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High Alexa traffic rankings are coveted by webmasters around the world. While data is collected only from Alexa Toolbar users, the toolbar is used by millions of heavy web surfers.

Plugins are available now for the Firefox browser which I use on a new U3 thumbnail drive. I can plug into any Windows computer with a USB port, see the Alexa rankings in my browser, and not have to install or leave anything behind on the borrowed computer.

How are Alexa's traffic rankings determined?

* traffic rankings based on usage of Alexa Toolbar users only

* may not be representative of the global Internet population

* traffic rank is based on three months of aggregated traffic data from millions of Alexa users

* combination of reach and pageviews

* reach is number of unique Alexa users who visit a site each day

* reach is expressed as the percentage of all Internet users who visit a given site

* pageviews are the total number of URL requests for a site each day

* page views are the average number of unique pages viewed per user per day by the users visiting the site

* ranking is determined by a combination of users and pageviews

* top level domains only (e.g. playtriton.com)

* no separate ratings for subpages or subdomains

* personal home pages are identified with an asterisk (*)

* sites serving the "same" content are counted together as the same site

* sites with low traffic (under 1,000 pageviews per month) will not be accurately ranked by Alexa due to statistical limitations

* the main traffic rank shown in the Alexa Toolbar is calculated from three months of aggregate traffic data

* the movers and shakers list is based on changes in average reach on a week to week comparative basis

Other factors can affect your site's Alexa ranking. Sites on the toolbar itself - like Amazon.com - may be over ranked. Heavy toolbar use in a particular region - like China - can raise Chinese sites to high levels.

The best use of this traffic ranking tool is to see how your site compares to 3 months ago.

Moving up in the Alexa rankings can help you determine if your Internet marketing efforts are bringing unique visitors to your website.