A Note on SimilarWeb
Or why SimilarWeb is meaningless for more than 99% of the sites on the Web
HAVING just mentioned statCounter, why not mention SimilarWeb, which is also spyware on the Web? For very large sites it can help predict their shutdown, which happened (Skype will be shut down in a few weeks). But for very small sites it merely gives an indication of how many privacy-unaware people read them. This means it does not favour Free software-centric sites. It's harder to spy on browsing habits of GNU/Linux users.
Anyway, the law firm (or PR firm) that we reported to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) keeps linking to SimilarWeb like it's an authoritative "proof" or "evidence" of traffic in my sites. That says a lot about how poor a grasp of tech this firm has. Then again, it has financial troubles (also high staff turnover; many leave) and since they fancy using SimilarWeb like it's "ground truth" or something, this is how they fare right now:
They just use a lot of MElon's "X" (horrible racist and sexist platform run by a nazi sympathiser) and Microsoft, which is also where this firm derives some of its income from right now ("former" Microsofters, at least one who worked directly for Microsoft).
SimilarWeb is only ever useful for assessing vast sites and how they fare relative to others (hence "Similar"). SimilarWeb is so deficient that for many years already it has said that we're based in Germany, adding all sorts of other false information. The heuristics produce laughable results. Law firms linking to SimilarWeb is like jurists using "polygraph", which measures nervousness, not deceit/honesty. █