martinibuster - 3:04 pm on Feb 20, 2003 (gmt 0)

one of the few ways to track our progress aginst that of your competitors.

That's the point. It's not accurate.
You feel it's accurate because you use it, and Alexa gives your rankings a boost because of it. By using the tool you are giving yourself a boost. You see yourself higher ranked and it gives you a warm glow. But it's a lie, and you're lying to yourself.

It gives you comfort to see your site performing better than your competition, but it's an illusion. If it's good news, then you are favorably disposed to it. This is human nature, to be susceptible to flattery and vanity. But that's all it is.

Similar to when Google ignores a web site, web site owners complain that it's algo is no good. If Google ranks them then the owners think the Google algo is incredibly fair.

To accurately, track your competitors all you have to do is create a spreadsheet with all your relevant keywords then list their positions month to month. Surely you're doing one for yourself? Just duplicate it for your competitors. That, is accurate tracking.

With much respect to your opinions, I neverteless have to respectfully disagreee and assert that using Alexa for the purpose of tracking competitors is lazy, inaccurate, and self-delusional.