eCa$hTalk

It’s a known fact.  The search engines like good, original content - and for the most part, large sites.  So, as you build your rankings, you will want to keep track of how many pages on your site that are indexed in Google.  This is actually, a very simple process.  You can check it out in Webmaster Central.

Or, you can simply go to the Google command line and enter site:www.[name of your site] .com .  You will get the total number of pages.  For example, I did a query on MommyAdvisor , one of my sites.  I have 18,100 pages indexed in Google.

From there, go to the bottom of the results and click on the last page of the results.  It is my own personal belief that any of your pages that are not presented after that page - it is a darn good chance that they are in the supplemental index.  Now, if you know what I am talking about, you are saying, "but, I thought that Google abandoned the supplemental index ".  Officially, yes, but, I still believe that their is some distinction in place for less significant pages.  And, if you are seeing that a considerable number of your pages cannot be seen, it is time to build some links.  Look, the supplemental index did not go away… Google just made it harder to find those pages.

In finding link partners, one of the things that you may want to know is … how much traffic is that site getting? Not that this is the end-all in finding potential sites to link to you … but, knowing about traffic may allude to bigger issues, such as what their trust rank is.

But, if you are just trying to discover someone’s traffic, there are a few sources that you should take a look at:

• Alexa - This site has become completely unreliable over the years. I find that the numbers are frequently off. Alexa numbers are largely based on who has downloaded the Alexa toolbar. I would certainly look at Alexa if I am trying to find out how much traffic someone is getting. But, I would not rely on this information.
• Compete - I have found Compete.com to be the most reliable source for determining a site’s traffic. Compete has a paid service, but you can get quite a bit for free - probably, everything that you need. However, it is still not completely reliable. If I need to find a site’s traffic, here is what I do. I average Compete numbers with …
• Quantcast - Quantcast is a great site filled with information on numerous websites. They actually have a pixel that you can place on your site, and they can give you some very detailed and amazing demographic information on your visitors - if you have the pixel.

So, for me, personally, if I am trying to determine a site’s traffic, I look at Alexa, and I average the results from Quantcast and Compete. Bottom line.