Do You Really Know What Link Baiting Is?

Do you know what link baiting really is?

No, it is not something unsavory.

Link baiting is items within your content that are designed to gain attention and encourage others to link to your website. Bloggers and businesses know the benefits of link baiting.

Think big time VIRAL.

Remember Mishka the talking husky? Gangnam Style? Or those cute baby videos that were shared over and over again?

Going viral is nothing more than being shared over and over again. How many times did you see the link someone sent you in an email, shared with you on Facebook, or in a blog?

Viral is not only for videos. You can also create viral in text.

We all know that the quality, quantity, and most importantly, the relevance of inbound links affects your website’s ranking. Link baiting is a public relations feat that encourages other bloggers and social media users to link to your article or blog. Think about what are people currently talking about and what they want to see and read.

In other words, know your audience.

And don’t even think about bait and switch. Search engines don’t like it, and you will see this form of tactic give you a big shove down the rankings.

There are several things that all good link baiting has in common. Think of what attracted you to the story or video in the first place. Some of the things on my list are

• Headlines that capture your attention right off the bat;
• Content that has an unique spin and  is both informative and entertaining;
• An unusual visual that is not often seen or is good for a laugh;
• An unexpected approach to the subject. Maybe the content contains little known information, is comprehensive, or article is just plain shocking.

Once you’ve made a list of why you are attracted to a certain web posting, you’ll need to know how to structure your post or article. There are several tactics that expert link baiters use that entices their audience to share.

• Write useful information content that draws on personal experience
• Provide latest news that others will link to as the word gets out
• Use humor to get the point across
• Provide something that has never been seen before such as a new useful tool or a shocking analysis
  Unique content works best because it’s not duplicate copy

Effective link baiters also structure their content to make it easy on their readers. In general, they use a writing style that

• Gets readers involved so that they share your content
• Is easy to understand
• Uses lists
• Is a trending subject
• Is personalized

So now you know what link baiting really is. You could consider it as a form of advertising that gives an immediate benefit to your audience. Your audience sends a “thank you” by sending your link to all their friends. If their friends like it, they’ll pass it on. You’re on the path to going viral.

If you need help with link baiting your headlines and content, give Houston’s Directory One a call.