Can Alexa Really Rank Traffic

For the people who do not know Alexa.com it may sound like some dirty site with seedy undertones, but this site is safe to visit at work. The foundation of Alexa is a toolbar that users install on their web browsers and results provided by Google.

The Alexa tool bar has been looked down upon for some time due to its data mining capabilities. All of the data that makes Alexa what it is, is collected through this toolbar. Since 1996, web surfers have been showing Alexa what sites they visit, how often and other non-identifiable (Really?) data that others may find of interest. This data is then compiled into Related Links and Traffic Rankings to be in turn offered to people who visit the Alexa site, use the toolbar or are willing to pay for it.

Alexa has often been classified as spyware as it records what websites its' users view. This is untrue as it states far down in the depths of its policies what its' intentions are. The tool bar is though, the closest software can get to being spyware, without being spyware in the full sense of the term.

How accurate are the Alexa Traffic Rankings?

Many people ask "How accurate are the Alexa Traffic Rankings?" and the truth is that it can vary with the size of the site. The more visitors a site gets, the more likely their Traffic Rank is a true indication of where they are compared to other sites.

The Traffic Ranking provided by Alexa is 100% determined by how many times your sites is visited by people who have the tool bar installed. The problem with this is that not all user have the tool bar installed and the main users of it are webmasters and others in the net related field. This small niche of people can provided skewed results that only reflect their industry.

Another problem that arises from the way Alexa rankings are collected is the possibility of the results being manipulated by other webmasters. It has been shown that over a period of a few weeks, you can change your sites ranking just by having the toolbar installed and visiting your site regularly.

It could be possible that Alexa could reduce the accuracy of their results, without external influences. When a new site features on the Alexa site as a "Top Mover and Shaker", many people would investigate what the site is about, causing its ranking to rise.

Overall, I would say that the rankings are fairly accurate for the top 1000 sites.

What can the Alexa Traffic Rankings be used for?

As the Traffic Rankings are more accurate with higher traffic sites, the traffic rankings can be used to compare similar sites, or what sites are the most visited. For example Alexa can tell you that the top five sites are: