What do Page Rank, Alexa, etc mean?

[ThatCrazyMom]

I always read about page ranks and Alexz and all that and I kinda know what it is but how do you interpret it? What do the numbers mean?

And how do you know how many unique visitors you have per day? I use Google Analytics but I still have a hard time finding that kind of info on the Analytics reports page.

[themomblogs]

Here is a paragraph from an  article I wrote about buying advertising and "fluff stats".... don't place "too" much on this number;

Be careful about sites and their "high" Alexa Rankings: Many sites like to brag about their Alexa rankings ( http://www.alexa.com ) But.... be careful. Again, you need to find out what their true traffic stats are. Alexa is well known for measuring the popularity of websites. They offer a free toolbar for internet users to download, and with that, traffic is measured. They track the sites people visit, how many pages they view on that site, and other sites they visit that are similar in content etc. BUT, there are more than 605 million internet users worldwide (this statistic is from 2003) and there have only been 10 million Alexa toolbars downloaded. This is about 1.7% of all internet users. Not everyone who downloads the Alexa toolbar continues to use it. In fact, most savvy internet users DON'T use the Alexa toolbar because they consider it an invasion of privacy as it tracks and cookies everywhere they go on the internet. Many sites will try to increase their Alexa ranking by requesting that their visitors download the toolbar and utilize it. Especially if they are frequent visitors to that site. It is a very easy way to increase someone's Alexa ranking and used by many. Alexa offers wonderful information about internet users, BUT it is only a very very small percentage of internet users. Remember that as you look at advertising on sites who are touting their Alexa ranking. Again, ask for their true traffic stats.

[Candid Carrie]

I have a tough time understanding the google analytics, too.  I started with statcounter and keep referring to that because it is easy to read at a glance. 

[Aimee]

We use statcounter.com and LOVE it!!!

[Lynnae]

Sitemeter is also a good free, easy to read tool.

Google analytics is definitely the most comprehensive, but I only look at my analytics stats once a week or so, because the amount of information is so overwhelming.  I look at my sitemeter stats every couple of minutes...I mean hours...I mean once a day.  I'm not addicted to looking at stats or anything....LOL

[Blessed Mom 2 Sweet Boys]

 I am a big fan of statcounter too. Very informative. I did not care for sitemeter myself.

[Candid Carrie]

When I first started blogging, I left my statcounter window open and just hit refreshed every time I walked past it (every other minute)!  Glad I could pass that little tid bit along to everyone out there. 

In fact, that might be something our own Tidbits Of Tammy might want to include in a blog of hers --

Obsessed with your numbers?  Try this clever idea from another obsessive compulsive blogger,

Dear Tammy, I am laughing at me ... not you.  Please do not think I am laughing at you!  Just me.  Only me.  Because I am so freaking obsessed with numbers.

[michellew]

I just use sitemeter it is free and super easy. I don't have the time to get all that involved.
 

I always read about page ranks and Alexz and all that and I kinda know what it is but how do you interpret it? What do the numbers mean?

And how do you know how many unique visitors you have per day? I use Google Analytics but I still have a hard time finding that kind of info on the Analytics reports page.

[Aimee]

I have been apart of the google analytics and had forgotten about it...so I checked it out today, and I like that too

There are so many things on there.  There are so many things to track visitors

[Candid Carrie]

The google analytics is cool because of the chart and the colors, but it doesn't necessarily give me specifics I am aching for ... it is like high school all over again but with bar graphs and stat counters.

[Happy Momma]

I use sitemeter on my blogs.  I've never tried statcounter.  My only complaint about sitemeter is that it only keeps track of your last 100 visitors.  Since I get more than that each day it doesn't tell me a whole lot.  Does statcounter keep track of more than the last 100?

[Candid Carrie]

statacounter retains your most recent five hundred