The new and improved Alexa Toolbar

Not that long ago we released version 9 of the Alexa toolbar, which had a number of cool new features. But like most things there was room for improvement, and we were lucky enough to get some very constructive feedback on how to make the toolbar better. We listened, and today I am happy to announce a new version of the Alexa toolbar that incorporates many of those suggestions.

Highlights of the improvements include
the toolbar no longer opens links in new windows
the toolbar highlights fresher information in the form of Hot Pages and Hot Topic
the visual footprint is reduced
improved performance and stability
One of the biggest changes visually is the toolbar now features the Alexa Hot Pages and Alexa Hot Topics. Clicking on either icon will take you to Alexa's What's Hot page, where you get a real time view into what is popular on the web right now. You can get lists of hot pages and hot topics by clicking the small arrows next to the respective icons, or go directly to the top page or topics by clicking on their names.

Other features of the toolbar remain in icon form. For whatever site you are on you can visit the Alexa site information page for it, see its rank and related links, visit it in the past using the Wayback Machine, or write a review.

If you are a toolbar user and want to upgrade, or if you are interested in checking it out, all you need to do is visit the Alexa toolbar download page and follow the instructions there. Sorry, the toolbar is only available for Internet Explorer at the moment. If you are a Firefox user then you should check out Sparky, the Alexa Firefox addon.

And if you want your input to be part of the next toolbar release, then visit our Alexa toolbar help forums and let us know what you think.
Posted by Wayne Coburn at 9:19 AM