Overview
Inside Search Atlas, your SEO health is measured across four pillars: Technical, Content, Authority, and UX Signals. A common point of confusion is why Content, Authority, and UX Signals scores stay flat even when you are actively working on those areas. The key distinction is that these three pillar scores are tied to your usage of Search Atlas tools rather than to work done outside the platform.
How Each Pillar Is Measured
Understanding what drives each score helps you take the right action in the right place.
- Technical — This pillar reflects the health of your live website as measured by a direct crawl. Improvements you make to your site can be reflected here.
- Content — This pillar is tied to your use of content-related tools within Search Atlas, such as the Content Editor, Topic Research, and On-Page SEO tools. To see movement in this score, incorporate these tools into your workflow.
- Authority — This pillar is tied to your use of authority-building tools within Search Atlas, such as the Backlink Analysis and Link Building tools. Activity with these platform tools is what drives this score.
- UX Signals — This pillar is tied to your use of relevant Search Atlas tools connected to user experience optimization, such as the Site Audit and Page Speed analysis tools. Engaging with these tools within the platform is what moves this score.
Why This Distinction Matters
Many customers do significant SEO work across multiple platforms and workflows. That work is valuable for your website, but the Content, Authority, and UX Signals pillar scores specifically measure activity taking place within Search Atlas tools. The platform tracks and verifies actions taken inside it, which is why these three scores respond to in-platform usage.
Technical is the exception because it is measured by crawling your live site directly, so improvements you make to your site are reflected in that score regardless of where the work was done.
How to Improve Each Score
To improve your Content score:
- Navigate to the Content section in your Search Atlas dashboard sidebar.
- Open the Content Editor to create and optimize articles directly within the platform.
- Use Topic Research to discover relevant keywords and topics before writing.
- Run On-Page SEO analysis on your pages to get actionable recommendations.
- Publish or save optimized content through the platform on a regular basis so your activity is tracked consistently.
- Check your Content pillar score under Site Metrics → Site Explorer (Organic Research) → Holistic SEO Pillars over the following weeks to see the impact of your in-platform usage.
To improve your Authority score:
- Navigate via the header apps-grid icon → More Features → Backlinks (Backlink Research) in Search Atlas.
- Use Backlink Analysis to review your current backlink profile and identify new link opportunities.
- Track competitor backlinks through the platform to find outreach targets.
- Log link-building activity and outreach within Search Atlas tools on a regular basis.
- Check your Authority pillar score under Site Metrics → Site Explorer (Organic Research) → Holistic SEO Pillars periodically to track progress.
To improve your UX Signals score:
- Navigate to the Site Audit or Diagnostics section in your Search Atlas dashboard sidebar.
- Run a full Site Audit to identify UX-related issues such as mobile usability, page speed, and Core Web Vitals problems.
- Use the Page Speed tool to analyze specific pages and follow the platform's recommendations.
- Re-run audits after making changes so the platform records your ongoing activity.
- Check your UX Signals pillar score under Site Metrics → Site Explorer (Organic Research) → Holistic SEO Pillars periodically to track progress.
Need Help?
If you have been actively using the relevant Search Atlas tools and your pillar scores are still not moving, our team can investigate your account. Please have ready: your project name, the specific pillar score affected, the tools you have been using, and approximate dates of activity. If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.