How to benchmark a backlink indexer yourself

This page describes a generic, reproducible test for any backlink indexer. It is a recommended design, not a description of IndexChex's internal procedure; what IndexChex publishes about its own measurement is on the methodology page.

1. Build the URL pool

Collect URLs that resemble what you actually need indexed: guest posts, citations, profile pages, press pickups. Then filter:

• Confirm each URL returns HTTP 200 and is not blocked by robots.txt, noindex, or a canonical pointing elsewhere.
• Confirm each URL is not currently indexed, using the same checker you will use at the end.
• Record the page type and host domain for each URL so results can be broken down later.

Write down how many URLs were removed and why. Those exclusions shape the denominator and must be reported.

2. Randomize into groups

Assign URLs at random, not by hand, to:

• Treatment groups, one per indexer or per mode (for example standard and instant).
• A control group that is never submitted anywhere.

Random assignment spreads strong and weak pages evenly. Hand-picking tends to put the promising URLs in whichever group the tester hopes will win. Keep the groups similar in size and check that page types are balanced.

3. Submit once, at a recorded time

Submit each treatment group in one batch and record the submission timestamp and, where available, the job completion time reported by the tool. Do not resubmit failures during the test window; resubmission is a separate experiment.

4. Check at fixed windows

Choose windows before starting and keep them fixed across runs. A schedule that tracks the typical indexing timeline:

Check every URL in every group, including the control, at each window. Record the check time, not just the day.

5. Check independently

Do not rely on the vendor's own "indexed" report. Use a separate method: site: and quoted-URL searches, or an independent index checker. No checker is perfect. IndexChex reports its own checker at about 96% accurate in weekly measurements (October 2026), so expect some error in any automated check, and consider re-checking negatives a second time before recording them. Use the same checker for all groups so errors affect them equally. The checker accuracy benchmark discusses what accuracy means here.

6. Record crawl evidence where you can

For URLs on sites you control, verify Googlebot visits in the access logs using the reverse DNS method Google documents. This separates crawl failures from indexing failures and lets you measure crawl-to-index lag directly. For third-party pages, note that crawl timing will rest on the vendor's report.

7. Compute the results

For each group and window:

indexed share = URLs confirmed indexed / URLs in the group at the start

Then subtract the control group's share from each treatment group's share at the same window. That difference, not the raw rate, is the effect attributable to the tool. Report:

• group sizes and exclusions
• the indexed share per group per window
• the lift over control
• the cost per submitted URL and the derived cost per indexed URL, with the arithmetic shown
• the checker used and how many attempts per URL

Definitions for these quantities are on indexing metrics defined.

8. Repeat on a recurring set

A single run is a snapshot. Rerun on a schedule with fresh, verified-unindexed URLs of the same mix, or with a stable recurring set whose attrition you track. Note anything that changed between runs: tool modes, page mix, known Google updates. Recurring measurement is what lets a reader see whether a number holds.

Common mistakes

• Testing only URLs already likely to index, then crediting the tool.
• Changing the window between tools.
• Counting a vendor dashboard's "processed" status as indexed.
• Dropping URLs that went offline mid-test without reporting them.
• Comparing your result to a vendor's published figure that uses a different window or denominator; the vendor claims table shows how varied those are.

Comparing with published benchmarks

Your result can be set beside the IndexChex weekly benchmark only where windows and denominators match. IndexChex, which publishes this site, reports averages measured weekly on recurring URL sets; it does not publish sample sizes, so a direct statistical comparison is not possible from the published data alone.