Search:

Understanding Why Alexa Rankings Are Important

By: Jeff Alderson Getting a grasp on all the inside language involved in web publishing can be a challenge. Figuring out what numbers count and what don't for tracking a website's success can seem like an impossibility. Many publishers find it difficult enough to keep up with Google ranking. The sad reality is that this number isn't the only important one. Alexa ranking is also a valuable number to keep up with, especially if earning potential is important.

Amazon.com is responsible for Alexa, which is a ranking system for traffic that websites draw. This particular measurement, however, is based on the number of visitors who stop by a site that also happen to have the Alexa toolbar installed on their own browsers. While it's true Alexa ranking is very important, it has its pitfalls. This number can be very important for advertising rates though, so it's smart to keep up with.

As stated, the Alexa rank comes from the number of visits a site has had from those with the toolbar installed. The rank itself is based on historical data collected over several months. The number is a measurement of both page views and visits combined. The site does take daily computations of reach and page views. The actual rank results from these two numbers averaged out over time.

Alexa ranking can be important financially. The rank is used by many advertisers to decide how much a blog or website might be worth in regard to links. If your site sells links or ad space, Alexa ranking can be a valuable tool in determining pricing. Organized sales programs like Sponsored Reviews and Text Link Ads both base ad selling strength on the kind of ranking a site has on Alexa.

Getting going with Alexa is easy. All that's necessary is downloading the toolbar. Those who use Firefox can pick up the SearchStatus extension. Once this is installed, pages you look at will register on Alexa's radar.

The flaws of the Alexa system are quite known. One of the biggest problems some publishers have with the number is the fact that those with a technical audience tend to do a bit better on ranking. This is simply because technical audiences are more likely to have the Alexa toolbar included on their computers. This can make overall ranking somewhat unfair. Still, Alexa is an important consideration for advertisers, which makes paying attention to it and boosting rankings a very smart thing to do.

Getting into Alexa's upper echelon is difficult, but making an impressive showing isn't necessarily all that hard. Some methods for increasing rank here can take more work than others, but they can all pay off. The best method, in fact, really involves nothing more than creating useful content that draws in traffic. Putting up content that can generate incoming links is also a great way to go. These two things can improve traffic, Google ranking and Alexa ranking as a spin off.

Some of the more tried and true methods are fairly simple to get started. They include placing an Alexa rank widget on your website, encouraging others to download and use the Alexa toolbar, installing the toolbar and your homepage on computers at work and asking friends and family to review your Alexa profile. Other fairly easy concepts include promoting your own URL in webmaster forums, writing articles related to webmasters and employing Alexa redirects to your own website.

Other more time-intensive methods for boosting rankings are out there. They include setting up a webmaster tool section on your own site, having your site's articles Dugg or Stumbled on, buying ads and so on. Some webmasters create their own "Alexa" sections, too.

Some less favored methods for rankings can also be tried. These include tooling MySpace pages to work as Alexa redirects, using auto-surf programs and purchasing homepage rights at Cybercafes.

Alexa might not be the most favored ranking system, but it is a valuable one. Getting one's rank to improve can help with ad revenues. Considering this, it is very wise to keep up with this ranking number.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Author Jeff Alderson develops newbie-friendly SEO software. He is an expert on boosting traffic and sales. Jeff suggests using Ad Word Analyzer to find popular keywords for your website.
Don't reprint this article. Instead, reprint a free unique content version of this same article.

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated