As well as being a useful internet marketing tool in its own right, companies are being advised that making the best use of social media websites can help benefit search engine optimisation (SEO).

Writing on Search Engine Land, Cameron Olthuis claims that by utilising websites such as Digg, marketers can generate "thousands of new inbound links", which as a result is likely to increase the likelihood of users clicking to buy companies' products and services.

He added that as the majority of traffic from social media websites is "natural", links are not bought or solicited, meaning it could be cost-efficient for companies looking to increase their SEO rankings.

Mr Olthuis also claimed that as the likes of MySpace rank well on search engine results in their own right, companies may be able to use these media as "good references" when improving search results.

Meanwhile, companies just launching their websites were advised to consider creating their own profile on YouTube to build up some early quality links to attract users.

"I'm not saying it's better to have these pages rank than your own site, but it's definitely better than not having anything ranked," he advised.

However, Neil Patel, also writing on Search Engine Land, claimed that although Digg and Del.icio.us are helpful in terms of increasing SEO, he advised companies can end up harming their reputation by placing buttons across too many websites and making readers feel pressured into ranking their content.