If your site is in a technological field, it’s likely that you’re trying to get it Dugg. Digg, the social bookmarking site most favoured by technologically-minded internet users, can make a great addition to your off-page SEO plan. It can also consume your time and resources needlessly.

Pro: Millions Digg it

The major attraction of appealing to a site like Digg is the millions of users that browse its pages. The site already attracted over 230 million users in 2008, but the addition of the DiggBar mid-2009 has increased numbers by another 20%, according to the company itself. The advantage of appearing on a site with millions of users is obvious, but there are several cons that could outbalance this.

Both pro and con: Appealing to the right people

One major drawback of Digg is that a core group of users appear to determine what appears at the top of the list and what gets sent to the bottom. It is estimated that 25% of the articles that appear on the front pages of Digg are submitted by a core group of just 20 users. The top 100 users are estimated to control over 50% of the front pages. These dedicated users are the people you need to appeal to.

On the one hand, this makes things difficult. Having such a small group to appeal to makes your margin for error quite small. On the other hand, it’s easy to discover who the top users are and target them specifically with your content.

Con: DiggBar means framing

There is a serious concern that Digg’s introduction of the DiggBar lessens the value of Digg links. This is a valid concern, because usually any site that hosts a web page within a frame isn’t providing link juice to the framed page. This could mean that all of your efforts on Digg are for nothing.

There are two things on the plus side for this. First of all, there is a powerful movement by Digg users not to use the DiggBar. One of the advantages of participating on a technologically-minded site is that many of the users are interested in SEO themselves. Many users were offended at the thought that their Diggs were not actually helping the pages they Dugg, and alarmed at the thought that their own pages being Dugg would be less valuable. This may pressure Digg to alter DiggBar.

The second thing is that regardless of the link juice you get direct from Digg, having your pages appear to millions of users is a positive thing in itself. It could generate you more links, particularly if you appeal to the user’s sense of unfairness over DiggBar.

Ultimately, the decision of whether to include Digg in your off-page search engine optimisation plans is up to you. There are other social bookmarking sites and social media sites that may suit you better. It can help to seek advice from an expert, and you can talk to us at SEO Consult.

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