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Is the Alexa Toolbar Spyware?by John L. Dilbeck The Alexa Toolbar is one tool that webmasters can use to determine relative popularity of websites based on traffic.Recently, I received an email from my online friend, Barbara Brabec, who said, "I don't know if you're on my newsletter list or not, but if you are, you got my notice the other day about my website update. Just wanted to tell you that I saw your 'Download Alexa Toolbar' info and proceeded to do this, only to run into a computer nightmare that I've written about this month on my site. I think you ought to read this article. You can link to it from my home page." (To read her article: What You Need to Know About Spyware, the Alexa Toolbar, and Anti-spyware Programs: How the Alexa Toolbar Created Havoc with Internet Explorer and My Whole System.) Before I say anything else, I'm very sorry that Barbara had such a difficult time after downloading this software. I've learned a great deal from Barbara about running a home-based business and I am a huge fan of her books on professional arts and crafts. Nobody knows the world of marketing arts and crafts as Barbara does and I wholeheartedly recommend her site, her newsletter, and her books. However, I have to disagree with her regarding the Alexa Toolbar being spyware. Also, we don't specifically know that the toolbar caused the problems she experienced, but she feels that it was the cause and that the problems went away after it was uninstalled. I don't know, either way. (You should know that I don't use Windows PCs and I try to use Microsoft products as little as I can. The only Microsoft product I use on a regular basis is Internet Explorer, and as soon as I find a product that works better, I'll drop it. That said, I can't install the toolbar on my browser, because it isn't available for the Macintosh version of IE. There is a javascript available that gives me some of the same information that is available via the toolbar, called Snapshot, and that's what I use to evaluate sites, find related links, and look at their rankings and traffic information. This doesn't give me as much information as is available via the toolbar, but it works for me.) (Update September, 2007 - Alexa now has a version of the Alexa Toolbar that works on FireFox for Mac OS X. I installed it a couple of months ago and use it every day. I have had absolutely no problems with it. I still recommend the Alexa Toolbar if you do any research for your online marketing.) Before you are allowed to download the Alexa Toolbar, you must agree to the Alexa Internet Terms of Use Agreement, which spells out exactly how the product works and how it may impact your privacy. It also discloses how information is reported to both Alexa and to Amazon.com (which recently aquired Alexa). The terms don't say anything about causing problems with computers and browsers and I have to assume this is not a prevalent situation since thousands of Amazon.com affiliates use and recommend the product and millions of people have the toolbar installed on their systems and use it without problems. However, even if only a small percentage of users may be impacted by this, it could amount to thousands or even millions of users, due to the proliferation of Windows systems. Again, I'm sorry if Barbara -- or anyone -- has any problems with this software, but the Alexa Toolbar is being used by millions of satisfied users who find it to be helpful. Perhaps this is not software that should be used by everyone, because it's really designed for webmasters who want to evaluate other sites and find related links. If you're not involved in web marketing or web design, perhaps it isn't for you. For those of us who compete in Internet marketing and consulting, however, it provides valuable information that is not accessible anywhere else.
Well, in late 2004 that's no longer strictly true. Ken Evoy released Search It!, a free utility to help you search the web like a pro. Two of the tools built into Search It! help you determine the Alexa ranking for a site or the Google Page Rank for a page, without having to install anything, including either of their toolbars. If you are concerned about spyware and toolbars that may cause trouble with your computer, then Search It! may be what you're looking for. Since I can't use the Alexa toolbar on my Mac, I use Search It! all the time. It also has lots of other features, and Ken is adding more to it on a regular basis. No download or installation is involved. To determine the Alexa ranking for a site, select "Site Research - Popularity" in Step 1 (using Search It!), and "Alexa Ranking and Reviews" in Step 2. Enter the domain you want to look up in Step 3 and ignore Step 4. Now, click the Search It! button -- don't hit ENTER or RETURN on your keyboard -- and a new window will appear that explains a bit about the search you're doing. When you're ready, click on the link that says, "Please click here to see your search results." and you'll see the Alexa page for the domain you entered in step 3. The Google Page Rank search works similarly. Again, select "Site Research - Popularity" in step 1. In step 2, select "Google PageRank - For a Site" and enter the domain you want to check in step 3. Search It! offers many other helpful search functions and it grows in usefulness as new search features are added and existing ones are upgraded. The more you use it, the more you'll like it. Are the traffic stats from Alexa 100% reliable? Probably not. What they provide is a statistical summary of traffic patterns -- based on traffic as measured and reported by browsers with the Alexa Toolbar installed, or by browsers -- such as mine -- which use the Snapshot javascript. When you download the software, you acknowledge that you're aware of how Alexa will report your browsing for compilation of traffic stats and you agree to it. How can it be spyware when the terms of use specifically spell out the facts behind how Alexa compiles and estimates traffic patterns and relative rankings of websites in terms of popularity -- as measured by folks with the Alexa Toolbar installed on their systems? It can't be. It isn't. Spyware, by definition, is software that is installed without your knowledge or permission -- and that is not the case with this toolbar. Yes, there are problems with spyware being installed when you download all sorts of things on a Windows computer and Barbara gives some good advice on how to eliminate it from your system. However, this toolbar is not spyware. It's a valuable tool that I use everyday (in the Snapshot format) and I would be much poorer without having it available. It helps me evaluate competitors, merchant sites, affiliate sites, portals, and other sites, and I use it to make decisions about which companies I want to work with. There is no way that website rankings can be accurate unless every single browser on every single computer were to report their visits to a central repository or if every web server were to report on every visit. Alexa is giving us the best information I can find anywhere by reporting statistically on where the millions of toolbar-enabled browsers go. Can these statistics be skewed? Sure. Sites visited by webmasters who have the tool installed may have a higher ranking than they might otherwise have, and the same can be said for sites where they don't go, where rankings may be skewed lower than reality. The way to reduce these inaccuracies is to have more people install and use the toolbar. The more people who use it, the more accurate the statistics. Will some of you have problems with it? Most likely. I don't know anyone -- and there may be millions of you out there -- who doesn't have problems with a Windows computer. I'm always hearing from friends who have had to reinstall the operating system, reformat a disk, and do other similar things. And, while I'm not interested in using Microsoft products, myself, well over 90% of all computer users prefer their products. I'm happy to recommend the Alexa Toolbar to you -- if you have use for what it offers. Knowledge is power, and I think Barbara has done a good service by telling you about her experience and how she solved it without following the horrible advice she was originally given -- Gateway told her to reformat the hard drive. Fortunately, she didn't fall for that tired old line. If the Alexa toolbar doesn't provide you with information you need, you should probably remove it from your system. If it helps you build your business on the web, keep it. We must each make these decisions for ourself. I hope nobody else runs into the problems that Barbara describes. While it didn't work out well for her, it's working well on millions of other computers and I'm happy to continue offering this valuable tool to you. If they had a Macintosh version, I'd install it today. If you'd like to install the Alexa Toolbar, be sure to read the Terms of Use before agreeing to what it says. If you, like me, don't use Windows, there may be a javascript version of their Snapshot report available for installing on your browser. Just follow the link. If your browser and/or system is incompatible, you'll be diverted to a page that will offer alternatives. Or, as mentioned above, you can use Search It!, instead of installing anything. I first learned about Alexa from Ken Evoy, in his ebook Make Your Site Sell!, where he explains how to use it to evaluate other sites. Another of his pages discusses website traffic and relative ranking using Alexa and includes a form where you can enter your domain name and see how you're ranked by Alexa. The closer your ranking is to 1, the higher your popularity. Many people are surprised to find that their site ranks in the millions or has no traffic ranking at all. Using what I've learned from Ken over the last few years, I've built several sites into top 2% sites on the whole Internet. The Alexa toolbar (or Snapshot javascript) played a big part in helping me do this. Now, I'm working to get a new site into the top 1% using Site Build It! I appreciate what Alexa is doing for all of us by tracking and ranking website traffic so that I'll have one more tool in my arsenal for evaluating what I'm doing that helps -- or hurts -- my website performance. As they say, your mileage may vary. Do what's best for you. John L. Dilbeck has been learning the art and science of marketing on the Internet. With an ever-growing network of websites, he is busy -- every day -- connecting willing buyers with willing sellers. Are you looking to earn some extra income from your own home business? Come join us at Private Success Team and we'll help you learn the online marketing skills you need to succeed. I succeed by helping you succeed.
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