Online Rankings Really Count
DH | Dec 10, 2008 | Comments 5
In today’s competitive world, the online ranking of an organization’s site really counts, and is a measure of that organization’s appeal, popularity and success.
I am frequently checking new blogs and Web sites I visit against Alexa.com, the free online site ranking service owned by Amazon.com. While Alexa has its detractors – often among webmasters of poor ranking sites – it is not bad, in my opinion, for taking a snapshot of where a blog or site stands in the entire Internet universe.
I took a look recently at a flash-engorged site of a public relations agency that ranked nearly 12-millionth. That, by the way, is a terrible ranking. The site indicated it had last been updated in 2005, sort of at the end of the flash fad era when many others decided that flash was a deterrent to visitors. How many visitors a week will such a site likely get? Maybe two or three on a good week. Maybe.
A political consulting firm in Washington recently updated its Web site with old-fashioned HTML-style, and its ranking is about 3-millionth after considerable expense and promotion. That’s about two or three visitors a day. Yawn.
While Alexa.com is one way to estimate traffic, two others that are more precise include Google Analytics and Woopra.
Here’s a fact about sites powered by WordPress – not only do they deliver all the interactive features of Web 2.0 but they attract visitors. I can post a new article on a WordPress blog, and watch it show up on Google or Yahoo within 15 minutes! It’s no surprise that news organizations, such as The New York Times and PEOPLE, use WordPress.
Some might say that site traffic is not everything but they are either wrong or in denial … or both. Traffic and rankings online are among the new components of an organization or individual’s brand, image and reputation.
Filed Under: Competitive Positioning • Featured
I agree with you about the virtues of WordPress. My posts show up on Google within minutes of my posting them. It’s a bit spooky sometimes – but it’s great to know how well designed WordPress is. Wouldn’t use anything else.
@Barney,
Thanks, my friend, for the comment. Google’s XML Sitemap Generator is a powerful plugin for driving SEO, among many others.
I believe you first got me hooked on WordPress, and I am in your debt.
David
David, I’m always learning from you. I was looking to change blog environments so now that I’ve read this– WordPress it is. Thanks for sharing.
David,
I completely agree with you on the importance of rankings. This is something I’m constantly trying to educate coworkers and clients about, because it is the most important tool in assessing the visibility of a brand or individual–especially in relation to competitors.
While Alexa is my tool of choice (you can install their great toolbar as a ff add-on for constant and quick reference–google “alexa toolbar”), it’s important to note Alexa’s methodologies for ranking. Their ranking is based on feedback gathered from users that have installed the Alexa toolbar. So, this can skew some readings. Overall, I think its a good weather report, but for deeper analysis people should always compare their Alexa rank with that of other analysis tools. I like Compete.com and Quantcast.com. Using those three together seems to provide a good triangulation.
Best,
Doug
David,
All excellent points and I too am a WordPress users and evangelist. I enjoy Alexa but due to it’s sampling methodology, via toolbar access, it often leaves me wondering.
Here’s the rub. I too analyze firms and entrepreneur’s blogs or website traffic. If I am going to attend a meeting or networking event with a speaker exposing the virtues of Web 2.0 tools-they must measure up before I attend.
The challenge is that the tools available are designed for bloggers or webmasters to measure their own traffic. Where are the other Alexa like tools that allow us to measure company or individual’s efforts in the blogosphere.
I utilize Quantcast.com every so often but there is a true lack of tools for people wanting to validate claims.
And it is the claims, that make me so curious. A huge number of organizations, even some in the SEO niche, claim to have thousands of “uniques” per day. Yet when analyzing them on Alexa or Quantcast they show up much like your example firm: 2-3 visitors per day if they are lucky.
Please write a follow up if you find any new measurement tools.