Rankings Methodology

Related to our traffic based rankings of Top 100 Personal Finance Blogs.

The ranking methodology is a gradual process of evolution based on mutual feedback and needs. We are working hard towards creating meaningful information that provides a useful yardstick to measure the progress of our pf blogs.

Methodology

1. We have created a list of personal finance blogs. With time and your feedback, this list will grow and evolve in an organic way.
2. To maintain raw traffic data of manageable size, we have included blogs with a monthly traffic of 2000 or more (Quantcast/SiteMeter/Compete traffic figures).
3. In the ranking tables, there are three separate rankings based on data from SiteMeter, Quantcast & Compete respectively. We have listed the three rankings side by side for an easy comparison.
4. Based on a site's traffic data via Sitemeter, Quantcast and Compete we generate it's corresponding ranks. For example, Get Rich Slowly (GRS) has the following ranks: (Sitemeter:1, Quantcast:1, Compete:1). Next, we calculated it's average rank score from the above three ranks, i.e. (1+1+1)/3 = 1. Based on this new average rank score we've ranked the site. The lower a site's average rank score is, the higher will be its final traffic rank aka "FIRE Rank".
   
   Note: If a site does not have a rank from either Sitemeter/Quantcast/Compete, then we've excluded it while calculating it's average rank score. For example if a site has the following ranks: (Sitemeter: -, Quantcast:4, Compete:2), then it's average rank score is (4+2)/2 = 3 and NOT (0+4+2)/3 = 2. This aids in maintaining integrity of the raw data.
5. In case, there is a tie between two or more sites with respect to the average rank score, we've used the sites' Google Page Rank to resolve it. If the page ranks of two tied sites are same, we've ordered them alphabetically based on their names.
   
6. Our rankings also track the change in a blog's FIRE RANK with respect to its position in the previous month's rankings. Blog's moving up are depicted by a green up arrow and those moving down are depicted by a red down arrow. The number beside the arrow tracks the change in the blog's rankings.
7. New entrants into the Top 100 Rankings are announced with the words "New" (in red) under the site's CHANGE column.
8. Group PF Blogs have been ranked separately. We have identified Group PF Blogs as those blogs where multiple authors contribute posts.
9. Blog Names have been truncated to help us to fit all the three rankings in one table.
10. We have decided to rank blogs focussed on investing in a separate list (to be published later).