There's a new word in the online world's that's gaining a lot of attention. Linkbaiting has fast become a buzz word to describe a host of practices that can help publishers increase their incoming traffic.
The word linkbaiting is relatively new, but the practices it now defines are not. The term itself is used to describe a number of measures that publishers take to gain incoming links to their websites or blogs. Some of these measures are considered rather legitimate, but not all are. A few of the practices that fall under this new term's focus include creating awards programs or contests, writing comments on high-traffic blogs or forums, giving other publishers tools or links to your site, creating high-quality content and so on.
The word itself might have a shady rap in the web world, but many of the measures involved are not bad. It's a simple fact that most publishers enjoy earning incoming links since they can increase traffic. In turn, the traffic spikes can boost a site's money-making abilities. Due to this, many SEO businesses are even providing linkbaiting services to help their clients gain links. The reality is linkbaiting in and of itself isn't good or bad... it's all in how it's used.
In spite of its rocky reputation, linkbaiting has become a fairly popular practice. The reasons for this are many. The biggest is the traffic and potential income gains that can be realized. The second factor involves this practice's ability to help increase a site's page ranking. Since part of the page ranking formula involves incoming links, this practice can be very valuable.
Before diving into a linkbaiting campaign, it's a good idea for publishers to understand a few things. The first is that an increase in traffic is great for a website or blog. The second is an increase in traffic that sends people to pages that are not useful, interesting or informative is not. For linkbaiting to really pay off, new traffic needs to be encouraged to return.
The number of different measures that fall under the linkbaiting definition are many. Some of the more common and generally non-shady ideas include:
1. Offering up tools for other sites to use
2. Writing good content
3. Offering useful information
4. Sponsoring awards programs and contests and even providing a bit of humor and fun. The best linkbaiting ideas involve drawing natural links via the creation of a good site and/or useful tools. It's that simple.
Linkbaiting has become a "bad word" in many circles, but the basic concept behind it is really simple. Those who tend to do best with the practice are publishers that actually provide their readers with something they want.
