Alexa and Compete Scores Moot, PageRank Still Key

19 December 2011 – Pagerank, Google’s main traffic and authority indicator, is still the main factor to consider when looking to buy ad real estate from a website leasing out ad spaces, though some additional metrics may also be included.

The big question for merchants or affiliates looking for ad spaces where they could showcase their ads and links is whether their investment of that relatively small capital will pay for itself, or better yet, pay off big time. Looking for the right ad space is pretty much similar to looking for real world real estate – location is key.

In the Web, it’s not geophysical location that’s important, it’s ad placement. And placement is not just about which part of the website your ad will go on – above the fold or under the fold, near the navigation bar or at every footer area – it’s about what sort of website you’re putting it on. If you run a business about alternative medicine, for instance, you won’t place your ads on a website about shoes, no matter how popular it is. It’s all about contextual, target placing.

And then beyond this, there are metrics to look at. Pagerank is the invariable ultimate indicator of a website’s success in terms of traffic and authority. Unfortunately, it’s a simple measure from 1 to 10, and that doesn’t give a very accurate picture. Alexa, Quantcast, and Compete are three of the leading alternative scoring sites, but using them is not completely in order – you need to be sure which works best for your needs.

Alexa measures metrics from the Alexa toolbar (or any widget or something else that incorporates the Alexa codes). Obviously, not everyone in the world has one – in fact, mostly webmasters and techie people do. Compete, on the other hand, gets data from select ISPs, and not all of them are willing or able to contribute.

If a merchant deems these cyberlandlording tools for measuring traffic and authority ideal for their situation, then they can be added. However, they’re certainly not all-around, trusty metrics as they stand today.