Link bait. Everyone uses it, whether they know it or not. Any content you put on your site that attracts links is essentially link bait, although many experts shy away from the term because of the potential negative connotations it has. A smart site owner should look to all content with an eye to link baiting.
The best kinds of links are those links that your content attracts by itself. Getting inbound links on the strength of your content is the ideal way to build links, in the eyes of the search engines. In order to do this, however, you need to feature content on your site that has that special ‘linkable’ quality. This quality is elusive, but luckily enough commentators out there have studied the subject to provide some good hints for link-worthy content.
It is generally agreed that content that attracts links has to have one or more of the following:
*Shock and awe: This is a tried and true trick that many successful bloggers swear by. It is also slightly risky. Content that has a shock value has been used throughout human history to attract attention, but it often backfires. It may not be a successful trick for every site, as it involves provoking a strong emotional response in the reader. It is worth considering this particular angle carefully before implementing it. Talk to us at SEO Consult Australia when you’re considering what kind of content is suitable for your site.
*Humour: Another tried and true form of content, humorous content has a broad appeal. Anyone involved in developing content for the internet will be familiar with the limited amount of time internet users will devote to any particular page. For some reason, good humorous content overcomes this restriction. As the LOLcat series demonstrates, people will go well out of their way for a giggle.
Humour is also a good way to win users over to your point of view if you are presenting a particular point of view. Again, humour can backfire, and you must be certain that your target user group will appreciate it.
*Entertainment: Some forms of content do nothing aside from entertain the user. These forms include games, funny pictures, and even entertaining pieces of text. Not every site will be suited to this form of content.
*Well-timed: Sometimes, getting there first with information is the best way to attract links. This is a particularly good move if you have a social media campaign running as part of your search engine optimization. Obviously, this form of content will work only for a very limited period of time, as the one advantage it has – the information – will swiftly grow stale.
*Usefulness: This is the ultimate way to attract links. Providing content that is of objective use to your target user market is a good way to ensure that any links you attract will bring in traffic in the long term. This kind of content can also work to boost your online reputation as an authority in your industry.
Related posts:
- Link bait vs. link bait
- Alternate link strategies: boost link popularity
- Link attraction in 5 easy steps
- Seven tips about lists
- Grab Link Building By The Tail
Tags: content, Link Bait, Search Engine Optimization, SEO Consult, social media
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