Check Out the Web’s Hidden Treasures

SEARCH TOOLS

A9, www.a9.com

Amazon’s beta search engine, A9, is interesting for several reasons: It remembers your recent searches; it searches Amazon’s “search within the book” database; and the A9 toolbar provides a diary feature so you can save notes on any Web page you visit.

Alexa, www.alexa.com/

Surprisingly, many e-tailers aren’t yet familiar with Alexa, a search portal owned by Amazon. Though the site runs slow at times, it offers free traffic statistics and trends on Web sites, enabling you to see how your site stacks up against your competition in traffic, speed and inbound links.