If I am not mistaken it only counts users that also have the Alexa toolbar installed on thier computer. In ten years I have never used it and never suggested anyone to use it. If you decide to use it then I think you would have to try and get as many people as you could to install the product. I think your time is better utilized in promoting yourself and not Alexa. If you are interested in knowing your stats then I always say host with a company that provides really good stats programs as those are always truer than anything else. Learning to read them might take some time but it is something that will serve you well in the long run.

Hi Cheri I agree with Peter. The one little flaw in the whole theory of the Alexa toolbar is that your "rating" is only among those that actually have the Alexa toolbar. As such, it's a little skewed in relation to Internet ranking as a whole. There are lots of sites that have great Alexa ratings, but no one can find their website in the search engines or anywhere else. I actually think the Alexa toolbar method is going to see a decline because a lot of "spyware" programs list the Alexa toolbar as a data miner. It's not data mining the way a company that wants your shopping habits is.... but a lot of people that aren't tech savvy see it listed as a "suspect" program and will uninstall it. : ) Linda

Linda, Peter Thank you. One more thing I can cross off my list of things to worry about not knowing, lol. Cheri

========================================== If I am not mistaken it only counts users that also have the Alexa toolbar installed on thier computer. ========================================== That's correct. So unless you are marketing specifically to people who have the Alexa toolbar it's not really of much use. That being said, is it also the case that when you do search engine optimization you are optimizing for a specific engine? Thus, you can get high results for that specific engine but suck in all the others.

Hi Winston, is it also the case that when you do search engine optimization you are optimizing for a specific engine? Thus, you can get high results for that specific engine but suck in all the others. If a search engine optimization is done throughly and following all of the rules of the road you would not just be optimizing for only one search engine. While they all have there own rules and TOS you might just find that you place differently in the different search engines. The most important rule in SEO is to not think of the bots but think of the people, if you do things with concentration on the human element and you offer a website that attracts people, then the search engines reward that with a good listing. There is one good rule to follow and while learning to do it right is not always easy following what Linda is trying to show will only end up working in your favour, remember her site has never once been submitted to any search engine and they all list her sites well.