Social bookmarking can be described simply as a method for internet users to organize, store and manage their favorite websites. Usually, when you come across a website that has interesting information but you are unable to read through all of it right then, you bookmark the website in your browser and save it, so that you can visit the URL again later. However, with social bookmarking, you can bookmark the website to the web and visit it later, or even share it with your friends. It is as simple as sending an email to a friend with a link to a website that you think they might be interested in looking at; by doing that, you have taken part in social bookmarking.

With social bookmarking, you can easily trace interesting websites that you would love to visit regularly, and also check out websites that other web users have found fascinating. Most social bookmarking sites allow users to browse through the tagged sites based on popularity, latest time updated and even according to categories such as shopping, beauty etc. it is even possible to browse through what other people have tagged by keying in the information you are looking for in the search tool. In fact, social bookmarking sites are fast becoming popular as search engines.

This is why social bookmarking is such a potent marketing tool for your website. Your website could be viewed by as many as 50% more than your usual traffic everyday if it is featured in social bookmarking sites. It is also a popular and efficient SEO (search engine optimization) tool, giving your site the much needed leverage and visibility that will take it to the top of the search engine stats. All you need to do to get started is set up an account in any bookmarking site. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon and Tumbler are all great avenues to start with. Once your account is set up, spend a few hours every day commenting, updating your status and basically creating a buzz on your account. Ensure that your social media profiles are all linked to your website, blog and even email list, so that everyone you communicate with knows what you are up to.

If you keep this up, lots of people, even those who are not really your friends, will start to tag your website or blog, and even share it with friends who will share it with their friends, and so on. The backlinks you’ll get through your social media profiles will also be great for boosting your visibility on the search engine. Every business person wants their site to be so visible that if anyone searches their business name, they would find it among the top three to ten websites listed in the first page of the search results.

Here is the simpler version of all this information: the more bookmarks users give your website or blog, the higher ratings it receives in search engines. This is primarily because a bookmarked site is way easier to find than one that has to be searched for. So find the social bookmarking tool that works for you and invest your time in it; you’ll soon make your website a household name among ardent internet users.