If you’ve spent any time on the Internet using traditional browsers (as opposed to apps) you’ve no doubt bookmarked a few sites so you can return to them later. Social bookmarking takes this idea and moves it away from the browser, essentially turning it from a private activity into a public one. Social bookmarking websites are the driving force behind the phenomenon and have been around almost as long as the web itself. It’s only in recent years however as the Internet has morphed from an entertainment and research platform into a social media platform that the practice of social bookmarking has gained real traction.

How Social Bookmarking Sites Work

A social bookmarking site is essentially a network within which links added by users are gathered, assigned keywords, and sorted into various categories of relevance. Anyone using the site then has the choice to access the links they’ve added and return to their favorite sites or search for other links about their field of interest. It allows you to get right to the heart of the matter and bypass the mountains of irrelevant search debris presented by Google et al.

Some of the Many Benefits of Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking may seem like an idea whose time has passed but it’s an old idea that was ahead of its time and is only now being appreciated for its many benefits. Those include:

• Increasing traffic – By making your website available via social bookmarking sites you’re bypassing all the clutter that comes with traditional search engines. Instead of millions of irrelevant links, there will be a limited number of relevant ones with all of them neatly arranged and searchable via relevant keywords. People will be able to find you easier and once they do they’re likely to like, share and bookmark your content creating new traffic streams.

• Building engagement – The people who end up at your site via social bookmarking are ready to engage. Your job then is to sell them on engaging with your Think of a social bookmarking site as someone on the street handing out promotional flyers for your business. A person takes a flyer, likes what they see, and goes to your store. This provides you an opportunity to present the brand in an appealing way that will lead to conversions and, just as important, the kind of good word of mouth that drives future engagement.

• Improving SERPs Positioning – Even though search engine results never seem to get more relevant search engines themselves are still necessary if you want your company to thrive in the digital age. Social bookmarking are a great way to build high-quality links that will result in your website getting a bump in its positioning on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Social bookmarking sites are an idea whose time has finally come. What’s more, the vast majority of them are free. Talk to the pros at Tricity Institute Of Internet Marketing to learn more about the many ways social bookmarking can help your business.