unofficial visits

Random question for a seemingly slow night. How much stock can one put in unofficial visits to guage player interest. I'm talking in terms of out of state recruits especially. Do you think that unofficials generally mean you're receiving serious consideration? Officials are great and all and they're limited to 5 but how often are these guys takin em just to take em?

If I were to say.......in terms of lookin at a recruit from Texas or Florida or anywhere else really aside from Louisiana, if they make the effort to come see me....on their own dime, I think that speaks volumes about how they view us. Is this a simple idea that I should have thought of years ago? Thoughts?