Keep Your Link Bait Good and Juicy – Catch Your Traffic While It’s Fresh

Has link bait finally come of age? If you remember 2006, when the term was first coined, the chances are that you’ve read a few link-bait pieces, maybe even written one or two yourself. At the time, link-baiting was often an accidental art – the result of an unexpected viral response to an article or a video that caught the public eye – and it soon developed a following

among SEO practitioners who recognized the potential of the genre.

Link bait fell out of favor toward the end of the decade, becoming an almost derogatory expression, and writers who still indulged in the practice didn’t always shout about it – other than to acknowledge gratefully the incoming links generated by their work. So what is it about link bait that provoked such debate among search marketers, debate that continues today?

First, take a step back and revisit some contemporary posts on the subject. Nick Wilson of Performancing, credited with bringing the term into being, defined five categories of “hook,” each designed to snare visitors, encouraging them to link to the piece. Offering resources, going on the attack, using humor, delivering breaking news and taking a contrary viewpoint – all of these are proven ways to attract attention online.

A 2010 case study from WordStream illustrates clearly the positive impact of a successful link-bait campaign –

its thoroughly researched, carefully crafted and well-promoted piece garnered several high-authority links and thousands of page-views in a matter of hours, using an effective “news” hook.

What link bait lacked in the early days was structure. Today, advice on link-baiting ranges from multi-page manuals that cover every eventuality to “essentials” tip-lists that offer guidelines but fall short on technique. There are, however, a few pointers that you need to keep firmly in mind when setting out to tempt your public on a grand scale.

Firstly, be prepared to fail. Many a brilliant concept amounts to almost nothing when it makes its online debut. Increase your chances of success by planning effectively – or by having a professional link-bait content creator do it for you.

Assuming you are determined

to be the one that makes it work, start by brainstorming ideas that suit your business niche. Ensure you know what you want to achieve

– define your “conversion.” For some, it will be driving traffic to a blog, for others, it may be generating sign-ups or downloads. Without a vision of success, you’ll fail.

Take your ideas and identify the one that will fly. Choose appropriate media. You

may be comfortable with a text-only piece, but today, many link-bait successes include video, infographics and other visual media designed to catch the eye – and the visitor. Devise a headline that not only suits your niche – people will often use the title as anchor text – but also grabs attention.

Finally, create your content. It needs to be compulsive reading or viewing that captures the reader’s attention from the first paragraph or frame. Unless are genuinely a gifted writer or producer, find a professional who is. You need to generate attention, arouse interest, awaken desire and provoke action in your readers – even the best writers struggle with this on off-days.

Make sure it’s error-free before

publishing. Then promote your piece in every way possible. Until you gather critical momentum, only your own efforts will push your fledgling link-bait piece over the parapet and into the public domain. Social media, press releases, back-linked commenting – these are all techniques that will push your page up the rankings and increase its chances of becoming a must-read, tell-all-your-friends-about-it piece of content.

Done? You shouldn’t be – link-baiting isn’t a finite process. Look to your analytics from confirmation that your work has made a difference, and hope that it becomes another resounding online success story.