[METHODOLOGY] How top1m ranks the web
A current, evidence-based view of prominence across the public web.
From observation to publication
top1m turns continuously refreshed public observations into comparable rankings, while preserving the context researchers need to understand each result.
Discover
Observe public web references that reveal meaningful relationships between sites.
Refresh
Revisit the web continuously so new and changing signals become visible.
Normalize
Turn repeated observations into consistent, comparable evidence.
Establish independence
Distinguish broad web recognition from isolated or coordinated amplification.
Measure prominence
Combine independent evidence into clear relative positions across the corpus.
Publish
Release current rankings, movement, and stable dated editions for research.
Independent sources matter more than repeated mentions.
Rich supporting context
Supporting observations deepen profiles, connect research pivots, and make the rankings more useful to explore.
Four rankings, four signals
Each product describes a different layer of the web, using evidence suited to the entity being ranked.
Domains reveal registrable-site prominence.
Hosts reveal prominence at hostname level.
IPv4 and IPv6 reveal observed infrastructure visibility.
Domains
Independent web references to a registrable domain
Designed to reflect recognition across the wider web.
Hosts
Independent web references to a specific observed hostname
Shows prominence at the more precise hostname level.
IPv4
Strength and recency of observed DNS associations
Reflects the visibility of IPv4 infrastructure in collected evidence.
IPv6
Strength and recency of observed DNS associations
A separate view of IPv6 infrastructure visibility.
Integrity controls
Publication safeguards evaluate evidence quality and independence before ranks go live. When a pattern needs more confirmation, observation continues while the affected rank is held for review.
See current automated holdsPublic hold status is deliberately narrow and transparent: it records a ranking publication decision while preserving the domain's research profile.
Collection and the public research profile continue in either state.
Current evidence, immutable editions
Current picture
Fresh web, DNS, WHOIS, technology, contact, and resource observations come together in profiles that show current relationships and useful research context.
Daily editions
Domains, Hosts, IPv4, and IPv6 are preserved as dated editions, giving researchers stable reference points for reproducible comparison.
What rank represents
Relative prominence across the observed public web.
- Broad web recognition
- Comparable positions across the corpus
- Evidence refreshed over time
- Stable daily reference points
- A transparent research baseline
Built for a changing web
Coverage expands as top1m encounters new domains and infrastructure. Repeated observation keeps the public picture current, while evidence-quality safeguards support stable, meaningful comparisons over time.
How to read the data
- Rank is most useful for comparison within the observed top1m corpus.
- Observation dates help researchers judge the freshness of profile data.
- Regional reachability and site access shape the coverage visible at any moment.
- Domain, host, and infrastructure rankings provide complementary views of the web.