Linkbaiting is a communication strategy that consists of generating viral content so that users come to your website instead of you coming to them.
The word is composed of the terms "Link", join, link and "Bait", which in English means bait. That is, use a bait to create a link. The important thing about this link, the link that is generated, is the address. It does not come from within our page, but from other pages to ours. It is about getting other websites, profiles, media or individuals to share a link that leads to our website or include the same link in their websites, posts, messages, etc
It offers great benefits to the company, as visits from other IPs to our page is one of the SEO variables that search engines take into account to classify the results. However, quantity is not enough, quality is also important.
Linkbait and linkbuilding should not be confused. The difference between these two strategies lies in the direction of the links. Both seek to get traffic to their websites, but the latter makes an active effort, called "push", so that others come to your website. It is an active strategy, which moves to generate visits. Linkbait, on the other hand, makes no effort to reach others. It lets the virality of the content generate the publicity itself. Examples of linkbuilding strategies would be, for example, promotion on social networks, advertising, spam emails, etc. Other types of actions that generate web traffic.
Therefore, it is necessary that the content generated is very interesting, new and leaves no one indifferent. Virality can be achieved by the novelty of what is being talked about, or, among others, by the interest.
One of the most important requirements of linkbait is that there is a link, a tool capable of connecting the content that has been created with the website to which I belong. And it will be that link that other people send or include on their websites. Of course, fake news is an example of linkbait, but not the most ethical or the most appropriate for the reputation of your company. Any entry on your website can be shared through the URL but, in terms of linkbait, it is useful to generate a format that is insertable and shareable, such as videos, for example, which can be included within other articles or entries.
To create content with such a high value that it can be sold and shared on its own, you need to know your audience very well. In other words, linkbait requires a strong research strategy on your target audience and their interests. This research strategy on the audience must also be accompanied by another on the market. It is important, of course, that the viral content is related to the subject matter of your company, otherwise the strategy will not be effective.
The formats that work best for linkbait are the most visual, dynamic and entertaining. The strategy consists of generating content that is liked by as many people as possible. Therefore, graphics, lists and videos are the generic formats that work best.
More in depth, here are some ideas for a good linkbait strategy: