Traffic From Social Bookmarking Sites: Is It Worth It?

You've probably heard about the advantages and benefits of obtaining traffic from social bookmarking sites. You know… sites like Del.icio.us, Digg, StumbleUpon and Reddit? There is so much potential in these sites and internet marketers and gurus gush over their efficacy at bringing in traffic. But how effective are these sites at bringing quality traffic – the kind that we want, the kind that builds our business? And is bringing all that traffic in really worth it?

Advantages of social bookmarking sites
Social bookmarking sites are sites where great articles are bookmarked or tagged. Tagging an article means voting for it and people will only vote for your article if they like it and want other people to read it. Essentially, getting bookmarked means getting promoted and the more promotion you get, the better traffic you'll receive.

Here are several reasons why traffic from social bookmarking sites is well worth it:

The power of linkbuilding
With social bookmarking sites, you build up traffic by making use of other's positive opinions about you and your article. If they like what you've done, they vote for your article to let others know it's a great read. This makes it easier for you to build links to other sites (and vice versa) and become known.

Once you have built your reputation as a great source of information, you become a recognizable and respected source. Each time you submit a new article, you will easily get noticed and more people will link up to your site, increasing your exposure.

An advantage of this type of exposure is that it is not about short-term surge in traffic. If you play your cards well, you could actually sustain this type of attention and build a stronger readership or customer base.

Hitting the target
One of the ways you'll see that you've made the right move in social bookmarking sites is not just the amount of traffic you receive. Of course, the big traffic is always worth it because it means your popularity is growing. However, it's not always enough.

You'll need to get relevant traffic – the kind who will come back, the kind who will do business with you. Otherwise, it's all fluff and no substance. Being in an internet marketing business is not just about being popular – it's actually about completing transactions and getting sales and when it comes to business, you cannot afford not to be liked. As long as you receive traffic that converts to sales, then the traffic you get from bookmarking site is definitely worth it.

Like attracts like
A unique thing about traffic from social bookmarking sites is that people who like the same things are more likely to flock to a particular topic that supports their interest. If you're writing about computers, for example, people who are attracted to your articles are people who are more likely to buy anything computer-related, give or take a few who are just in it out of curiosity, accident or as part of their high school assignment.

Hello world
Probably one of the best reasons why traffic from social bookmarking sites is worth it is that you get introduced to new readers. You are not limited with the usual people who like what you do because social bookmarking sites allow these people to promote you to others who have never heard of you. The result? A refreshed, not to mention expanding readership base with a thousand possibilities.

Higher Alexa ranking
Traffic from social bookmarking sites can get you noticed at Alexa. The Alexa Ranking you receive indicates the amount of traffic your site gets. A high Alexa ranking is indicated by a low number while a low ranking means you don’t get enough traffic. It does not reflect the amount of linkages, however, even if it is related to traffic.

So what does your standing at Alexa mean to your site? Plenty. Your ranking is an indication of how well (or badly) your site is performing compared to other sites. It will also help you clarify certain positionings and strategies you have employed in the past.

One thing about Alexa is that it will show you how much traffic you receive but it is not always a good indicator of how important your website is to search engines. If that is also your goal, you can combine clever search engine optimization techniques to make sure you increase your Page Rank AND your Alexa ratings.

Attracting traffic from social bookmarking sites in internet marketing is a natural advantage for internet marketing businesses, provided other people make the bookmarking and not you. It shows you how many people are attracted to your content and also enters you into someone's consciousness as a reference. As long as you keep producing quality content, you can maintain a strong relationship with users who just might become your regular clients.