“Link bait” is a term that is widely used by webmasters as a form of practices that have the purpose of generating links to your site. Yes, It has nothing to do with fishing baits in any way.
I noticed discussions among webmasters about this topic in a couple of forums. Miraculously, though link baiting is worshipped by a lot of webmasters, some said that “link baiting” is bad. The debate was not as hot as the last US presidential debate for sure, but it is worth debating.
What is Linkbaiting?
Link baiting is a variety of practices of getting as many as inbound links to your blog. It is difficult to describe in absolute way as it involves practices ranging from giving out useful tool to writing a good and informational content within your blog or other’s. Matt Cutts (OMG! He’s a celebrity) defines link baiting as anything “interesting enough to catch people’s attention.”
Although there is still clouds behind link baiting, these are the most known fact about type of baits.
- Informational bait - Provide an informational post on your blog that your readers may find useful. Probably some rare guides and tips from your own experience.
- Evil bait - Be controversial, may also generate high attention among readers. Write about something that you disagree and provide good reasons for it.
- Tool bait - Create or write about a tool that is useful to others and people might link to it.
- Humor bait - Tell a joke or funny story.
- Badge bait - Create a badge that can be placed on blogs.
In order for these baits to function well, you have to be a bit ’socialize’ with other bloggers. I’ll be talking more about socializing your blog in the next coming posts.
The formula for link baiting is pretty easy to understand.
Link baiting = (Tool + Humor + Badge + Evil + Informational) bait
That is how link baiting looks in math. I’m sorry if you don’t like mathematics, and no this is not a mathematics blog but I keen to give away formulas these days 
Direct Traffic and Inbound Links
Link baiting can contribute to direct traffic and at the same time is worthiness of inbound links. We know how important it is to get as many as quality inbound links as possible if we engaged in search engine optimization.
Getting inbound links manually consume a lot of time and energy. Plus, the price is dreadfully insane these days. Link baiting can be one of those alternatives.
Linkbaiting: Good or Bad?
Some said, the term is evil. Frankly, the term is absolutely okay to me and I don’t think that it affects a lot. I don’t see it offend anyone if it is a quality and new idea, even if it’s controversial as long as it can be seen as a piece of beneficial information by others. In terms of search engine optimization, it is a good way to increase our inbound links and visibility in SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
In contrast, it may be seen by others as bad once you repeat the existed idea just for the purpose of baiting.
What do you think of link baiting?
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
I kinda feel that the whole game is linkbaiting in some form or another. If we weren’t after links, we could write our ‘art’ in a notebook, and then put it away in a drawer. Otherwise, any attempt to get attention or traffic could be construed as ’selling out’.
Tims last blog post..Solar Powered Products For Beginners
adeh..ak pn tk tau nk komen pe kt blog ko niee bro..
Hey, Great read, Thank you!
I agree. I think link baiting is awesome, especially for traffic and SEO purposes. It’s a game and if you want to when this is a great trick to put in your arsenal.
I would say that link baiting is good because if you write something interesting enough that would cause people to link to your site, that is a good thing. However, tactics such as writing things that are blatantly untrue would be crossing the line.
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The term “baiting” is what gets the bad publicity, usually associated with schemes and scams in a negative way.
Link-baiting is simply Viral marketing on steroids! To get something to go viral is the ultimate in marketing. Ex: have an ebook you created downloaded 100 times….they send it to 100 people, who in turn send it to……………and so on. (Ebook, Article, whatever.)
The link-baiting comes in when those hundreds (or thousands) think enough of it to then write it up and link back to you.
Dennis Edells last blog post..How Do You Check For Incoming Links?
Link baiting = (Tool + Humor + Badge + Evil + Informational) bait
I simply love this formula. Hilarious yet true. Good job on this one, pal.
i sometimes use this for my old blog, but you have to wud know whether they will link to you until they actually do. although you said
Link baiting = (Tool + Humor + Badge + Evil + Informational) bait
but, posting about something that’s really hot within your niche is best
I don’t think its a bad thing actually. The term link baiting is probably spoilt by some people who are using black hat SEO methods to build up backlinks. Its still a healthy thing.. To me at least!
Great useful read! hope i can learn from this a bit.
Thank you.
There is nothing wrong with link baiting, it is one of the more common means of generating traffic and is now employed by large corporations as well.
A few years back, Burger King came out with subservient chicken and this site drew links virally and drew a lot of attention for BK.
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Linkbaiting is not a bad thing, if done correctly.
It is good from my stand point.
Jayces last blog post..Mr Bean is here… Laugh out loud!!!
good info.. i strongly agree with Syahid.
@Tim: You got a strong point there, I kinda agree that the whole thing is linkbaiting.
@afham: Hey! It’s ok pal, thanks for visiting
@Shake Your Money Maker: No problem pal.
@Kenney: It is a good technique certainly
@Hannah: I agree with you on the blatantly untrue statement. That is considered a “bad” baiting.
@Dennis Edell: Yea, I adore viral marketing. It’s simply exhilarating when seeing it prevail.
@Yan: I am glad you like it yan
@azwan: Yes, that fall in the informational bait. Feed your readers with something informational within your niche
@Ben: I second your thought about link baiting. It is a great marketing technique.
@Acai Berry Colon Cleanse: No problem pal.
@new gadgets: Yea, I remember that subservient chicken that obey my command. It was lovely
@Syahid A & @Star: Yea, indeed
@Jayce: That is what I thought. At least most of comentators
I think it’s a great technique. Semantics is the problem. We need another word for “bait”
“Yea, I adore viral marketing. It’s simply exhilarating when seeing it prevail.”
Even more so when affiliate revenue is involved.
Dennis Edells last blog post..How To: Evaluating Competition For New Site Niches
Very good post! I’m glad I find your blog!
if its about marketing. Just do it. Even spamming also another great marketing in this world and its work better than others marketing..
ur info is fantastic.wen u find time drop by.i would havincluded u in my links..but not after reading ur blog at present.
@ titan - please tell me you’re kidding.
Dennis Edells last blog post..How To: Evaluating Competition For New Site Niches
In reality the term ‘linkbaiting’ is a new term for something that webmasters have been doing for many years. I know I saw people doing lots of things to get links (even though the term was never used).
Honestly speaking, I don’t see anything wrong with linkbaiting. At least it is through the legal way. It must be something worth linking too if the article is luring you to do so. And most importantly, you got to be convinced that the writer writes great content.
Wei Liang
Wei Liang | ABloggerBlogs last blog post..Lesson 21: Blog Carnival
Fisherman needs fishing baits and blogger needs links bait. nothing wrong at all.
My opinion, link baiting is not to affective. Except our article is about popular controversial news. Ya many people say Bad News is a Good News isn’t it?
I think linkbaiting is MUST to every blogger. At least while blog is less than half a year.
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Personally I don’t think it’s a bad thing, its like another marketing technique really, lol.
Thanks for this interesting post. Helped me kill the time while i was wasting away at work. I will definently visit this site again!
Yeah I agree, link baiting is not really that bad. I will even assume that its a nice strategy for a change.
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