The term “Link Bait” is used by many to refer to the idea that you are creating content with the specific purpose of said content going viral on the net. The content is being created with the intention that it will go viral, and people who view the content will be persuaded to spread it around by simply linking to it on their own web sites or perhaps even on social networks. The content you are creating for your web site, or perhaps for use on other online properties, must be interesting or considered valuable enough by the readers that they will want to link to it. Creating such content in hopes of attracting naturally occurring back links can be done in a variety of different ways, and your link bait can develop in many forms.
One way of achieving this is by providing a content base that is informative on the topic of discussion, with enough added value to the community for it to be referenced by others writing about it. This requires some real research to be put forth in the creation process of your content. The reader or in the case of video content, the viewer must learn something from what you are presenting to them, and it must be brought forth in a fashion that portrays you as a knowledgeable authority on the subject.
Some other methods of link baiting rely upon your exploitation of human emotion. You need to pull the reader’s strings so to speak to create an emotional reaction. This can be done by posting content which is controversial, funny, touching, cute, or which draws on any other natural emotions. Depending on what market space you are working within, there are any number of hot button topics which can be addressed. An opinionated article addressing one of these topics can incite discussion regarding your opinion on other sites, often with a link to your original writing as a result.
Link Bait Examples
In the UK perhaps one of the most well known examples of link bait is # Compare The Market cleverly used Compare The Meerkat website to generate links and traffic for their insurance affiliate site. Many of their primetime TV commercials simply promoted Compare The Meerkat.
Smashing Magazine simply used reviews on top free WordPress Themes to generate links and traffic. Check the backlinks of the actual page to see how successful this was.
Matt Cutts even proves how effective link bait can be with his “how to report paid links” article.
