If you own a website you've probably heard about the Alexa ranking, a list of Internet sites based on traffic data which measures the popularity of those sites on the Web. This information is mainly obtained through the Alexa Toolbar.

This browser toolbar, which claims to be the first toolbar ever created, adds a new search field to the Internet Explorer browser plus some other extra features that may contribute to make your browsing sessions safer and more enjoyable. These extra features include, of course, all the information Alexa has about the webpage you're currently visiting in your web browser (rank position, domain data) as well as other sites that visitors to that webpage also visited – which I personally think is a great way to discover new sites.

Though often regarded as a piece of spyware, I didn't find the Alexa Toolbar that harmful, even though I don't really like toolbars that much. While it does collect some basic information about the websites you visit (otherwise it would be difficult to build the ranking and also the related sites lists), many other webpages collect data about you without your knowing it. Anyway, if you're worried about your privacy, read the Alexa privacy policy before installing this toolbar.

The Alexa Toolbar is a handy add-on for Internet Explorer where you can track your website's position in the Alexa ranking, keep an eye on competitors and also discover new websites that are similar to yours.