Link Baiting and Website Hooks
bait link Getting other websites to link to your website can be a difficult task. But, as we all know, linking is one of the main methods used by search engines to rank a website.
The number and quality of links pointing to your website determines the importance search engines place on the relevance of your listing in their search results. Link bait is a way to get some of those important links.
Link baiting is a method used by webmasters to attract incoming links to their websites. The following definition, from Wikipedia, explains this concept.
Link bait is any content or feature within a website that somehow lures viewers into placing links from other websites. Attempts to create link bait are frequently employed in the general task of search engine optimization. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
link bait hooks
Link bait is a relatively new term, but the principles and practices of link baiting are not new. Webmasters have been using this viral marketing technique since the dawn of the Internet. Any time a webmaster uses any form of incentive to get their visitors to link to their site, they are actually using a link bait hook.
A link bait lure is any method or device used to gain the interest of visiting webmasters and entice them to link back to your website. A hook can take many forms. The important thing is that an effective hook must produce a call to action on the part of the visitor. They must be motivated by it to link to your website.
Types of link bait hooks Link baiting methods can be as creative or fundamental as you can imagine. Anything that compels your visitors to link to your website, without being misleading, is a good hook.
Although there are no set categories or types of link bait hooks commonly agreed upon by the Internet in general, it is not difficult to define some. The following list is just a sampling of ideas. You can easily create your own.
Informational Hooks or “How To” Most Web users are looking for information. Providing a rich referral source or an instructional website is a sure way to be successful in producing links to your website. People will want to return often to a website that provides them with relevant information.
content hooks Provide fresh information and ever-changing content related to a particular topic. This can be anything from types of aircraft to breeding zebras, as long as there is an audience for it. Becoming an expert on a particular topic will ensure back links.
item hooks Article writing is quickly becoming one of the best ways to get links to your website. If you can write well, you can get your articles featured in one of the Internet article publishers such as EzineArticles.com. Not only does this give you some exposure, but it also creates links back to your site.
Gizmo Hooks Create some kind of widget that is useful or entertaining for your visitors. Maybe a daily horoscope or quote of the day will work to get you some links back. New ideas arise every day.
The ultimate link bait hook. I believe that the best hook to attract links is quality content. Even the best websites owe their popularity to the quality of their content. If you’re serious about designing a top-notch website, then I’m telling you to spend as much time as you can on developing your content. That is the ultimate link bait hook.
click bait Another, often nefarious, method of using hooks is clickbaiting. This is when a webmaster uses some sort of trick to trick or lure you into clicking on a particular link. Usually a link that you, the visitor, would not normally have clicked on. It goes without saying that this type of harassment is counterproductive to the interests of your visitors.
The advent of contextual advertising networks, such as Google AdSense and the Yahoo Publishers Network, has created a wave of such websites. Although they are constantly watched by the big search engines, like spam, some of them still get through. Don’t fall prey to this practice. It will hurt you in the end.