Abstract Global academic rankings, such as Webometrics, are essential tools for evaluating higher education institutions and guiding efforts to improve their academic and research performance at both local and global levels. Many universities, particularly those in remote regions with limited access to basic services, face similar challenges that hinder their ability to succeed in such rankings. Quantitative, comparative, and correlational analyses were conducted to evaluate Al Salam University's Webometrics indicators over a six-year period (2019–2024), using a descriptive-analytical approach. The Webometrics criteria evaluated in this study are openness, transparency, and excellence. Analytical tools such as Majestic (for backlinks, trust flow, and citation flow) and Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest (for website traffic, SEO performance, and domain authority) were used and compared with Webometrics indicators to identify and confirm weaknesses, as they provide critical insights related to ranking performance. The university experienced a sharp decline in visibility over the six-year period, reaching its lowest point in 2024 (30,558), However, that year also saw a noticeable improvement in both global and local rankings, attributed to significant progress in openness (2276) and a relative improvement in excellence (6967). The findings inform a proposed strategic framework. Its key elements revolve around the three core Webometrics criteria: visibility (web impact), transparency (citation strength of top researchers), and excellence (number of high quality scholarly outputs) with the aim of improving performance across all three. This strategy also serves as a guideline for institutions facing similar ranking challenges, helping them to improve both global and local standings and establish themselves as credible academic institutions.
Gasmalla et al. (Mon,) studied this question.