What Exactly is Linkbait?
What is linkbait? This is not about fishing! Linkbait refers to an SEO practice, one involving publishing web content that is made to gather links from other websites and pages. This is content not necessarily written for Internet readers, but written as a means to “capture attention” and start a viral reaction.
Understanding What Link Bait Is
It is very often a page written for web spiders and one that makes mention of a very specific keyword or keywords. The goal is that the page will receive a number of linkbacks. There is nothing actually wrong with link baiting, providing your content is not totally devoid of entertainment or instruction for ordinary readers. Nevertheless, it’s not a bad idea to try and invoke a reaction from other companies, bloggers and websites, provided of course you’re not starting a war!
It is possible to be a poor quality link baiter, and if you gain that reputation, the quality of your traffic and search rankings can suffer. Therefore, try to remember these strategies:
- Provide facts
- Involve a community or an organization
- Start a contest
- Create a helpful online tool
- Do something unexpected or unique
- Make your content newsy or trendy
- Controversial “hooks” in theory or between companies
- Quizzes
- Asking questions
- Egobaiting—Using the names of others in hopes of getting a backlink
- Creating cartoons or pictures that prove your point
- Creating videos
After you create this content it is important to spread the word through blogs, forums, reviews, viral sites (like Reddit, Digg, etc.) and perhaps through direct email if you’re hoping to inform someone. However, if you use specific keyword terms (such as a person’s name or a direct link to his/her page, you may be found in the other site’s analytics software.
Linkbaiting Pitfalls
Is there any downsize you linkbaiting? Not in theory, but if the practice is abused (which is possible for any type of organic method) obviously there would be troublesome issues. Never create content bashing someone else with malicious intent—especially if you’re listing “hearsay” as opposed to facts.
It’s not worth creating a linkbait page if you have no original ideas, or if you can’t organize your own article (as opposed to blatant plagiarism or the mindless recycling of content) in a unique way. Lastly, be careful not to have too many external links on your page or you could run the risk of alerting Google that you could be a link farm as opposed to a legitimate informational site. In other words don’t be a “name dropper” as the old cliché goes and use the names of other people in vain just because you’re trying to get attention. Put some thought behind every page.
Linkbaiting is considered a natural form of SEO and it is very important to give some attention to organic SEO, especially if your only other option is buying links or buying ads. You may decide that you want to handle linkbaiting content, or may want to outsource it. Whatever the case, this is an excellent way to create discussion, publicity, and in the end higher search rankings for your site.
