Amazon Is Shutting Down Alexa Internet, Its Web Ranking Site (Not the Voice Assistant)

Amazon early next year will pull the plug on Alexa.com — a website ranking and analytics service that’s unrelated to the ecommerce giant’s Alexa voice assistant platform.

“After more than two decades of helping you find, reach, and convert your digital audience, we will be retiring Alexa.com on May 1, 2022,” a notice on the site reads. “Thank you for making us your go-to resource for content research, competitive analysis, keyword research, and so much more.”

The site didn’t provide an explanation for why Alexa Internet is being shuttered except that it was a “difficult decision.” Alexa.com stopped offering new subscriptions on Thursday, Dec. 8. Customers are able to export data generated from queries run on the platform, with the exception of Site Overview, Top Sites, and Certified Site Metrics.

Amazon acquired Alexa Internet in 1999 for $250 million in stock, three years after it was founded. The service has competed with other web analytics providers, including Comscore and Similarweb.

According to Alexa Internet’s description of itself, over its 25-year history, it has amassed “terabytes of archived web content, a data-contributing panel of millions of users in countries around the world, and decades of experience as a leading provider of competitive analytics and marketing intelligence services.”

“Our obsession is to empower customers through compelling and actionable insights that drive measurable results for their business,” Alexa Internet’s description reads. “At Alexa, we believe strongly in substance over style, which means you can count on getting the exact insights you need without having to navigate through extraneous content to get the information you need right now.”

Here’s the current Alexa Internet Top 10 site rankings based on engagement scores, seven of which are Chinese. (Amazon.com comes in at No. 11.)

  1. Google.com

  2. Youtube.com

  3. Tmall.com

  4. Qq.com

  5. Baidu.com

  6. Sohu.com

  7. Facebook.com

  8. Taobao.com

  9. 360.cn

  10. Jd.com