As you may or may not have heard, the popular but often disputed rankings site Alexa.com has updated their ranking algorithm. Here’s my favorite FAQ from the release: 

My site’s ranking has changed. Was it wrong before?

Your ranking wasn’t wrong before, but it was different. Alexa toolbar users’ interests and surfing habits could differ from those of the general population in a number of ways, and we described some of those possible differences on our website. While the vast majority of sites’ rankings were unaffected by such differences, we’ve worked hard on our new ranking system to adjust for situations in which they could matter.

The new rankings should better reflect the interests and surfing habits of the broader population of Web users.
new rankings
Basically the toolbar isn’t the only source of information anymore so it’s likely the rankings have gotten better. Have any of your favorite sites been hit? I’d expect sites that cater to a webmaster / web-savvy crowd to be hit the hardest. Our rankings didn’t change much, as I’m doubtful most of our site audience even knows what the toolbar is. I suspect that most ‘make money online’ blogs however will definitely see some drops.

But Matt, Isn’t Alexa Useless Anyways?

I’d like to say yes, but Alexa rankings still hold some weight in the eyes of advertisers, web savvy site visitors, and potential buyers (if you’re ever going to sell). For these reasons you can’t completely ignore it. What is important when dealing with advertisers or potential buyers is explaining to them the demographics of your site audience. WhyDoWork is largely comprised of home based moms. Would your mom know what the Alexa toolbar and web rankings system is? Not likely.

Predictions

I’m doubtful the new rankings have stabilized so I expect to see some big changes over the next week or two. If your site was hit hard, there’s a chance it might rebound back. Bearing in mind the rankings don’t hold much weight anyways (IF you can speak to why) it shouldn’t affect things too much. :)

 

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