How to create link bait

Link baiting is an Internet marketing tool that has only recently been recognized for its importance. Although it has been around for a while, only lately has it been named “link bait” or “link baiting”. It basically involves enticing site viewers to promote your site via links on their own sites. The people who help you spread the word can be anyone from bloggers to the Average Joe. They just need to be people who are interested in spreading the word on your site.

So now, the big question is “How do I create link bait?” Well it is really analogous to fishing in that you create a page or content that you feel will gain popularity quickly. This page acts as bait. If the page is good, hopefully the viewers of the page will take the bait and link back to the site on other sites. Depending on the content of your page, different types of “hooks” can be used to create your link bait.

Provide a page with information or resources (like an image or a diagram,

that describes a process) on a particular topic. This is a good informational

hook. People visiting your site like to spread information on the topic if it is

interesting, so it is important that your content is informative and hopefully

unique. A good idea for link bait is to cite references and include blog

posts. Bloggers generally like to see their names on Websites and they will

likely link back to information on your site if you do this.

News spreads like fire. If you provide some information on what is hot in the news, your page would most likely act as link bait. Writing a page on the latest news can be a very good hook for link bait.

People love to tell others what makes them happy and puts a smile on their face. If you make a page that has jokes or funny pictures and cartoons, it is most likely that you will get links from places. A good idea is also to place the URL of your site on the bottom right of your pictures or cartoons.

Going against an idea or thought of another person can often lead to good link bait. Creating a page, which criticizes an idea or thought or is contrarian to popular belief could cause curiosity among the viewers. This rise in emotional curiosity could lead to very effective link bait. Titles such as “Why <a topic’s/author’s name> is wrong?” can be a good contrary hook.

These hooks take contrary hooks to another level. Attack hooks as the name suggests, strongly attacks against the views of another person or entity. Basically, you can be ruder in your language with respect to your page. However, you must keep in mind that attack hooks are not the best hooks for link bait. They could make you suffer more. It is thus advised that you stay away from attack hooks unless absolutely necessary.

Developing pages on your Website based on the above types of hooks is a great way to start reeling in links to your Website. It is important that your site uses more than one of these hooks. Devising a good link bait strategy could double your traffic and link popularity and even increase search engine rankings dramatically. Also, keep in mind that linking to others will help you as well, as they will probably link back to you.