I understand your frustration with Google - it's effecting everyone from all appearances. And I definately don't want to start a Google vs. Alexa debate!
I use Google because it works. It provides me with relative and meaningful links to my searches. And, as I said before, I love their toolbar.
As for Alexa, their toolbar is evidently built into MS Internet Explorer. I say "evidently" because I have never knowingly installed it, but my spyware program (SpySweeper from webroot.com) found it and supposedly removed it. That's right - it is considered as 'spyware' or 'adware' by at least one spyware removal program, and I refuse to permit any adware or spyware to exist on my computer, if I am aware of it. SpySweeper also monitors, and removes any 'ad' cookies that try to find a home on my system, too.
I'm glad you like Alexa, but on a slow (50k) dial-up connection such as I am on, the last thing I need is some nosey self-serving program trying to hog my bandwidth to 'phone home' - regardless of how 'beneficial' or 'benign' the company claims it to be!
Cheers,
Tom Fosson