Alexa is a subsidiary of Amazon.com which ranks web sites based upon actual user traffic to those sites.

User traffic is monitored using the The Alexa Toolbar.

Users voluntarily download and install the Alex Toolbar because includes a Popup Manager and Google Search, and also displays Site Info, Alexa Traffic Rank, and Related Links.

Hudson Scripting provides an Alexa Ranking tool which will display the Alexa Traffic Rank of many web sites simultaneously.

Understanding Alexa Traffic Ranks

In Alexa Traffic Ranks, a lower number is better. The number 1 site receives more Alexa-monitored traffic than any other web site on the Internet. The number 50,000 site receives more traffic than the number 75,000 site.

The #1 position in Alexa is currently held by Yahoo.com.

Boosting your Alexa Traffic Rank

It is fairly easy to artificially boost your Alexa Traffic Rank by installing the Alex Toolbar and browsing your site extensively. Doing this on a regular basis can get your web site an Alexa Traffic Rank near 100,000.

Alexa Traffic Ranks above 100,000 are not considered reliable because of this fact.

Adding Alexa Ranking Info to Your Web Page

Alexa offers Alexa Traffic Widgets that can be placed on your web site which can show your site stats, traffic rank and a traffic graph. The widget is built automatically upon entering your site’s URL and clicking the “Build Widget” button.