Rambling Cell

Alexa Site Ranking Information Credible?

We use Google Urchin for our site metrics and have been very happy with the information they provide.  I regularly check Alexa as well just to see what they show.

I have noticed an interesting trend over the last few months.  Our numbers from Google Urchin are showing an increase in our traffic.  At times we will spike for a few days based on a advertising campaign or being featured somewhere.  While we may see a significant increase in our Urchin results, the Alexa results often drop.

Of the two, the Urchin results are much more trustworthy as they are based on actual visitors to the site.  Alexa is using data they acquire from other sources and do not have access to our actual visitors.

Based on our experience, I question how credible the Alexa information really is and thus how usefull.