The Online Marketer’s 3-Minute Guide To Leveraging Link Bait
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Guide To Leveraging Link Bait
Search engine optimization is still one of the best strategies for driving free, targeted traffic to your websites. As you know, a large part of getting your sites ranked for your main keywords is to attract inbound links. This is where link bait 
can give you a major advantage.
In ultra-competitive niches, building links is almost like an arms race. The main players monitor each other’s sites and mine the same fields looking for sites that will link to them. Even in less-competitive niches, the majority of online marketers use the same resources to build incoming links.
You can gain a huge edge in your niche by creating link bait content that has the potential to go viral. It done properly, it’s one of the most powerful search engine optimization strategies at your disposal. Today, I’ll explain why link bait is so potent and give you a few ideas to spark your creativity in jumpstarting your own link bait program.
Why Link Bait Is Such A Powerful SEO Tool
Link bait is any piece of content that entices people to link to your site – the more links, the better. Most people think the strategy is effective because it attracts a high volume of inbound links. But, that’s only part of the equation. The reason link bait is powerful is more complex. If you understand the “why,” you can trump (outrank) your competition.
The search engines reduced the value of link popularity (the number of links pointing to you) in their algorithms years ago. Today, they judge your site’s ranking worthiness by your link profile. Think of your profile as your reputation in the eyes of Google. They want to know what others think of your site, and the only way they can determine that is by noting who links to you.
Your inbound link profile includes the range of domains and IPs that point toward your site. The broader the range, the better. The authority of each domain that points to you is also important. That authority is based largely on the links pointing to them. For example, a link from CNN.com is more authoritative than a link from my-furniture-affiliate-site.com.
When you create link bait content that goes viral, it attracts incoming links from a wide range of sites. Bloggers will post about your content; readers will submit your page to bookmarking sites; links will begin popping up on forums, social media sites, and even news media sites. If your link bait really goes viral, you’ll enjoy a groundswell of momentum that builds on itself. In other words, the more people who link to your bait, the more exposure you’ll enjoy and the more links you’ll attract.
Crafty Link Bait Ideas To Lure Inbound Links
Now that you understand why link bait can be so powerful for your search engine rankings, let’s explore a few ideas that
you can unleash for your sites.
Link bait can take the form of high-value information, helpful tools (on-site or downloads), breaking news, entertainment, and controversy. There’s a lot of opportunity in that mixed bag…
High-Value Information: Create a high-quality Special Report and post it on your site, rather than offering it as a PDF download. Try to include resources that readers will find useful. For example, take a look at Aaron Wall’s searchenginehistory.com. High-value information can also include analysis, such as Danny Sullivan’s study on email services a few years ago.
Helpful Tools: Useful tools are always effective as link bait. The phenomenal success of Firefox is a great example. You can also hire programmers to create on-site calculators, social media widgets, and even browser and Wordpress plugins.
Breaking News: Breaking news is a hard nut to crack as link bait. That said, if you can manage to scoop everyone in your niche, the results can be explosive. Matt Drudge did it by reporting on the Monica Lewinsky scandal. TMZ seems to do it on a daily basis. Scandal, new software releases, and even breaking product reviews can attract a wide range of links quickly.
Entertainment: theonion.com is a perfect example of how to use link bait to attract incoming links through entertainment. Another example is the success of Heather Armstrong’s dooce.com. You can also post funny interviews, videos, and even creative blogs as link bait. For example, chetthedog.com is a blog from the perspective of a dog. I’ve also seen blogs written from the perspective of babies and even suitcases taken on travels around the world.
Controversy: Nothing gets people riled up more than controversy around a favored topic. I’ve listed this strategy last for a reason: it can be dangerous. For example, if you post a derogatory blog about someone in your industry, you might attract a large number of links, but you can also damage your reputation. If you intend to take this route for your link bait content, tread very carefully.
Link bait is a powerful way to get your sites ranked in the search engines. The good news is that few, if any, of your competitors are taking the time to do it. Their neglect leaves the road clear for you to attract a wide range of authoritative links to your sites.
