Mike Ran » tech

What do Alexa Rankings Really Mean?

mike — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:39:29 +0000

Alexa is commonly used to quantify the value of websites by comparing their rankings. However, how do sites like Alexa, Compete, or Quantcast gather their traffic data?. Most people overlook the fact that you can’t directly or legally monitor someone else’s website activity. As a result, these websites take samples from the population. Alexa only gathers information from those with the Alexa Toolbar installed. You know, the thing on Alexa.com they REALLY wants you to download:

This may be old news for online advertisers and such, but the statistics on Alexa, Compete, and Quantcast can be extremely misleading for the general public. After all, the information is presented in such a way that it appears as fact. But alas, that data is collected from the surfing patterns of a tiny sample of the population.

Moreover, Alexa rankings heavily favor websites with a focus on web, social media, online marketing, or the like. This is because a tech-savvy fan base drastically increases the likelihood of the Alexa toolbar being installed.

In conclusion, Alexa is tremendously flawed as a method of measuring a website’s traffic. However, since Alexa purports that their information is accurate, and since we live in an imperfect world, Alexa rankings will still be commonly used by advertisers to measure your site’s worth and by CEO’s to back up their late afternoon emails.

My advice: Use a real method to track your own web traffic so you have some accurate numbers and charts to show potential clients or bosses. If you still care about your Alexa rankings, download the toolbar (if you don’t mind having your internet activities tracked) and visit your own website at least 5 times a day (who doesn’t already?). Even if you are the only person visiting your site, your ranking will dramatically improve. Also, install a widget on your site so your visitors are more likely to install the toolbar as well.

The Life, Times, and Death of Internet Explorer 6

mike — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:18:51 +0000

by Brad Colbow

The Ipad

mike — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:51:50 +0000

How Conceptual Metaphors are Stunting Web Innovation

mike — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:20:55 +0000

I saw this great article on Mashable about how Conceptual Metaphors are Stunting Web Innovation.

Basically, the biggest barrier when designing for the future is a metaphor for the past. The “office” analogy of the “desktop” provides us with a familiar surrounding of folders, documents, and a trash can. However, this platform acts as a crutch to innovation. Example: Airports were designed after train stations.

READ IT

Totally Awesome Domain Names (Still Available!)

mike — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 19:16:30 +0000

Please, someone register these:

alienrobocop.com
zombierobocop.com
ninjarobocop.com
ultrametalninja.com
awesomeexplosion.com
zombietiger.com
ultimaterobotninja.com
godzillaman.com
robotninjazombie.com
notgayninja.com
ninjagodzilla.com
godzillarobocop.com
alienzombieninja.com
alienrobotninja.com

3 Ways to Improve SEO

mike — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 07:50:50 +0000

What is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization and is the art improving your website’s ranking on a search engine results page. Basically, the earlier your site appears in the search results, the more likely someone is to click on it.

The first thing to figure out is which keywords you would like to target. These keywords should be extremely relevant to the content of your site. Ask yourself if your target audience would search for these words.

After that, its simple!

1. Use your keywords in your website’s title, description, and metatags.

This is probably the easiest, and also the most important step. Change the title, description, and metatags of your website to include your keywords.

BAD TITLE: conversationmarketing.com

GOOD TITLE: Internet Marketing Strategy: Converation Marketing

2. Use your keywords in your website’s URLs.

Make sure your website pages have url structures that include these keywords. If you are using WordPress, read this one-step resource on your urls.

BAD URL: http://example.com/?p=N

GOOD URL: http://example.com/category/post-name/

3. Use your keywords in your website’s headings and images.

Its important to use your keywords through the body of your site. However, the headings and image alt tags are often overlooked.

There are numerous other methods to improve your website’s SEO (backlinks and sitemaps), but optimizing the use of keywords affects your search results position most directly.

Of course, SEO is not an exact science, nor do I claim to be an expert at it. Improving your site’s visibility through Social Media, Micro-blogging, and Video Marketing can prove to be far more effective and fun!

I’m on the Front Page of the NY Times

mike — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:59:50 +0000

I was on the front page of the New York Times today in an article about the lay offs. I’m tagged as “his smaller staff.”

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