What is linkbait and should I use it?

Attracting links for your website is viewed by many SEO professionals as something like fishing. In other words, you put some bait down, you sit back, and you wait. Using bait to attract links is a fine art form, and it could be the trick you need to increase your link profile and provide a serious shot in the arm for your website’s rankings.

The term here is ‘linkbait’. It’s a term that Internet marketers originally used to refer to anything that is likely to generate links. The idea is to create something magnetically interesting, set it out on the waves of the Internet, and wait for the links to come streaming in and bite.

The term itself isn’t hugely popular, mainly because it seems so callous. Some search engine optimisation experts don’t like potential linkers being viewed as prey. The term does describe the process very aptly, but it’s true that it might be misleading. Bait can often be any old thing, but good linkbait needs to be of the highest quality, and a lot of serious thought needs to go into its creation.

Good linkbait needs to be planned carefully. One of the vital things to keep in mind when creating linkbait is the needs of your target user group. You might come up with the funniest viral video in the world, but if your site’s target users don’t visit YouTube, your effort is wasted. Linkbait needs to answer an unnamed need in your market to be really effective.

It can help to get a professional consultant on board when devising linkbait and other linking strategies. You can talk to our expert staff at StuckOn about this area of SEO. The best link building campaigns are smart, creative, and have a unique angle. Make sure your linkbait is only of the best quality if you wish to catch the biggest links in the pond.

There’s no use wallowing about the link that got away, and what size its PR was!