Alexa and Site Ranking
Ok Alexa, here is the information that you did not want to see published. So many webmasters place such strong emphasis and take great stock in Alexa results that it has become the yardstick for evaluating site traffic. Its too bad more webmasters don't communicate with one another, because the numbers Alexa generates would rank somewhere below JUNK SCIENCE!
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Alexa claims to monitor millions of web surfers habits using their Alexa browser. The problem is my Norton antivirus program auto deletes this
spy ware program each day when Norton scans my drives. If you have an antivirus program and you have Alexa you must really want Alexa to know where you are surfing, because keeping it on your hard drive with a good antivirus program is a daily challenge. Which brings up the first major point.
Could it be that the only people who want Alexa to monitor their web surfing are those who want to "pump the numbers" on their site? I have an associate who has a website. He has 12 employees. His employees use the site all day to provide quotes to his customers. So he has added the Alexa toolbar to every computer in his office, so his traffic numbers are artificially inflated by his 12 staff members clicking on the site.
He ranks somewhere among the top 55,000 web sites in the world---His site gets 286 unique visitors each day.
The site you are visiting ranks at 132,000 (at this time) according to Alexa. We average
4600 unique visitors per day. Of course I have only this one little slow computer and spinach is out of season, so I must rely on their woefully inadequate ranking system to allow me to bring my product to market. I guess I could hire people to click on my site with Alexa browsers, but this would be.....manipulating data wouldn't it?
With the introduction and inclusion of new Anti-Spy software on many search toolbars (i.e. Yahoo Toolbar), the Alexa numbers will become even more manipulated by web masters who need high rankings (however inaccurate) and the Alexa rankings will become even more suspect. These false rankings artificially inflate the cost of internet advertising and provide a disservice to internet marketers.
And if data can be so easily manipulated......is it data at all? I've read the Alexa disclaimer and it doesn't say "For Entertainment only", but it is humorous.
Recently, I wrote them to ask, why they don't position icons on various sites
to validate their data. Their response was because they can't monitor who the visitor is, what browsers they use, their IP Address and so on. Maybe Alexa should hire the web guys from StatCounter.com, because I know who you are, reading this at this very moment, with my statcounter.com cookie. I can even tell you your screen resolution on your monitor. Email me and I'll give you the information!
A primary issue arises when website appraisal
companies routinely use Alexa ranking as an evaluation of website worth in
placing a value on websites for sale, but then any appraisal company that
uses routinely uses Alexa ranking as a measuring tool is probably a
novice anyway.
Then How does Alexa Do It?
Alexa monitors where you visit (and a million or so others), and possibly feeds the data into a Casio calculator and asks "What if all web surfers were like the ones we monitor"? No-- more precisely they say "our visitors
are like all other web surfers". Is that why all the great porn sites are listed at the top of their ranking, because we all love porn and contribute a significant portion of our day to visit these sites and help their ranking? I don't think so!!!!!
This soapbox to be continued......................Until Alexa can provide a reasonable explanation for their site ranking deficiencies or develop a bonafide system of ranking traffic and publishing these untainted numbers.
Click on the links below to learn more about carpet.
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