Link Bait what’s all the fuss about, well the fact is, is that it is a very successful way for you to receive tons of one way links. What’s the catch you say, well the catch is that it does take a considerable amount of work and effort. If you have never heard of Link bait then what are you doing here? No just a joke you’ll get the idea soon enough, and if you are a newbie then this list of 9 proven link baiting strategies will get you going.
1. Concept
Of course a good concept is key to any strategy; you cannot just write about ‘the amazing way lemons taste better over time’ and expect it to be a hit. No it takes a little bit of thinking, and research whether it be a list, video, humor, pictures or something else, like everything else SEO life it takes work. Title is always going to be key here, because with any strategy, how you catch someone is with good bait, and a good title can mean the difference form someone clicking and someone ignoring it all together. A good example would be the construction of a good infographic, people will want to link to it as ‘a picture says a 1000 words’, look at this one on why freeways come to a stop.
2. Content
This ties into the above ‘concept’, if you have a great concept there is no use just letting it sit there it is going to take a bit of work. Again content is king if you have a list or great title, poor content will reverse the work of that idea. If the content is relevant and good, people will want to link to it, it has to be unique in its own way to make it link worthy. Of course having content with durability and the potential to go viral as that would be the aim of any link bait strategy. Content can be anything from a good list, to pictures, infographics and videos, below there are good examples, such as the National Geographic and 101 list for link building.
3. Visuals
A great way to get link bait is to have unique Videos such as a viral campaign. An example would be news sites and blogs that were quick to react to a Bully getting what he deserved, the right video and bonus of getting there quick can be healthy bait. If you even have the time to compile videos that will be unique to your site is always good, such as creating best moments in a football season, would not only be a good title but would be a unique bait for your site. Photos can also be used an example is National Geographic’s Photos of the year, with a list of the best photos from the year back links fly in.
4. Top Lists
Lists are always a good way to get link bait, but you must be sure to try be as original as possible. A good example is SEO BOOK who came out with a 101 list for Link building, another reason why it is so great is that its content is so great that anyone coming out with a list for Link Building almost can’t do one better than them. People will always when trying to research a topic look at lists as they feel it will give them the understanding and information they need. So as you can see all strategies can link, as if you have a good list, with a good concept and good content you are on your way.
5. Humor
Why not add something funny humor can be a create tool, such as the list 12 Steps To Get Over Your Internet Addiction, it is a simple concept but the combination of a list and humor creates something unique that will create good link bait. It can be a Visual humor as well creating a combination strategy. Cadbury’s advert of a Guerilla playing the drums was incredibly funny and went viral over the web, showing the success of something funny executed well.
6. Controversial topics
Writing about something that gets peoples blood pumping is always a way to get attention. Being the first or at least an early mover, an example here could be the South African elections coming up. Politics gets people going and is especially controversial, so to write on it would draw in link as it draws closer to the time.
7. News
People underestimate how having the latest news (of course must be good content) can draw in links. Having a story on your site that informs people of an event that just happened (earth quake in Japan) will get people looking for a source of info. But again just like controversial topics it helps to be the first on the scene or as quick as humanly possible. So keep an ear to the ground, so that when a big story is approaching you get it out there.
8. Awards
Having a post that gives awards to certain sites can be very effective as they will see that you have awarded their sites and will possibly back link to you. These also will be very powerful links with great value to your site. The problem here is to let them know about the awards that were given out, and might require some promotion work.
9. Inside Look/Previews
Why not take an inside look at a current event, or even a preview, the coming of a sporting event, new software launch or an anticipated movie. If you write something good you could get valuable back links to our site
About the Author
One of my personal favorites is group interviews. They usually attract a lot of attention due to the fact that the interviewees promote it to their audience. All of these ideas however comes down to the quality of the content, how well you promote it and the size of the niche.
Awards, I need to try those