In a world with just ten sites for the keyword "Hotel", there is no need to perform any ranking on any of the sites and return the results as such. But with millions of sites for a generic keyword like "Hotel", it is inevitable to come up with ranking algorithm to be fair to the good sites. There are several ranking schemes to rank a website, each having their criteria of ranking. So a web site developer should not be bamboozled by the numerous jargon and end up producing a messy site. Before developing a site, the developer must identify the precinct in which the site is going to fall and design the site according to that particular ranking scheme. So Alexa rank and page rank being the major ones, need to be analyzed to determine the way to go.
Alexa rank is a system where a site's rank is determined by the traffic received by a site by people with Alexa toolbar installed whereas page rank designed by Google is largely based on link building. A high amount of inbound links will increase the page rank although page rank is not solely based on links. It is influenced by other factors too like keywords. The exact number and kind of factors contributing to page rank still remain hazy. But it is largely based on links, keywords and tags.
A superficial glance would reveal that Alexa rank does not count the mass appeal of a website; rather it acts as a tool that ranks sites with more technical users. Alexa rank does not give the true rank a site deserves. This is because, it measures rank based on the traffic from users who have the Alexa toolbar installed. A normal web user may not install Alexa toolbar, or may not even know what it is. A site that is frequented by such users will be at disadvantage than a site that is frequented by webmaster and tech users, who know enough to install Alexa toolbar. So the former is ranked far lesser than the latter even if the number of users and credibility is higher.
Page rank is a comprehensive ranking algorithm that takes into account, not just that traffic it generates, but also the usability of the site. In other words, page rank takes the responsibility of increasing the traffic of a deserving website on its shoulder by listing it in the top search results. Page ranking is used as a gauge for professional link building services.
But this should not deter one from ignoring Alexa rank. Because Alexa rank, imperfect though it may be, is used by webmasters and commercial ad networks to determine the worth of a site and the Alexa rank fixes the price of advertisement on one's site.
If advertisement revenue holds the key to monetary gain from building the site then Alexa rank is the key factor that should be considered more important than page rank. But to all the others, page rank is still the best out there.
Bob D Williams has been involved in the seo field for over ten years. Working in various SEO services but specializing in link building services. And in search engine optimization, professional custom videos and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_D_Williams
