There are a number of people in the SEO world who hold a cynical opinion of linkbaiting. Partially, this comes from the term itself. ‘Linkbait’ is hardly a word that draws mental images of giving and sharing. Unhappily, it conjures feelings of cynicism connected to all of the bad marketing techniques that have emerged in recent years.

Linkbaiting, however, is about both giving and taking. No business technique is truly altruistic. Businesses employ tactical moves that will be of benefit to the business. Some moves, however, also contain benefits to others, and linkbait fits in this category surprisingly often.

This is due to the nature of linkbait. Linkbait is simply a term for what online businesses have been doing for quite some time. The process involves creating some attractive content, whether it is video, image, some software or even a simple blog post, and encouraging others to link to it. As anyone who has tried to get links knows, it’s all about giving when it comes to linkbait. Linkbait content must be free, and must conform to a specific set of requirements in order to appeal.

When designing your linkbait, you can take various angles. Appealing to a specific community is a reliable way to go, although it does take some research or insider knowledge. Taking a controversial or provocative stand on an issue will attract attention, but depends on how daring your business feels. Investigating a recent newsworthy event is also a good way to go, although this kind of linkbait has a time limit in its appeal.

Humourous content provides great linkbait, but can be some of the hardest to create. It can be helpful to get a creative consultant on board if humour linkbait is your aim. Unfortunately, there seems to be just a few metaphorical millimetres between ‘funny’ and ‘lame’ on the internet, and it’s difficult to predict on which side a piece will land.

A good SEO consultant can help you with the creation of your linkbait, and you can talk to us at SEO Consult about good, attention-getting content. However, there are some basic tips that can help you on your way. Just as with newsprint headlines, the title of your linkbait can mean the difference between the content being ignored or picked up. Keep your title specific, punchy, and evocative. Humour also helps. For instance, the title ‘Man Bites Dog’ would be slightly more eye-catching for a video of a hot-dog eating competition than ‘Wicklestowe Hot-dog Championships’.

Your linkbait should be formatted to fit in with your site’s search engine optimisation strategy. This means that you should slip a keyword into the title where possible and your site’s tags should be added. At the same time, be careful not to cripple its appeal by making the content obviously optimised.

Once your linkbait is ready, don’t forget to give it a little help by promoting it wherever you can. Social bookmarking sites are helpful for this, and you can also feature a bookmarking button on your linkbait content to encourage your users to bookmark. The easier it is for your users to link to, the more links will result.

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