Site ranking tools: sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down

Sometimes it really is all about the numbers. For instance, you know that your customers (and competitors) will probably use Alexa, Compete, or QuantCast to evaluate your site’s traffic.

Never mind that any of these can be grossly inaccurate – you have to live with their numbers (unless, of course, you’re willing to open up your Google Analytics account to pretty much everyone).

In my experience, having worked with many clients’ data, I’ve found that:

• Alexa overreports traffic – usually
• Quantcast varies wildly
• Compete is usually pretty close on uniques (note: USUALLY)

But you know, you can’t control which source your prospects and customers use.  So how do you deal with site ranking data?

Here are a few suggestions – and I encourage you to add your advice in the comments:

1. Preemptively frame the discussion: Make sure that you do more than trumpet a good ranking; put it in context, both in terms of how it is valid, and how it is vis-a-vis your competitors.
2. Preemptively dismiss the site rankings: Focus on your own Google Analytics info (but be prepared to answer inevitable questions about your rankings anyway).
3. Avoid the ‘numbers’ game entirely: Focus on how you own your niche, who your ‘influential’ customers are, the quality of your job seekers (demographics), and so on.

In my experience, however, site rankings are like taxes – they’re inevitable and they affect everyone – so learn how to deal with them.

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