Plugins are available now for the Firefox browser which I use on a new U3 thumbnail drive. I can plug into any Windows computer with a USB port, see the Alexa rankings in my browser, and not have to install or leave anything behind on the borrowed computer.



How are Alexa's traffic rankings determined?

* traffic rankings based on usage of Alexa Toolbar users only

* may not be representative of the global Internet population

* traffic rank is based on three months of aggregated traffic data from millions of Alexa users

* combination of reach and pageviews

* reach is number of unique Alexa users who visit a site each day

* reach is expressed as the percentage of all Internet users who visit a given site

* pageviews are the total number of URL requests for a site each day

* page views are the average number of unique pages viewed per user per day by the users visiting the site

* ranking is determined by a combination of users and pageviews

* top level domains only (e.g. playtriton.com)

* no separate ratings for subpages or subdomains

* personal home pages are identified with an asterisk (*)

* sites serving the "same" content are counted together as the same site

* sites with low traffic (under 1,000 pageviews per month) will not be accurately ranked by Alexa due to statistical limitations

* the main traffic rank shown in the Alexa Toolbar is calculated from three months of aggregate traffic data

* the movers and shakers list is based on changes in average reach on a week to week comparative basis

Other factors can affect your site's Alexa ranking. Sites on the toolbar itself - like Amazon.com - may be over ranked. Heavy toolbar use in a particular region - like China - can raise Chinese sites to high levels.

The best use of this traffic ranking tool is to see how your site compares to 3 months ago.

Moving up in the Alexa rankings can help you determine if your Internet marketing efforts are bringing unique visitors to your website.