What Role Does Linkbait Play in Your SEO Strategy?

Author: Eric Brantner
SEO Content Writer

We all know about it and we all want it, but what role should linkbait play in our SEO strategy? Is it something we should always be seeking? Should we base all of our SEO efforts into creating it? Or should linkbait take a backseat to other SEO techniques? Let’s take a look at some of the positives and negatives of linkbait to determine how much time and energy we should put into it.

What is Linkbait?

For the sake of any readers who might be new to SEO, we should first define what linkbait is. The most basic definition of linkbait is any content designed for the sole purpose of generating as many links as possible from outside sources. This idea has risen in popularity as blogs and social networking have become common tools for internet users.

Controversial content is one of the most effective types of linkbait. All you have to do is look at the front page of Digg to see evidence of this. Compelling, controversial headlines attract readers like moths to a flame. Therefore, if you can come up with some controversial content within the scope of your blog, you could earn success with the social media sites. Most importantly, success on one of these sites means you will get an abundance of inbound links to your website.

Another way to perform well on social sites is to create timely content. In other words, rehashing an old idea won’t get you far with social network users. People crave new information, and if you can give it to them, you will be rewarded. To achieve this, you must have eyes and ears everywhere. You have to know about all industry developments as soon as they happen.

Linkbait isn’t Always Easy to Create

If you think creating a good piece of linkbait sounds difficult, you’re right. Frankly, it can be very time consuming, and it’s not a guaranteed strategy for success. The vast majority of content submitted to social media sites will never make it to the front page. It’s almost like winning the lottery. You have to have some skill and mostly luck on your side to achieve success with linkbaiting.
Furthermore, creating linkbait can send the wrong message to your loyal readers. If every post on your blog is nothing more than a gimmick to attract links, your reader base will begin to shrink steadily. You must provide useful content if you wish to maintain a loyal reader base.

So, that brings us back to the original question- what role should linkbait play in your SEO strategy? Personally, I think there is a lot of value in linkbait. However, you must seek after it sparingly. Don’t fill your blog with a slew of posts that add no value to the reading experience. Instead, only create linkbait when you have a truly compelling idea you believe could win you the linkbait lottery.