential. AWD-IT are a great example of this.

• Small mistakes can create lasting issues which may take longer than expected to resolve. In the case of Radley, it has taken a number of years for their “/grab-bags” subsection to start to see regular organic visibility.

Methodology

The leading domains have been determined through SISTRIX’s Visibility Index, a metric that assigns a score to each domain analysed within Google’s UK SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages). This database evaluates the organic ranking performance of approximately 100 million keywords across various domains, encompassing both mobile and desktop devices.

The Visibility Index reflects changes resulting from changes in organic SERPs and average search volume. This removes external elements such as seasonality, events and national holidays. Find out how the Visibility Index Score is calculated.

IndexWatch 2023 in six countries

• IndexWatch UK Winners
• IndexWatch UK Losers
• IndexWatch USA Winners
• IndexWatch USA Losers
• IndexWatch DE Winners
• IndexWatch DE Losers
• IndexWatch ES Winners
• IndexWatch ES Losers
• IndexWatch IT Winners
• IndexWatch IT Losers
• IndexWatch FR Winners
• IndexWatch FR Losers