The wave of social media has crested and broken upon us. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and all their ilk are here to stay, but can they really help you increase your website traffic?

According to the experts…it depends.

There is general agreement that social media is helpful in identifying and drawing in specific audiences. Linking from these sites back to your own can bring through new users who are initially intrigued by your profile and posts. An interesting article can even launch you to the top of Digg or other bookmarking sites, bringing a stream of readers to your door.

Does this translate into sales? Mostly no, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in creating content and building a community. Social Media is best utilized as one tool in the SEO expert’s kit. It is used to create, develop and manage brand awareness and to cull specific communities of interest that can eventually translate into conversions.

Social Media as a tool is work intensive, requiring a continuous stream of relevant and fresh content as well as a constant effort to recruit new eyes and expand the audience. Is it worth the trouble? Yes and no. Social Media cannot be ignored. It is too big and offers valuable connections that can translate into business. Should Social Media be your only online marketing tool? Definitely not. Traditional SEO methods are still the best way to increase search engine rankings.