Domestic Alexa rankings cheating cancer industry chain has been formed

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The lively Internet war of words, recently has a new rhetoric. On the other side of the Alexa World Web site ranking data adjustment, it is the main cause of the domestic Internet mouth war.

August 27, a person of love and marriage website to "Financial Times" revealed that its competitors to marry Me Network (marry5.com) due to traffic fraud, recently has been Alexa world ranking zero. "Previously, the site ranked 270 of the world, or even more than the United States established love and marriage website Match.com, now finally the true colours." ”

Similar accusations continue to ring out among competing websites in other areas. A dating site owner privately revealed that last year's famous net (zhanzuo.com) was also cleared for cheating. The latter's embarrassing explanation is, "it's just a misunderstanding." ”

August 27, more senior personage to "Financial Times", the current domestic competition most intense video website almost all cheat. Currently has been Alexa 0 and degraded video sites including popcorn (pomoho.com), openv, Uusee, and so on, more cheating has not been Alexa discovery and processing.

Why are domestic emerging websites caught in the accusation of traffic cheating? What does the Alexa world rank say? What motives lead to a Web site chasing rankings? With the "Financial Times" in-depth investigation, a related to Alexa rankings of the Gray industrial chain began to surface, and the various interests and motives behind it, but also with the infiltration of our vision.

Alexa August earthquake

Alexa is currently one of the most authoritative global Web site ranking agencies. The site was founded in April 1996 in the United States and was acquired by Amazon in 1999. Alexa makes a comprehensive ranking of global web sites on a daily basis, based on key metrics such as user reach and page views, and publishes a "comprehensive ranking" on its Web site on the basis of the recent three-month data assessment.

Recently, Alexa again adjusted the ranking of the global website algorithm. After the rankings came out, China's internet was in uproar: a number of Chinese web sites fell, and the top 1000 Chinese sites had one-third were completely emptied or drastically lowered rankings.

These are emptied and lowered rankings of the site, in addition to the above married my nets, occupy nets, popcorn, openv, Uusee and other sites, but also include cool news, posts easy, red children, 67.com, and so on, almost all of the recent two emerging hot sites.

The new Web site has become the Alexa adjustment of the "hardest hit". By contrast, Baidu, Tencent, Sina, Sohu and other large web site rankings are not much change. This result Baisibuxie many people.

"The reason is simple, some new websites in order to attract investment or eyeball, there is suspicion of cheating." Industry senior analyst Liu Xingliang to the Financial Times, "in fact, Alexa does not really know which sites cheat, they are only for some technical details of the algorithm fine-tuning, the weight of some of the parameters are adjusted." These zero-zeroing sites are just coincidence, not all of them. ”

And in the previous, Alexa has several rankings algorithm adjustment, each adjustment on a number of Web site rankings caused impact. Such frequent algorithm adjustments can indeed play a role in discriminating false traffic, but do not rule out the occasional "wrong kill" innocent.

To the Alexa algorithm last March, for example, when Alexa on the site large flow pop-up data were all blocked, some rely on pop-up ads to obtain traffic chinabbs.com, 58.com and other sites are completely clear zero. However, some of the well-known web site features, such as MSN Chinese website and its partners, such as the North Green Network, also appeared in the position of a sharp decline in the situation.

"No matter how, the new website encounters the penalty of zeroing in the rankings, which duties the various kinds of dishonest phenomena that are bothering China's internet." Liu Xingliang said.

Video site group Cheating?

August 27, a senior person Xiao A (alias) also told the Financial Times, the current Internet competition is the most intense video field, is ranked the ranking of cheating. So far, almost all video sites have been difficult to escape the suspicion of cheating.

"I have collected the current record of the most well-known video websites in China." Judging from these records, they are generally suspected of traffic fraud. "Little A is holding a printed document on hand.

In this print document, detailed records 56.com, Youku, Tudou, 酷6网, popcorn, Uusee, openv, Pcpie and other well-known video site traffic data map. These data derive from Alexa, as of August 22 (United States time), the interception of data are the same standard, that is, the last six months each site's daily traffic (total page views) of the change curve.

Most of these sites remain stubbornly high in the Alexa rankings, except for parts of the site that have been cleared 0 and plunged. At present, 56.com, Youku, Tudou ranked 10th, 11th and 12th in the domestic website, the cool slip net is ranked in the 19th position.

From the data graph, these video sites generally have a surge in traffic. In terms of user arrival rate changes, 56.com per quarter growth of 124%, Youku grew 181%, Cool slipped 146%, Tudou increased by 61%; In the page browsing number changes, 56.com per quarter rose 21%, Youku Rose 23%, cool slip net even up 76%. By contrast, only Tudou fell 5%.

"According to the rules of the Internet, the site's user arrival rate and page browsing rate increased at the same time is rarely seen." "Small a analysis said that even if the site through vigorous promotion, by pulling new users to improve the arrival rate, but the new users of the site loyalty and stickiness is difficult to improve quickly, so the number of browsing pages per person is more likely to reduce, rather than increase."

"Moreover, like these have reached the global TOP500 level of the site, the reasonable range of changes in the quarter generally will not exceed 10%, unless there is a major market changes or a very large product revision." "Small a analysis said that the video site has completed the overall rapid growth last year, the last quarter does not exist the possibility of such a surge in traffic."

Small a finally, from the above data can be seen, most of the video site is difficult to escape the suspicion of traffic cheating.

VC encourages the wind of cheating

Why do new websites such as videos cheat on traffic and rankings? Industry insiders pointed out that the VC in the back of the practice can be described as "work." It is in this interest trend, the domestic target Alexa rankings of cheating phenomenon is rampant.

All along, the domestic lack of authoritative flow statistics agencies and tools, and the vigorous development of the internet needs a reflection of the real state of the industry measurement standards, so, although the Alexa does not reflect the actual operation of the site, but it provides seemingly neutral flow rankings are still greatly welcomed by the site.

Liu Xingliang that Alexa rankings, although neutral, but also hangs on the head of the Chinese internet company A sword. Because most sites are trying to use this data to prove their traffic and industry status, and the outside world in the absence of other third-party data, can only refer to the Alexa ranking data. In particular, a lot of lack of experience or do not grasp the analysis method of VC, the value of the site will be used as the criterion of Alexa, so many sites in attracting investment, will be spared the cost to the Alexa cheat.

Senior Internet expert Huang Yong Tao also believes that many VC from overseas, they are not familiar with the Chinese internet market, the relative more care about Alexa rankings. Moreover, the Internet entrepreneurship is an investment-driven, the site needs to continue to show a phased performance certification, to complete the follow-up of other financing, these are the birth of bad habits of the web site cheating factors.

"Those video sites are really cheating for financing. Little A said, "most of them get the first financing, but can not be profitable, after burning the money, if they do not receive follow-up financing, they can only face death." ”

Small A also revealed that some of the early investment in the video site VC may also be in this "cheating game" played a disgraceful role. "Because the beautiful Alexa rankings can be used to absorb new capital admission, so that the original investors to bring benefits to the protection." So they even force the website to cheat. ”

"Cancer industry Chain"

"Financial Times" in-depth investigation also found that at present, the country has formed a ranking for Alexa rankings cheating "cancer industry chain." In the pursuit of many new Web sites, the "cancer industry chain" is also expanding rapidly.

The industry chain consists of a handful of professional "cheating companies" and various agents. The latter is rampant on the internet, once pulled to live, by the "cheating Company" completed, to get the recommended commission. In addition, some affiliate websites that sell real traffic are also trying to get a slice of the market.

"The Financial Times" was linked to a so-called domestic biggest "cheating company" in charge. The official said the company was made up of a handful of Beijing's top programmers, with no fixed office location but Soho office. They currently have as many as 200 customers.

"We only help a certain strength of the site, to help them quickly upgrade rankings, mainly by ranking optimization, rather than cheating." "The official said in an interview with caution.

But insiders revealed that the "cheating company" in the country has more than 50 servers. After each crack Alexa new algorithm, the company then through the country's servers to Alexa send all kinds of data packets. In these ways, they can make any site rankings get promoted.

This is a typical type of traffic and ranking cheating. The Financial Times learned that the company's profits are also quite alarming. According to a widely circulated quote shows: The current global 100,000 to 50,000 ranking price is 300 yuan/month; Do 50,000 to 10,000 of the price is 800 yuan/month, do 10,000 to 5000 of the ranking will need to pay 1500 yuan/month, and within 5,000, the customer monthly payment in thousands of yuan to tens of thousands of yuan.

"The company's clients are large websites with a net profit of at least hundreds of thousands of yuan a month." The insider speculated.

A network of agents named "Spring Messenger" revealed that they are more inclined to customer commitment to "guarantee up to 1000 of the world to 5,000" service. The reason is simple: earn more money, cheating will not cause Alexa too much attention.

According to him, the current Alexa global rankings within 5000 of the Chinese site has more than 300, of which nearly hundred of the rankings is not true. "Theoretically, we can get our customers anywhere if we have the money," he said. But, we dare not disorderly rejoined, the line has the guild rules, too ostentatiously will destroy entire industry. The agent claimed.

With the Alexa new round of adjustment, many cheating sites have been data zero penalty. But in the opinion of the agent, this is just a simple game of the Tour show: First crack algorithm, help the site cheat, ranking rise, Alexa adjustment algorithm, the site rankings fall, again break the algorithm, again to help the site cheat, ranking again rise. The cycle is endless.

"Recently many websites are anxious to find us, our business will only be better." The agent said in a bland language. Although this time, in many areas of the Internet, various around the Alexa rankings of the word war is noisy. But these do not hinder his business from the zenith.

Liu Xingliang regrets that as long as the internet also cares about Alexa rankings, this gray industry chain will always exist forever. Only one day the Chinese internet is really ripe, this kind of cheating will be really less. The Alexa event, but China's long internet development in a small episode just.

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noun explanation

Alexa is currently one of the most authoritative global Web site ranking agencies. The site was founded in April 1996 in the United States and was acquired by Amazon in 1999. Alexa makes a comprehensive ranking of global web sites on a daily basis, based on key metrics such as user reach and page views, and publishes a "comprehensive ranking" on its Web site on the basis of the recent three-month data assessment. As China lacks its own authoritative third-party evaluation agency, Alexa has gradually become a barometer for judging the value of Chinese Internet stations.

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Cool Slip NET CEO: Shanyou

I'm not sure about the Alexa rankings that have caused some video sites to be zeroed out. I don't care about that.

However, I think that for any video site, traffic is very important. Cool slip network recently through and Baidu to establish strategic cooperative relations, traffic has indeed achieved rapid growth.

Youku CEO: Koo

I think in the Alexa rankings, a video site's user arrival rate and the per capita browsing page growth is possible. Now that users are becoming more and more receptive to video, and the video industry is polarized, users are starting to focus on several of the biggest video sites, so it's not surprising.

56.com CEO: Zhou Juan

I think the founder should not be overly concerned about Alexa rankings, but should be more concerned about their own user growth and satisfaction of the promotion. Alexa statistical tool in China installation rate is very low, and often by anti-virus tool manslaughter, so it is difficult to reflect the real situation of domestic websites.

From 56.com, our website daily traffic is at a record high, and is pulling away from the opponent. This is my biggest concern.

Six rooms CEO: Liu

In the Alexa rankings, six rooms are ranked in the domestic video site fourth position, I think it is not important. Traditional website Sina, Sohu may need Alexa, because they pay more attention to traffic. But to the video website, the user stays the time and the stickiness is more important. Six rooms with thousands of comments, a large number of users to participate in depth, I think this is more attractive than the Alexa data.

Video site is very burning money, No 10 million dollars is not possible to participate in this game. We are not worried about lack of money. And I believe that the first few video sites can find their own opportunities. "The first three of internet companies have a chance" will be completely broken in the video site field.