So does Alexa Rank matter for SEO? Before I dive in, let me note that in the next few days, I suspect this awesome WordPress site will hover below an Alexa Ranking of 100,000. Unfortunately, there won’t be any parties or fireworks as that feat won’t change much.

Short Answer

The short response to the question above would be – NO. Alexa Rank is not that relevant, and it’s notoriously inaccurate so don’t spend too much time staring at your ranking. It’s nice, but not too meaningful.

Long Answer

Since I can’t get away without a more detailed explanation, lets’ start with what is an Alexa Rank?

What’s wrong with Alexa Rankings?

Here are some flaws with Alexa Rank:

• It is not niche specific
• It is based on those who have the Alexa toolbar installed. And those people are almost always internet marketers. (I do not!)
• It does not differentiate between you (the site owner) visiting your own site versus anyone else
• Their data is inaccurate as its based on a small population of folks who use the Alexa toolbar

When Do Alexa Rankings Matter?

Since some folks (not many) feel Alexa Rankings still hold value, here’s when they do actually matter:

1. Advertising – Since advertisers want as much information as possible, Alexa Ranks are widely used on such networks to quantify the true marketing potential of your web site. The better your Alexa rank, the higher they will be willing to bid to buy advertising space on your site. In fact, some ad networks even require a minimum Alexa Rank to be considered for access into their site network.  If your site does not have any need for advertising now or in the future, then Alexa Ranks do not matter.
2. Selling Your Site – For those in the business of buying and selling websites, the Alexa Rank is relevant to demonstrate the strength and traffic of the site. Of course, Google Analytics will be far more useful, but the Alexa Rank is almost always provided.
3. Site Authority – Let’s face it, we all like to show off our sites and a solid Alexa Rank is like an additional accessory to the total package.

How do I Increase my Alexa Ranking?

Here are some tips to increase your Alexa ranking quickly:

1) Install the Alexa Toolbar. Given the fact that Alexa rankings are calculated based on how many visitors a site has with the Alexa toolbar installed, doing this will only help the cause.

2) Embed the Alexa site widget onto your site to show off your traffic rank. Though, I’ve always found these to be quite ugly.

3) Claim Your Site profile on Alexa. To complete this, you’ll need to either add a file to your server or add code to your site.

4) After you’ve done the steps above, publish posts regularly and your Alexa Rankings will increase over time.

Though, I suggest you focus on setting up Google Analytics for more accurate data and guidance. Google Analytics reports provide a far better gauge on the strength of your sitel. Another good sign may be more dollars in your bank account every month.

So what do you think? Do Alexa Ranks matter to you, and if so, why? Comment below.