Sure You Want to Use an Alexa Tool Bar? [Review]

Alexa Tool Bar Tips!

Installing an Alexa Tool Bar Increases Alexa Ranking! Wow! pretty nifty right? Maybe,or maybe not.Here are some tips and a caveat to consider about using the Alexa Tool Bar.

How Does an Alexa Tool Bar Work?

Alexa Tool bars or Alexa  Extensions once installed, collect data on the user's browsing behaviour which is transmitted to the Alexa Website where it is stored and analyzed forming the basis for the Alexa's Web traffic reporting. Alexa Toolbars are the equivalent of the Neilson TV rating system,they don’t record all consumer behaviour,only the behaviour of the users,therefore the accuracy of an Alexa Ranking is sometimes questioned. There is much speculation over whether using an Alexa tool bar will help increase Google Page rank. Some say using an Alexa tool bar helps bring Google bots to your site more frequently,and others say using Alexa tools does not affect Google ranking at all.Despite the controversy about Alexa's Ranking system, Alexa Ranking is a very popular standard for many advertisers deciding whether to purchase advertising on your site.

Alexa Tool Bar or Alexa Extension?

Alexa offers its Free App as a tool bar for Mozilla Firefox,

and a Tool Bar for Internet Explorer, but my favourite version is the Alexa Extension for Google Chrome.  Nice,compact,circle - simple elegance. Just one more reason, many people choose to use Google Chrome as a browser.

Alexa Tool Bar Features

The Alexa Tool Bar and Alexa Extension offer the following features:

• Alexa Traffic Rank: See how popular a website is with other Alexa users- useful when trying decide whether to advertise on a site.
  
• Related Links: Find sites that are similar to the site you are visiting -great for comparison shopping.
  
• Wayback: See how a site looked in the past- this can give insights into a site's performance as well.
  
• Hot Pages & Searches: See what's popular on the web right now -helpful for determining useful keywords and trends.
  
• Website Reviews: See what other people thought of this site or write your own - see if you can persuade others to write a review of your site!

Caveat -A Word To the Wise Regarding Browsing with Alexa

Since the Alexa Tool bar,or Alexa Extension records all your browsing activity,there may be some times,you will not want it activated. Think for a minute about what you might not want Alexa to record...that's right-your competitor's website. Just as you do not want to arrive at your competitor's website by clicking a result in a search,unless you want to increase competitors Alexa ranking,you will want to deactivate your Alexa Extension or Alexa Tool bar when browsing their site.

How to Deactivate your Google Chromes Alexa Extension

Deactivating your Alexa Extension for Google Chrome,is easy-just follow these steps:

1. Click the wrench in the top right corner of Google Chrome
   
2. Mouse over the Tools Menue
   
3. Click 'Extensions'
   
4. Look for the Alexa Extension and remove the Tick from 'Enabled'
   
5. Now Your Alexa Extension is Disabled.

When you want to add Alexa points to a site,simply go back and tick the 'Enabled' box again. Ready to install an Alexa Tool Bar or Alexa Extension? Here is the link: http://www.alexa.com/

Now it's your turn-What do you think about the Alexa Tool bar and Alexa Ranking system? Leave a comment saying you reviewed Blogged Tips using our Alexa reviews gadget,and I'll be please to pop over and return the favour!

Suzanne