The internet or World Wide Web is a vast ecosystem that as of 2021 contains more than 1.88 billion different websites. Nowadays it’s possible to find nearly anything and anyone on the internet, and with a simple Google search – you’re able to access a plethora of information.
But with the ever-increasing need for faster, better, and more demanding web-based software and technology, digital marketers and SEO experts have the difficult task of building a brand and platform that will help the company grow its reputation and consumer interaction.
Today the practice of SEO or Search Engine Optimization is more complex than ever, and it’s only getting harder as more and more websites come online and changes to search engine algorithms improve each year.
Luckily, every difficult equation always has some sort of solution, and while SEO experts are running complex analyses on how to track website traffic and grow organic searches, businesses are now also able to leverage the power of Social Bookmarking.
Perhaps not a term one has come across before, but social bookmarking in SEO entails a user or company saving a specific website or URL link to a dedicated bookmarking platform. Unlike saving a link or website on your phone, the website URL or link is saved on the internet, allowing you as the user to revisit that website or link in the future.
Social bookmarking has tied itself to SEO in many ways, making it an important aspect of increasing search rankings, boosting your organic online traffic, and indicating to search engine algorithms that specific website content is valuable and authoritative.
On the user side, it simply entails saving a link to a Pinterest Tumblr board. For a team of SEO experts, it means they can see how website traffic has been fluctuating and through which channels have the website become visible to the user.
All the while, this may sound immensely complex, but this article will help you better understand how social bookmarking in SEO works.
4 Reasons to Use Social Bookmarking for SEO
Everything we, as digital marketers, do is to increase traffic to your website, improve domain authority, and build high-quality social bookmarking sites.
Below is a look at four reasons why bookmarks for SEO can improve online traffic.
Faster Indexing Of Sites
As search engines constantly monitor website information and data, social bookmarking helps the search engine algorithm rank bookmarked websites better. Once a search engine has completed a “crawl” or data collection, it can then index websites based on visibility and searchability.
Social Signals
Another important factor to consider is that search engines, especially Google will count social bookmarks as a social signal. What this means is that Google bots can recognize your website, brand, and content a lot easier which enables them to give the website a higher or better Domain Authority (DA).
The better your website DA is, the better it will increase the search engine rankings, which is a major part of how SEO works.
Helps In Content Promotion
The more users start to bookmark your website on bookmarking platforms, the quicker it raises awareness for your website and its content. Additionally, it enables the website to receive better organic searches and site visitors.
Backlinks
Backlinks, as we know, are links that are published or used in or on another piece of online content and direct links back to a secondary website. In this case, if a company makes use of backlinks in its content or via social bookmarking – it will ultimately redirect the user back to its website.
The better the use of backlinks to a specific website on a search engine, the easier it is for the search engine bots algorithm to pick up or notice the website.
As we now know, backlinks tie in with SEO, allowing the search engine to increase a website’s rank over time.
List Of Social Bookmarking Sites
Now that we know what social bookmarking is, here’s a look at the various types of social bookmarking sites that are currently being used.
Dribbble
Dribble is one of the largest online platforms for designers and creatives. The platform allows them to share and publish their line of work or portfolio, linking them with other creatives in their respective industry. It’s also a way for people to network and companies to recruit talent.
Youtube
One of the most popular video uploading and sharing platforms owned by Google, YouTube is used to share video content with millions of daily active users. Once video content has been published on the platform, viewers can then share, like, or comment on the video. The more a video is viewed or liked, the easier it becomes for the platform to rank it higher in the search results.
Gravatar
Unlike other social bookmarking platforms on this list, Gravatar or Globally Recognized Avatar enables users to create a profile and upload an avatar that can be directly associated with their email address. Gravatar is a great tool for businesses to use, as it allows them to gain better identification when responding to online comments.
One of the most popular social bookmarking platforms around, Pinterest is a visual search engine that helps people find ideas for specific projects. Pinterest has a plethora of pages and boards, and millions of photos. People will use Pinterest to look for inspiration for a wedding, a birthday party, house decor, fashion, hairstyles, and much more.
Diigo
A popular tool for students and collaborating teams, Diigo allows users to bookmark and save any important website or link on their profile. They can also share, comment, and view other links that are shared with them. What’s more, is that Diigo allows users also to highlight or indicate important snippets of a webpage.
About.me
For small businesses, freelancers, and new entrepreneurs, About.me is a platform that allows you to upload a portfolio, share previous projects and work, network with fellow freelancers and find job opportunities.
Popular and frequently used in the United States, Reddit is a forum platform whereby users can submit links, posts, images, and videos that can then be shared and discussed among other Redditors. The most notorious use for Reddit came in 2021 when Redditors managed to drive up the price of GameStock shares by 1,700% in one day.
Reddit is widely used among various communities and fandoms and is used to discuss anything from politics, daily news, trends, online gaming, fashion, and sports to name a few.
Tumblr
Tumblr has remained one of the most popular mini-blog platforms in the world, as it allows users to write and publish short blog posts. This can range from a variety of things such as decor, fashion, games, sports, and everything in between. These small blog posts can then be viewed and shared among other users.
Digg
Known as a popular news aggregator that allows users to search for the latest news and topics related to tech, software, and science. Digg is a bit more industry-specific, but it does make it possible for users to create their content, and publish it on the Digg platform.
Delicious
Another well-known social bookmarking website is Delicious, which enables users to actively search, save, and bookmark any links or URLs on the internet. Delicious has undergone some changes recently and was acquired by the parent company Pinboard in 2008.
X/Twitter
Formally known as one of the world’s largest social media platforms, among others such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok – X/Twitter is an online social platform that enables users to share, comment, and like content related to current events, sports, music, pop-culture, and everything in between.
X/Twitter has also become popular among businesses, as it allows them an opportunity to actively participate in their consumer market, share business-related updates and network with other contenders.
Step-By-Step Process of Social Bookmarking
Step 1: Choose a Social Bookmarking Platform
Select which of these platforms you want to use. You should choose either one or two that can fit with your brand and are easy to use.
Step 2: Add URL links
Afterward, you can then add content or URL links to the bookmark site. Make sure to interact with people on the platform, as this will help drive interest and attention towards the links that you have added.
Adding quality backlinks can get better online authority and improve resources on Google and other search engines.
Step 3: Add A social media platform
Once you have added links and uploaded enough content, you can then share the bookmarking platform with a social media audience via Facebook or Instagram. You can also add the bookmarking sites’ link on your social profiles or your website.
Step 4: Use Tag Keywords
After you have uploaded links or URLs onto the social bookmark platform, you can then use specific keywords or tags for each post. Tags should be directly associated with the link and the business, as this will help generate more traffic for it.
Step 5: Monitor SEO Traffic
The process will take a bit of time to complete, but you will also need to consider how to make use of tools such as Google Analytics to help improve the keywords and tags that you are using as part of your social bookmark.
Monitor the process, and see how you can improve your site by including trending or high-ranked keywords in your content.
FAQs
What Is Social Bookmarking in SEO?
Social bookmarking in SEO allows users to save and share specific web page links of a bookmarking platform. These links can be saved and viewed later or easily shared among a group.
How to Do Social Bookmarking?
The process involves various procedures, but as a business, you will need to; 1. Choose a bookmarking site, 2. Upload links, 3. Add it to social media or vice versa, 4. Use proper keywords, 5. Monitor traffic and analyze keywords using Google Analytics.
Final Thoughts
Social bookmarking in SEO is a crucial aspect of helping increase Google rankings and first-page search results. As a business or brand, you would like your website to receive a generous amount of organic traffic, as this could lead to better Search Engine Optimization.
Bookmarking alone won’t improve the overall ranking of a website, as one will need to incorporate various elements of the SEO landscape. All-in-all, social bookmarking is just another layer within the vast internet ecosystem.
