Image via CrunchBase

That’s a question I posed on LinkedIn recently. While the results can’t be extrapolated to represent all internet users, I found the answers to be quite revealing. Alexa, according to its website – “… is a useful resource for people to discover information about websites. You can use Alexa to learn how popular a site is, to find new sites, to learn who owns a site, and a lot more.”

Many marketers rely on a website’s Alexa rankings to evaluate the company behind it. In order to be ranked you must install the Alexa toolbar, so in effect it becomes a self-selected universe.

Here are the answers I received (edited for brevity).

YES

- Alexa rankings are somewhat accurate and offer limited value, yet they’re something you should keep your eye on. Due to such, install the toolbar! When potential clients contact our company and I initially review their website, one of the first things I look at is the Alexa ranking. Checking the ranking and getting a rough idea of website traffic takes no more than 3 seconds, so why not take a peek? One thing to note is Alexa rankings have hardly any (if any) influence on search engine rankings. They simply provide a rough estimate of traffic derived from SEO, PPC, social media, etc.

- The value in Alexa lies with in how it reveals your presence within that specific realm. If you’re a coder or web developer, than a good Alexa ranks tells you some valuable insights. If you’re a marketer or blogger, then not so much. As with any niche, you want to have a strong presence within a certain group your niche is targeting. Alexa is NOT a tool for determining search engine ranking or true site popularity. Alexa is valuable for instance, because it can tell potential investors or customers if your domain and site is getting good exposure among their desired audience. When trying to flip sites, sell web real estate, or just convince potential customers that you have a hold of the right audience for their needs, it can be very valuable indeed.

NO

- Not accurate, not influential…

- I did and deleted it a few weeks later as a waste of time and effort…

- Not accurate at all and not influential at all, as my post below will tell you. (Jeannette: I recommend you read this very detailed evaluation at husdal.com)

- I wouldn’t worry about it Jeannette. The only ones who seem to take note of it are the ones that need to show traffic to attract advertising, etc., for their site. You can see how inaccurate it is by just comparing the information to Google Analytics.

- Alexa is absolutely worthless unless you’re trying to flip a site, selling it to someone who believes Alexa counts for something. The system can be gamed so easily, it definitely should be relegated to the garbage bin. If you want an easy assessment tool, Website grader, as suggested previously is one route. So is using Compete, or my preferred tool, the SEOMoz authority measurement tools for domain and page.

YES AND NO

- As you may see from the other answers you received, the Alexa´s Ranking is not a very influential measure, especially if you use it as an absolute parameter. You must never forget that this ranking is made from the data harvested by the users that use the Alexa´s Toolbar as an add-on of their browsers. This amount of users is just a small portion of the whole Internet users mass. Anyway, if you are improving your ranking, you are getting more visitors, so it should be a good signal. If you use it as a complement of other tools, you are going to be ok.

- Jeannette, you can get your Alexa ranking through www.websitegrader.com. Just look at the bottom and there it is. I tried to install Alexa but it was so complicated I didn’t do it since I’m not technical. The catch with Alexa is that people who write about issues related to the web get higher rankings than you and I do even though they have fewer visitors. So it’s slightly inaccurate but still a great measure for us.

I also asked if I should install the tool bar. If companies are looking for your blog’s Alexa ranking and you don’t have one, is this damaging? Or, because it is a flawed measurement, is your ranking going to convey the wrong impression?

Would love to hear what you think in the comments section below.

Here is how it works:

Cover via Amazon

1. Sign in or create a new account.  Your Kindle Publishing account will enable you to add blogs and apps.
2. Add and preview your blog.  Complete the simple one page form, then preview how your blog will be displayed.
3. Publish.  With one click your blog will be made available on the Kindle Store.

When you visit Amazon all you need to do is enter  your name and up comes your blog.  This is how mine looks and Amazon’s promotional copy.

Here is the link to my blog on Kindle.  Feel free to write a review (if you want to visit my blog first click on Write Speak Sell).  I’ll be happy to reciprocate when you get your blog on Kindle.

Tips for Increasing SEO

To help answer that question, first, I’ll describe a WordPress plugin called “SEOPressor.”  This is a paid plugin costing $47.  Then I’ll share Brian Clark’s tips on how to create compelling content for the search engines.  Brian discussed this topic in a segment on “International Freelancers Day.”  As most of you know, he’s the founder of “Copyblogger,” a hugely popular site about blogging.

SEOPressor

When you write a blog you “tell” SEOPressor your keyword for that post.  Then the plugin will rank your use of that keyword against several criteria.  Your score will be “0” until you enter your keyword.  Among other things, the plugin will tell you:

• You do not have H1 tag containing your keyword
• You do not have H2 tag containing your keyword
• You do not have H3 tag containing your keyword
• SEOPressor will automatically bold your keyword
• SEOPressor will automatically italic your keyword
• You do not have enough keywords to underline
• Please add rel=nofollow to your external links

As you begin to make these changes, your SEO score will go up.  The goal is to get more traffic from search engines.  I’ve just started to use this tool and began to see my score rise the first time I tried it.

How to Create Compelling Content for Search Engines

Brian Clark had a great many tips, but I have space to share only a few that will be helpful to bloggers.  He suggests creating content that people can bookmark, such as a 10-part tutorial.  The key is that the tutorial should have a landing page with links to each of the 10 parts.  Google will index the landing page that leads to each part, raising your rankings.   He also reinforced what most of us know, to have your keywords close to the front of your title.

Your blog should be at least 300 words in length.  People talk about links to other sites, but he said it is essential to link to content in your own site as well, with a link at every 120 words of content.    Guest blogging on other sites – especially authority sites — will help build those precious links back to your blog.   Something I didn’t know – if you can get three tweets of your blog post, your content will get indexed faster.

And finally, he discussed the frequency-density ratio.  He cautions against keyword stuffing that will get you in trouble with Google.  The ratio is 5.5% of keywords frequency to density, that is, the length of your content.  So if you decide to try SEOPressor, keep that in mind.

Brian Clark offers a free 27-page report, “How to Create Compelling Content that Ranks Well in Search Engines” that you can download from his website.  Tons of good tips.

1. SexyBookmarks Plugin

When you want people to share your blog posts with their friends, this is my plugin of choice.

Here’s a screenshot of what it looks like on a blog:

You can find out more here:

http://www.sexybookmarks.net/

2. Disqus Comment System Plugin

Disqus turns your comments across the blogosphere into one communication stream. Many of the big name bloggers like Chris Brogan and Duct Tape Marketing use Disqus. If you comment on their blogs, people can find all your comments and get a better understanding about you.

Here is a sample of responses to comments on Disqus:

Disqus is a great way for you to get your blog noticed. But it only works if you consistently comment on other blogs. For more information, here is their website:

http://disqus.com/overview/

3. Facebook Like Button Plugin

The Facebook “like” button is one of the easiest ways people can share your blog posts. Your blog readers don’t have to take any time to “think up” a comment. They don’t have to Tweet anything. All they have to do is acknowledge that they “like” your post.

There are several Facebook “Like” plugins. I’ve found many to be buggy. After installing a few and working through the bugs, a friend told me about this one. It works well.

http://martinj.net/wordpress-plugins/facebook-like-button/

4. TweetMeme Retweet Button

Want people to tweet about your blog on Twitter?

Install this plugin:

http://tweetmeme.com/about/plugins

5. WP Greet Box

I love this plugin. It recognizes what website referred your blog’s visitors and greets them with “Welcome ______.” The plugin also gives your visitors an easy way to sign-up for your RSS feed, etc.

Here’s a screenshot of the plugin in action:

You can find out more here:

http://omninoggin.com/projects/wordpress-plugins/wp-greet-box-wordpress-plugin/

6. Google XML Sitemaps

Sitemaps help search engines spider your blog. This plugin generates a special XML sitemap instantly for you. Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.com will find all your blog posts quickly when you install this plugin.

http://www.arnebrachhold.de/projects/wordpress-plugins/google-xml-sitemaps-generator/

7. Scribe

Be warned. This plugin isn’t free.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your blog post more search engine friendly, this plugin does the hard work for you. It quickly and easily checks your content against SEO best practices. It then advises you on changes you’re able to make to get better search engine results for your blog posts.

Here’s a screenshot of the plug-in in use:

Find out more here:

http://www.scribeseo.com

8. Smart 404

There is nothing worse than someone finding your blog and getting a 404 error page. This plugin solves that problem. Once installed, the plugin redirects traffic from bad links to the best suitable page. Install this plugin and you will never lose potential blog readers due to dead pages again.

http://atastypixel.com/blog/wordpress/plugins/smart-404/

9. WordPress.com Stats

If you aren’t tracking where your blog traffic is coming from, you can’t make corrections to get more traffic.

This plugin is very easy to install and tracks views, post/page views, referrers, and clicks. It requires a WordPress.com API key.

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/stats/

10. WP Google Analytics

If you really want great, detailed data about your blog vistors, then you’ll want to install Google Analytics on your blog.

Here’s a screenshot:

For more information go here:

http://xavisys.com/wordpress-plugins/google-analytics/

Of course installing a plugin doesn’t guarantee your blog will get more traffic. But if you use these plugins, you’ll make it much easier for people to find your blog.

Do you know of a plugin we should include on this list? Tell us about it.