Alexa and Web Traffic
416 words | Last Updated: July 19, 2008 |
Do you use Alexa to analyze your web site traffic versus that of your competitors? Do you like using the compare graphs feature which plots the Alexa traffic movement of many different web sites over the past so many months?
Well, it's quite easy for you to get misled. You might stare at impressive graphs which show dramatic spikes in those Alexa traffic charts, and end up automatically assuming that those high peaks correspond to a flood of web traffic.
The Alexa charts gather data from people who have installed the Alexa toolbar. When they visit this or that web site, Alexa keeps track of their visits and uses that data to update their charts. This means that if majority of your site visitors have an Alexa toolbar installed in their web browser, then you will most likely have an impressive-looking chart.
Conversely, if majority of your visitors do not use Alexa, then your traffic graph will not look that great. And if people are evaluating your blog based on such charts, then they will not be able to discern the true value of your site.
Let's have a look at a comparative line chart below, which is based on two actual, live sites:
Here are two sites. Let's call them Site Blue and Site Red. Based on the Alexa chart above, you might think that Site Blue gets more traffic than Site Red. The actual web stats reveal, however, that Site Red actually gets ten times more traffic than Site Blue.
So, are Alexa charts useless? It depends on what your expectations are. If you're interested in divining the daily traffic of sites, then the charts are pretty much as useful as a gas-guzzling Pajero in a country where fuel costs $100 per liter. But if you're after traffic movements, then you can still use those charts.
For example, you can test what happens if you blog everyday versus if you blog once a week. Will your Alexa toolbar-toting visitors keep away from your site, come in droves, or pretty much remain stable? You can also check if there's any relationship between your online sales and Alexa traffic spikes or dips.
In essence, Alexa chart analysis can still help you with your web traffic campaigns and experiments. You just need to manage your expectations about what you're trying to get from those graphs.
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"Alexa and Web Traffic"
First Posted: July 19, 2008 | Filed in: Web Traffic
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Thank u for the post.I'll try to use Alexa.
pero I think the algorithm was altered already. Even if you don't have an alexa toolbar in your browser, you are now counted as a unique visitor.
Thats a good post, i do have to say i also have the Alexa toolbar as it gives my sites ratings through a program i signed up for a few weeks back called Noobing. So far the rates are working well for my site and the program is bumping my traffic very well for me too.