To start off, link baiting is the art of creating content that is compelling enough to lure links to a website. Although it takes a lot of brains and imagination to create great link baits, they have the potential to result in increased Search engine optimization rankings.
The focus of link baits shouldn’t be on conversion rates, but rather, in increasing the quantity of external links to improve the website’s organic search engine optimization rankings. With an increase in search engine rankings, sales are bound to increase over time.
The goal of link baits is to get visitors to link to your site using their own. The content is your bait and a visitor’s link is what you hope to catch. How then do you get them to bite?
Resource Link Baits
These include extremely useful content or tools that readers could use for their own benefit. Resources attract your targeted customers. However, making good resource link baits requires a lot of planning, research, audience analysis, and execution.
Widgets have a “cool factor,” and if they make for great eye candy, bloggers will be eager to put them on their blogs’ navigation channel. It takes a techie to make one, but if done right, the widget’s HTML code should be search engine optimized to link back to your site.
Incentive Link Baits
No matter how big or small a prize is, people love getting them. Contests, exclusive sales, promotional coupons, etc. all work as incentives. The chance of winning something lures bloggers and visitors to join your site, come back, and even spread the word for you.
Humor Link Baits
The goal of this type of link bait is to make others laugh. People like sharing content with a sense of humor. Keep in mind however that humor varies from person to person, and some types can be offensive to others. Be careful with your choice of words.
News Link Baits
Being the first to report breaking news has proven to be a powerful link bait. This is the perfect venue for a senior executive in a particular industry to tell others about the latest trends, findings, etc. This bait attracts those in the same industry, so expect to find great link backs instead of direct sales. Make sure, however, that your provide news consistently to earn a reputation as the go-to source for breaking news.
Debate and Attack Link Baits
The debate link bait discusses the pros and cons of a certain issue. The attack link bait discusses the same opinion but without the impartial perspective a debate offers. The strength of these baits lies in the responses of the audience. Strong agreements, disagreements or opinions are likely to generate more links. These types of link baits, however, can be risky and aren’t advised for all as it can tarnish the reputation of a brand. For companies that hold strong beliefs about a certain subject, however, this link bait strategy is very effective.
The hook, line, and sinker of link baits
Now that you have the baits, how do you reach the end goal of your search engine optimization strategy? Simple: through promotion. Make use of different internet marketing services to promote your baits using blogs, social networking sites, and other forms of online and offline media.
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