Tips for New Bloggers: Alexa Score

 Alexa Score and Rank

In my last Tips for New Bloggers blog post, I wrote briefly about the different ways to increase site traffic, Facebook fans, Twitter and blog followers, and to develop your blogging network. This post will be focused on Alexa and why it's important to get your Alexa score down.
Alexa is a site that provides statistics, rank, and score information to gauge your website's influence both in your country and worldwide. The Alexa score for your site is updated daily and companies will often use your score to determine if you would be a good candidate to test their product and or host a giveaway.

The lower your score, the better.

Your score is based on the number of people who visit your site, how much time they spend there, the number of sites linking to your blog, and the number of reviews and ratings from those reviews on Alexa for your site.

How to lower your Alexa score:

1. Create an account and claim your site on Alexa

2. Install the Alexa toolbar into your internet browser (this will make things easier for you later on)

3. Once you're set up with your account and toolbar, join blog hops or leave bloggers reviews for their sites on Alexa

4. When visiting a blogger's website, let their page load completely, wait a few minutes, click on another part of their blog (i.e. - a tab, page, or post), and write them a review if you haven't yet.

On  your toolbar, there are stars and a clipboard. Click on the clipboard to write a review. I also click on +1, like, or share their blog posts when I see good content.

The last two parts are the hardest because many of us have put in a lot of time and effort to write a review and visit a blogger's website, when that blogger will not return the favor. The best approach is to find bloggers willing to match your time and effort. This will require networking with other bloggers which can be tough.

Sites like Mom Bloggers Club or Mom Blog Society have Alexa blog hops. Keep in mind that while there are companies looking for bloggers with scores of 900,000 or lower, the better product reviews usually require 500,000 or 100,000 (on Tomoson).

Don't stalk your numbers and don't worry if it takes some time for your score to go down. It takes time to increase traffic to your blog. Just remember to post useful content!

Also, Alexa scores will go up when you don't post content to your site regularly. This has happened to me and it is always more difficult to lower your score, than to have it raised.

Let me know what other kinds of tips you would like to see posted in my next Tips for Bloggers!

-GG