The word ‘linkbait’ has been floating around SEO and blogging circles for a few years now, although you couldn’t be blamed for not being familiar with it. Designing linkbait is a slightly cynical move, and many site owners avoid admitting that they do it. Nevertheless, most site owners have done it, knowingly or unknowingly.
Almost every site owner has put something on their site that is designed to attract links. Even site owners who are unaware of search engine optimisation may be aware of the value of having other sites link to theirs. Linkbait is simply content that’s attractive.
Site owners that consciously design linkbait, however, do often face the risk of their linkbait backfiring. Although every site owner naturally wants their site’s content to be attractive, there are ways to create a piece of content that is magnetically attractive to links. Some of these ways are risky. There are plenty of pitfalls waiting for the over-eager site owner.
Linkbait doesn’t always have the effect you want it to. Here are some of the more common forms, and how they can backfire.
1. Controversial linkbait. One of the old standard forms of linkbait in the blogosphere is controversial content. This kind of bait usually works because people get excited about it. They either link to the content because they agree with it and want to promote it, or they link because they disagree and want to damn it. This latter angle is the one most businesses should watch out for.
No business can afford to alienate whole groups of people at a time, and this is what controversial linkbait can do. If you’re tempted to feature controversial content on your pages, consider the possible repercussions very carefully. It can help to discuss your idea with your search engine optimisation firm, and you can discuss your content needs with us at SEO Consult Australia.
2. Software linkbait. You might think that posting a handy little application that’s free to use or download is a great way to attract links, and generally it is. There are two ways, however, that this can backfire. The first is if the software breaks down. Plenty of businesses have discovered to their dismay that a tiny flaw in their program has been magnified when that program is downloaded by thousands of users. Software breakdowns are also possible, particularly if you haven’t allowed for the high levels of traffic that linkbait attracts.
The second way software most commonly backfires is far less technical: it’s simply that the application does not suit the business. A little game featuring a character eating cookies isn’t going to be that helpful to you if your site is a financial services resource. Companies often forget the need to link their linkbait back to their main subject.
3. Grabbing user attention. It can seem a great idea to catch the attention of users through competitions and surveys, and indeed this can net you a lot of links. This backfires when you don’t return the attention. If users give, they expect something back, so don’t ignore comments or questions.
