If you’ve been wondering how to drive more traffic to your website, but haven’t been embracing the power of social networking, you’re missing out. Popular sites like Twitter, Facebook, Digg, Squidoo, and more drive targeted traffic to your site, increasing both your visitors and conversions.

This article will discuss seven key tips to using social bookmarking to increase web traffic to your site.

1. Provide High Quality Content

No one wants to share rehashed, boring content with their friends. If you work to keep your content relevant and original, your visitors are more likely to want to bookmark it, share it, and comment on it. Keep your site updated with a steady stream of original content, and you’ll quickly see your visitor count grow.      

2. Submit a Catchy Title

Choose an interesting title that shares what your article is about, both when you post it on your site and when you bookmark it on social networks. Use action verbs, catchy language, and a “hook” to get your visitors interested in reading what you have to say. Most readers scan titles quickly to decide whether or not they feel like reading the content – use your title to draw them in.

3. Write a Keyword Based (Not Stuffed) Description

Most social bookmarking sites have an area for you to submit a description of your content. This is an excellent area to add keywords, expand on your content, and draw the reader in. Use your keywords naturally, and avoid stuffing them in repeatedly to attract the search engines. You’re writing for human readers, not robots. Make sure your content reads smoothly, flows naturally, and doesn’t sound like an advertisement.

4. Fill Out Your Profile

If someone is taking the time to bookmark your content, they likely want to know a little bit about you. By filling out your profile on each social network, you allow your readers to see who you are, what kind of business you’re in, and what niches you work in. This helps you to establish yourself as an expert in your niche, and allows you readers a chance to interact with you personally.

5. Keep the “Social” in Social Network

Community is key in many social networks. Users rate content up or down, vote on content, and share content that they’ve enjoyed with other users. This makes community participation a key part of using a social network – your participation adds to your page views in the long run, and is well worth the effort. Participating in the community allows other members to see you as a real person, not just a face behind a screen.

6. Make Your Content Easy to Bookmark

Most people won’t take the time to go to a separate site, log in, and bookmark content. Unless they have a special toolbar installed, they’re likely to enjoy the content and click away without making the effort to bookmark it. Make it easy for your readers to bookmark content that they’ve enjoyed – add a widget to your blog or website that allows them to bookmark, add to Facebook, or re-tweet with one click. People are inherently lazy – make recommending your content as easy as possible.