Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Link Baiting in SEO

Link baiting is an important component of SEO and can spell the difference in the effectiveness of an SEO strategy. While some people consider it a somewhat underhanded practice, it is simply a more creative method of building links.

To the uninitiated, link bait is any content that entices users to visit a webpage. Link baits can come in many forms. They could be free tools, an article, an image, a puzzle, an invitation to join a contest – there really is no limit to what you can use.

Link baiting drives SEO results as this is a speedy and easy method of building links. It gets your website the attention it needs as more and more people learn about what you have to offer. If your link bait is clever enough, people will continue referring your links to others – and this is really akin to having other people do your work for you at no cost! Of course, an increase in traffic volume may potentially lead to higher profits.

Link baiting is also one of the factors that can increase your search engine rankings. The number of backlinks attributed to your site increases your chances of appearing in the top results page of a search engine. Now if your links are picked up by well-established websites, that will do even more wonders for your reputation.


The potential of earning long term results through link baiting is also a significant advantage of this technique. If your content is compelling enough, people will keep referring to your site for years and years to come. When you actively use link baits, you are building up an image, a reputation for providing useful data to the public. Even if you use link baits for special or seasonal events only, this doesn’t necessarily mean traffic generation ends once the event has concluded. A well thought out link baiting scheme leads to sustainable traffic, not just one time visits that won’t be duplicated once the curiosity has worn off.

For link baiting to contribute considerably to your SEO strategy, remember that your website must have a strong backbone and that backbone comes in the form of superior quality content.

Unless your website has something truly useful or relevant to offer, no amount of backlinking will boost your rank or maintain traffic over time. Link baiting sounds easy enough but it requires strategic planning for it to be effective.

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