Digital performance of global repositories: a comparative webometric analysis

Purpose This study aims to evaluate the digital performance of 50 prominent global repositories by comparing the web analytics metrics reported by SimilarWeb and Semrush and assessing their structural web visibility using Moz-derived web impact factors (IWIF, EWIF and SWIF). It further compares the consistency of repository rankings between SimilarWeb and Semrush and presents a triangulated webometric framework integrating behavioral web analytics with structural link-based indicators for comprehensive repository evaluation. Design/methodology/approach A comparative webometric approach was adopted using SimilarWeb, Semrush, Moz and Google’s site operator. Four web analytics metrics, total visits, unique visitors, bounce rate and average session duration were collected for 50 repositories selected from OpenDOAR. Internal, external, and simple web impact factors were calculated using Moz backlink data. Shapiro–Wilk tests were performed to assess normality, followed by paired-samples t-tests to compare platform estimates and Spearman’s rank correlation analysis to evaluate the consistency of repository rankings across platforms. Findings Statistically significant differences were observed between SimilarWeb and Semrush for total visits, unique visitors, bounce rate and average session duration. Semrush estimated 3.88% higher total visits and longer average session durations, whereas SimilarWeb reported 4.09% higher unique visitors and bounce rates averaging 6.8 percentage points higher. Despite these differences in absolute values, repository rankings showed exceptionally strong correlations for total visits (rs = 0.997) and unique visitors (rs = 0.967), while web impact factor analysis revealed substantial variation in structural web visibility among repositories. Research limitations/implications The study was limited to 50 repositories and relied on estimated traffic data generated by commercial web analytics platforms rather than direct institutional analytics. Future studies should include larger repository samples, additional analytics platforms, university websites and longitudinal analyses to further validate and generalize the proposed triangulated webometric framework. Practical implications The findings provide repository administrators, librarians and research managers with a multidimensional framework for evaluating repository visibility, user engagement and structural web influence. The proposed approach supports benchmarking, strategic planning, search engine optimization and evidence-based decision-making for improving repository performance and digital visibility. Social implications A more comprehensive evaluation of repository performance can improve the visibility, accessibility and dissemination of scholarly resources, thereby strengthening open access, research communication and global knowledge sharing. Enhanced repository assessment also supports greater discoverability and wider dissemination of publicly funded research outputs. Originality/value The originality of this study lies in its methodological triangulation of SimilarWeb, Semrush and Moz, integrating behavioral web analytics with hyperlink-based web impact factors within a single evaluation framework. Unlike previous studies that examined traffic analytics or link-based indicators separately, this research combines both dimensions to provide a more comprehensive, reliable and robust assessment of the digital performance and web visibility of global repositories.