2023 was an eventful year for the SEO industry and the Swedish market. In this report you’ll find the SISTRIX annual winners list and analysis of some of the most interesting sectors trending upwards.
- News publishers & national news media makes a timid comeback (SE, ES, DE)
- News publishers – national news (+272 pts absolute change YOY, 16% relative change YOY):
- In sync with Google standards, government & educational institution websites grew their footprints.
- University (+111 pts absolute, 18% relative):
- Government (+70 pts absolute, 4.6%):
- Weather forecast (+143 pts absolute, 65%) – Enhanced E-A-T factors boosted the visibility of expert sources:
- Manufacturers (+152 pts absolute, 35%) – From tech until automotive:
- Groceries (+113 pts absolute, 9%) – The giant increases its development:
- Streaming & online TV (+56 pts absolute, 4%) – A dynamic sector with competitive shifts:
- 2023 Winners: The complete list (absolute & percentage tables)
- Methodology
- Global IndexWatch 2023 reports
2023 in the rearview mirror
The end of 2023 was relatively chaotic with a concentration of updates providing a large volatility. The 2 Core Updates of August and November shook things up, reinforcing the value of E-A-T signals and strengthened high authority sites. The Helpful Content Updates improved the footprints of UGCs sites but without offering the surge that one could see in other markets (e.g. UK and US).
Let’s take a look at the key winning sectors and the sites which most contributed to these gains.
Winning Sectors (Absolute growth)
| Category | Total Absolute YOY Growth | Average Relative YOY Growth % |
|---|---|---|
| National News | 271.9 | 16% |
| Manufacturer | 152 | 35% |
| Weather Forecast | 143.4 | 65% |
| Groceries | 113.7 | 9% |
| University | 111.6 | 18% |
| Travel Reviews | 82.4 | 20% |
| Movies | 80.7 | 21% |
| Government | 69.8 | 5% |
| Radio | 58.6 | 28% |
| Streaming & Online TV | 56.7 | 4% |
News publishers & national news media makes a timid comeback (SE, ES, DE)
News publishers – national news (+272 pts absolute change YOY, 16% relative change YOY):
Major news outlets like aftonbladet.se, expressen.se, and svt.se saw substantial increases in their visibility in 2023. This could be due, in some cases, to better optimised content assets (e.g. tv.aftonbladet.se) or strategic media integrations (e.g. alltommat.expressen.se), but might be for the most part due to the result of a favourable alignment with Google’s recent ranking algorithms changes, helping news media sites to resurface in the SERPs worldwide. The IndexWatch reports from ES and DE are showing similar trends, with large media publishers making a comeback after years of decline.
In sync with Google standards, government & educational institution websites grew their footprints.
In 2023, as newspapers benefited from Google’s strengthened E-A-T signals, government and educational websites emerged as the big winners in terms of numbers.
University (+111 pts absolute, 18% relative):
Universities thrived online in 2023. Leading academic websites like ki.se (20 pts, 32%), lu.se (16 pts, 20%), karolinska.se (16 pts, 60%), gu.se (14 pts, 19%) further solidified their online exposure.
This trend could reflect that top-tier universities have seized the opportunity presented by online learning and are making more content accessible (academic resources and research material) to meet the growing interest in higher education. Some of these improvements may also be attributed to their alignment with Google’s ranking algorithms, and their emphasis on E-A-T principles and the better of surfacing helpful content.
Government (+70 pts absolute, 4.6%):
Despite a slight drop (-15 pts) of riksdagen.se, a major player, the government entities and agencies strengthened their search presence in 2023.
The growth in visibility for websites like livsmedelsverket.se (+21pts), europa.eu (+19 pts), and skane.se (+16 pts) might suggest a strategic focus on digital channels and / or alignment with Google’s evolving search algorithms.
Weather forecast (+143 pts absolute, 65%) – Enhanced E-A-T factors boosted the visibility of expert sources:
While it might appear anecdotal, Sweden experienced a substantial 65% growth in its weather forecast apps. Notably, klart.se (+107 points) and smhi.se (+33 points) led this surge.
This trend, similar to Germany (e.g. wetter.com), probably reflects Google’s commitment to, globally, deliver accessible and trustworthy weather information. The criteria of Expertise and Authority necessary to appear in this vertical might have been reinforced and may explain this new playing field.
Here is the development of klart.se, the leading site in numbers of queries, by page:
Manufacturers (+152 pts absolute, 35%) – From tech until automotive:
This sector, led by electronic giants apple.com, samsung.com, showed significant growth, likely driven by new business development (https://tv.apple.com/ and https://music.apple.com/), and new product launches. The automakers industry, and specifically its luxury segment, also noticed positive development.
The development and optimisation of landing pages aimed at better addressing specific commercial queries, (e.g. queries around private leasing) contributed to the increased visibility of brands like volkswagen.se. They enjoy a good momentum bringing them closer to the top three players, including volvocars.com and audi.se, and bmv.se.
Groceries (+113 pts absolute, 9%) – The giant increases its development:
This sector witnessed remarkable growth, primarily driven by digital giant ica.se (+100 pts) and with coop.se and lidl.se following far behind. This trend might reflect the increasing strategic importance of online grocery shopping and home delivery services, accelerated by the pandemic.
Streaming & online TV (+56 pts absolute, 4%) – A dynamic sector with competitive shifts:
This dynamic sector has been impacted by the changes in market dynamics toward profitability, pushing certain actors towards consolidation and presenting challenges for local players.
However, the situation on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) differs. Local platforms like viaplay.se and sfanytime.com have shown substantial growth, in parallel with the international giant video platform youtube.com.
2023 Winners: The complete list (absolute & percentage tables)
Here is the full list of winning domains, including two tables (absolute and percent).
In absolute visibility:
Note: The Swedish market didn’t see a UGC surge similar to the US or UK. While local forums (flashback.se) and international sites (reddit.com, quora.com, stackoverflow.com) experienced some growth, it was not as substantial as in other EU countries.
| # | Domain | 02.01.2023 | 01.01.2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | wikipedia.org | 4012.71 | 4201.02 | 188.30 |
| 2 | linkedin.com | 260.63 | 420.36 | 159.74 |
| 3 | aftonbladet.se | 458.27 | 581.11 | 122.84 |
| 4 | klart.se | 99.43 | 206.65 | 107.23 |
| 5 | apple.com | 274.45 | 375.75 | 101.30 |
| 6 | ica.se | 755.79 | 855.81 | 100.02 |
| 7 | google.com | 356.17 | 441.67 | 85.50 |
| 8 | instagram.com | 872.59 | 956.06 | 83.47 |
| 9 | tripadvisor.se | 403.28 | 485.96 | 82.69 |
| 10 | imdb.com | 299.35 | 379.42 | 80.07 |
| 11 | youtube.com | 716.79 | 792.80 | 76.02 |
| 12 | expressen.se | 570.23 | 636.52 | 66.28 |
| 13 | arla.se | 271.17 | 330.98 | 59.80 |
| 14 | sverigesradio.se | 212.14 | 270.76 | 58.63 |
| 15 | apoteket.se | 115.13 | 172.98 | 57.85 |
| 16 | trustpilot.com | 144.78 | 201.60 | 56.83 |
| 17 | cylex.se | 98.57 | 149.65 | 51.08 |
| 18 | systembolaget.se | 79.70 | 129.25 | 49.55 |
| 19 | ikea.com | 439.70 | 488.24 | 48.54 |
| 20 | recept.se | 115.06 | 159.35 | 44.29 |
| 21 | tv.nu | 124.63 | 166.72 | 42.10 |
| 22 | godare.se | 57.07 | 98.81 | 41.74 |
| 23 | wordpress.com | 123.32 | 158.68 | 35.36 |
| 24 | smhi.se | 83.89 | 117.43 | 33.55 |
| 25 | foreca.se | 13.04 | 46.16 | 33.12 |
| 26 | knodd.se | 17.25 | 50.30 | 33.05 |
| 27 | svt.se | 268.14 | 300.62 | 32.48 |
| 28 | coop.se | 221.70 | 253.73 | 32.03 |
| 29 | svd.se | 148.27 | 180.26 | 31.99 |
| 30 | so-rummet.se | 129.23 | 159.05 | 29.81 |
| 31 | ui.se | 42.29 | 71.98 | 29.69 |
| 32 | power.se | 4.52 | 33.64 | 29.13 |
| 33 | svenska.se | 108.86 | 137.61 | 28.75 |
| 34 | varden.se | 126.78 | 154.63 | 27.85 |
| 35 | vackertvader.se | 47.39 | 74.86 | 27.48 |
| 36 | proff.se | 19.15 | 46.52 | 27.37 |
| 37 | hant.se | 41.12 | 68.47 | 27.35 |
| 38 | hb.se | 19.59 | 46.31 | 26.73 |
| 39 | glosbe.com | 23.90 | 50.56 | 26.66 |
| 40 | gettyimages.se | 54.80 | 81.10 | 26.30 |
| 41 | arbetsformedlingen.se | 75.97 | 101.82 | 25.85 |
| 42 | thatsup.se | 124.01 | 148.99 | 24.99 |
| 43 | lakartidningen.se | 67.02 | 91.71 | 24.69 |
| 44 | urplay.se | 32.59 | 57.21 | 24.62 |
| 45 | nike.com | 30.62 | 54.35 | 23.73 |
| 46 | blocket.se | 421.69 | 445.07 | 23.38 |
| 47 | hm.com | 143.17 | 166.48 | 23.31 |
| 48 | flashback.org | 126.88 | 149.66 | 22.78 |
| 49 | mindoktor.se | 55.89 | 78.19 | 22.30 |
| 50 | vastsverige.com | 53.33 | 75.63 | 22.30 |
| 51 | jobbsafari.se | 22.29 | 44.47 | 22.18 |
| 52 | livsmedelsverket.se | 58.58 | 80.66 | 22.08 |
| 53 | iform.se | 29.02 | 50.87 | 21.85 |
| 54 | studentapan.se | 7.70 | 29.31 | 21.61 |
| 55 | arkenzoo.se | 25.32 | 46.85 | 21.53 |
| 56 | mio.se | 75.75 | 96.91 | 21.16 |
| 57 | reddit.com | 47.49 | 68.59 | 21.10 |
| 58 | ki.se | 62.91 | 83.11 | 20.19 |
| 59 | open-closed.se | 27.26 | 47.39 | 20.13 |
| 60 | tui.se | 79.12 | 98.67 | 19.55 |
| 61 | praktiskmedicin.se | 19.42 | 38.90 | 19.48 |
| 62 | apohem.se | 39.64 | 59.02 | 19.38 |
| 63 | britannica.com | 53.40 | 72.74 | 19.34 |
| 64 | amazon.se | 242.90 | 262.20 | 19.30 |
| 65 | blogg.se | 72.41 | 91.40 | 18.99 |
| 66 | swedbank.se | 90.99 | 109.80 | 18.81 |
| 67 | reseguiden.se | 53.20 | 71.78 | 18.57 |
| 68 | reco.se | 91.05 | 109.55 | 18.50 |
| 69 | viaplay.se | 67.48 | 85.94 | 18.46 |
| 70 | biltema.se | 164.46 | 182.90 | 18.44 |
| 71 | dinordbok.no | 26.61 | 44.56 | 17.95 |
| 72 | tt.se | 43.42 | 61.30 | 17.88 |
| 73 | europa.eu | 62.67 | 80.46 | 17.79 |
| 74 | lakemedelsverket.se | 14.97 | 32.71 | 17.74 |
| 75 | open-closed.net | 8.97 | 26.61 | 17.64 |
| 76 | blomsterlandet.se | 70.15 | 87.64 | 17.49 |
| 77 | sl.se | 24.22 | 41.66 | 17.43 |
| 78 | ticket.se | 50.35 | 67.22 | 16.87 |
| 79 | xe.com | 41.64 | 58.45 | 16.81 |
| 80 | adidas.se | 18.84 | 35.53 | 16.70 |
| 81 | sfanytime.com | 86.81 | 103.38 | 16.57 |
| 82 | jysk.se | 95.16 | 111.70 | 16.54 |
| 83 | lu.se | 81.57 | 97.72 | 16.15 |
| 84 | kicks.se | 48.82 | 64.93 | 16.11 |
| 85 | skane.se | 66.15 | 82.03 | 15.88 |
| 86 | ginza.se | 18.22 | 34.07 | 15.86 |
| 87 | cambridge.org | 15.35 | 31.18 | 15.83 |
| 88 | karolinska.se | 25.56 | 41.06 | 15.50 |
| 89 | ereklamblad.se | 35.37 | 50.85 | 15.48 |
| 90 | booking.com | 221.22 | 236.62 | 15.40 |
| 91 | samsung.com | 36.33 | 51.34 | 15.01 |
| 92 | hemnet.se | 200.35 | 215.32 | 14.97 |
| 93 | lansforsakringar.se | 47.38 | 62.22 | 14.84 |
| 94 | fass.se | 104.06 | 118.82 | 14.76 |
| 95 | primevideo.com | 5.74 | 20.39 | 14.66 |
| 96 | netflix.com | 61.64 | 76.28 | 14.64 |
| 97 | lansstyrelsen.se | 54.80 | 69.43 | 14.63 |
| 98 | svenskaspel.se | 39.92 | 54.30 | 14.38 |
| 99 | vgregion.se | 61.13 | 75.38 | 14.25 |
| 100 | svenskfotboll.se | 45.68 | 59.77 | 14.09 |
The top domains in percent signals smaller sites that are operating in niche markets such as Fintech or ventures that have recently bloomed and are trying to challenge incumbents. (We will keep an eye on the growth of Vinted.se and Fruugo.se, primevideo.com etc…).
In relative visibility growth:
| # | Domain | 02.01.2023 | 01.01.2024 | Change Percent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | power.se | 4.52 | 33.64 | 644.95% |
| 3 | sportshopenoutlet.com | 1.06 | 6.64 | 528.01% |
| 4 | my-nanny.se | 1.06 | 6.41 | 503.97% |
| 5 | qasa.se | 1.81 | 10.74 | 493.50% |
| 6 | sveakbt.se | 1.70 | 9.91 | 483.86% |
| 7 | jurio.com | 1.00 | 5.57 | 456.00% |
| 8 | moory.se | 1.09 | 5.99 | 448.25% |
| 9 | stroms.com | 1.66 | 8.79 | 429.09% |
| 10 | stadskartan.se | 1.22 | 6.13 | 403.07% |
| 11 | nyponochviljaforlag.se | 1.34 | 6.57 | 390.03% |
| 12 | caiacosmetics.se | 1.06 | 5.01 | 374.91% |
| 13 | hellofresh.se | 1.89 | 8.65 | 358.72% |
| 14 | teliaplay.se | 1.08 | 4.78 | 343.10% |
| 15 | fruugo.se | 1.88 | 7.44 | 296.94% |
| 16 | studentapan.se | 7.70 | 29.31 | 280.59% |
| 17 | alltrails.com | 3.57 | 13.36 | 274.18% |
| 18 | bjornborg.com | 2.01 | 7.45 | 271.10% |
| 19 | auktion.se | 1.65 | 6.10 | 269.87% |
| 20 | cykelgiganten.se | 1.15 | 4.20 | 265.79% |
| 21 | choicehotels.com | 1.46 | 5.28 | 262.49% |
| 22 | macworld.se | 4.74 | 17.01 | 258.82% |
| 23 | primevideo.com | 5.74 | 20.39 | 255.46% |
| 24 | foreca.se | 13.04 | 46.16 | 254.06% |
| 25 | southernliving.com | 1.07 | 3.73 | 249.96% |
| 26 | bongtouchoftaste.se | 4.15 | 14.35 | 245.81% |
| 27 | vetapotek.se | 1.94 | 6.66 | 243.79% |
| 28 | dinbil.se | 1.94 | 6.67 | 243.66% |
| 29 | alvedon.se | 1.40 | 4.79 | 242.63% |
| 30 | monark.se | 1.25 | 4.27 | 241.56% |
| 31 | lamporochljus.se | 1.93 | 6.60 | 241.42% |
| 32 | storkoksbutiken.se | 1.13 | 3.85 | 239.40% |
| 33 | drakfrukt.se | 2.07 | 6.84 | 230.83% |
| 34 | aimn.se | 1.53 | 4.99 | 226.50% |
| 35 | sportkost.se | 1.44 | 4.68 | 225.41% |
| 36 | duab.se | 3.72 | 12.02 | 223.24% |
| 37 | finansvalp.se | 1.01 | 3.25 | 222.69% |
| 38 | ryobitools.eu | 1.56 | 5.03 | 221.23% |
| 39 | weather.com | 5.34 | 16.92 | 216.81% |
| 40 | skoman.se | 2.30 | 7.21 | 213.35% |
| 41 | jhnsport.se | 1.25 | 3.90 | 211.56% |
| 42 | filippa-k.com | 1.72 | 5.34 | 210.49% |
| 43 | swevet.se | 1.04 | 3.21 | 209.60% |
| 44 | geneastar.org | 1.23 | 3.79 | 209.52% |
| 45 | apoteks.info | 1.63 | 5.03 | 208.05% |
| 46 | bookis.com | 2.26 | 6.92 | 206.47% |
| 47 | biography.com | 1.55 | 4.74 | 204.99% |
| 48 | arstiderna.com | 4.80 | 14.62 | 204.33% |
| 49 | geggamoja.com | 2.18 | 6.60 | 202.87% |
| 50 | abaskol.se | 1.06 | 3.19 | 202.16% |
| 51 | ankarsrum.com | 1.00 | 3.03 | 201.22% |
| 52 | odlaatbart.se | 1.17 | 3.51 | 199.42% |
| 53 | open-closed.net | 8.97 | 26.61 | 196.65% |
| 54 | parfymonline.se | 2.13 | 6.29 | 195.98% |
| 55 | xn--frbanken-o4a.se | 1.47 | 4.34 | 195.34% |
| 56 | eskor.se | 1.54 | 4.53 | 195.17% |
| 57 | orrefors.se | 1.38 | 4.08 | 194.98% |
| 58 | knodd.se | 17.25 | 50.30 | 191.61% |
| 59 | readly.com | 3.17 | 9.23 | 190.90% |
| 60 | skopunkten.se | 4.47 | 12.89 | 188.40% |
| 61 | allmusic.com | 1.34 | 3.84 | 187.49% |
| 62 | homeq.se | 2.09 | 5.98 | 186.36% |
| 63 | djurportal.se | 2.24 | 6.40 | 185.56% |
| 64 | veterinaren.nu | 1.84 | 5.26 | 185.23% |
| 65 | lakkapaa.se | 1.35 | 3.84 | 184.81% |
| 66 | timberland.se | 1.12 | 3.19 | 184.43% |
| 67 | yves-rocher.se | 1.21 | 3.45 | 184.38% |
| 68 | refurbed.se | 2.43 | 6.90 | 184.18% |
| 69 | hundkompassen.nu | 1.03 | 2.93 | 184.01% |
| 70 | getyourguide.se | 6.55 | 18.58 | 183.81% |
| 71 | borlangetidning.se | 1.33 | 3.78 | 183.79% |
| 72 | sailracing.com | 1.06 | 3.01 | 183.23% |
| 73 | kitchenaid.se | 1.82 | 5.16 | 183.09% |
| 74 | tretorn.com | 2.40 | 6.80 | 182.64% |
| 75 | eurowings.com | 1.78 | 5.03 | 182.01% |
| 76 | mateuscollection.com | 1.07 | 3.00 | 181.03% |
| 77 | mylla.se | 1.05 | 2.95 | 180.50% |
| 78 | hortogreen.com | 3.95 | 11.07 | 180.46% |
| 79 | akaviaaspekt.se | 1.19 | 3.33 | 179.39% |
| 80 | harryda.se | 3.89 | 10.71 | 174.99% |
| 81 | ahaslides.com | 1.42 | 3.89 | 173.83% |
| 82 | flaggbutik.nu | 1.29 | 3.54 | 173.80% |
| 83 | dittsvenskaskafferi.se | 1.71 | 4.68 | 173.52% |
| 84 | luxi.se | 1.45 | 3.96 | 173.25% |
| 85 | kronan.com | 1.00 | 2.72 | 172.39% |
| 86 | study.com | 1.11 | 3.03 | 172.13% |
| 87 | thenorthface.se | 1.59 | 4.30 | 171.15% |
| 88 | obhnordica.se | 2.28 | 6.17 | 171.11% |
| 89 | teddykompaniet.se | 1.48 | 4.01 | 170.65% |
| 90 | ventilation.se | 1.25 | 3.39 | 170.57% |
| 91 | blizzard.com | 1.43 | 3.86 | 169.93% |
| 92 | kryssakuten.se | 6.77 | 18.24 | 169.25% |
| 93 | sambla.se | 4.53 | 12.15 | 168.02% |
| 94 | zensum.se | 1.29 | 3.45 | 167.04% |
| 95 | gorillasports.se | 1.04 | 2.78 | 167.02% |
| 96 | suicidezero.se | 1.16 | 3.07 | 165.27% |
| 97 | placera.se | 6.89 | 18.25 | 164.69% |
| 98 | cellbes.se | 5.43 | 14.34 | 163.86% |
| 99 | lekakademin.se | 3.14 | 8.28 | 163.63% |
| 100 | dermastore.se | 2.17 | 5.70 | 162.72% |
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.
