Alexa Changes its Ranking System

Alexa, one of the world’s most popular ranking systems, has just modified the algorithm it uses to rank websites. As a result, the ranking of large number of sites has taken a nosedive, while others have benefited from the change.

Before, Alexa generated the rankings through an analysis of Internet usage by people who use the Alexa Toolbar. It now aggregates data from multiple sources – although these have yet to be revealed - to give a better indication of website popularity among the entire population of Internet users.

Furthermore, historic traffic data is currently limited to the last nine months; although Alexa has announced that the new system will be fully functional in several weeks time.