Even Google considers linkbait with some good will. Matt Cutts, Google SEO specialist thinks that if good content catches people’s attention then that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. He carries on to say that articles may have great data or insights, can be creative or be controversial to generate discussion.

The key here is the word content. In order to attract good quality and natural links back to your site you will need to create high quality content. Here are some ways to go about it.

Hand out some good info

Everybody is looking for good information that helps them with whatever they are doing. Content that provides a relevant list of resources will attract interest and links back. Readers are in particular interested in lists on how to do things, where to find stuff and in general the short form of info sharing.

Tickle the vanity spot

It’s a rare individual who doesn’t want to read about themselves. So create an opportunity to interview people and write a great article on it or even just post the transcript if it’s a video you’ve posted on YouTube for instance. Interesting and famous people will attract a lot of attention and will bring links back.

People love to associate with celebrities in the hope that some of the fame will rub off on them. Linking back to your article on a famous person or an interview with an important person whether in the entertainment world or in your niche, will create natural interest and links back to your article.

Tread on some toes

Nothing stirs up the blogospere as much as a little bit of controversy. Put out a thought that will make people think and consider their personal position and you will find that not much will get a heated debate going.

Most often folk tend to argue themselves into a position of strong opinion, which they might not even have had at the beginning of the argument. Provided everybody stays polite, and the trolls can always get deleted off the comments page, a raging debate can attract a fair number of link love.

Get a laugh

Be funny. Or share something funny that you have spotted somewhere else. Everybody, well most people anyway, enjoy a chuckle. It lightens the mood, it makes the happy endorphins jump around and make you feel better. And happiness is contagious, so a Harvard study maintains.

Linkbaiting somehow sounds like a bad thing. But it isn’t. If you use your articles to create content that people are really interested in, stimulate debate, make them have a laugh and even strokes their egos a bit and it gives you links from other sites – then it’s a win win situation for all.

This is a post from: The Digital Archives

Articles and linkbait – a win win situation

The purpose of your title or ‘headline’ is to get readers to commit to reading your article, or at least the first paragraph. It’s your hook to start the conversation.

The title is important because it allows people to quickly decide whether they want to carry on or not.. The overload of information, especially as presented on the internet, means that the reader has no time to read an article to decide whether they liked it or not. He makes the decision on the title.

Some of your readers only hear about your article via their RSS feeds or social media links. The title has to make them want to click back to your site to read the article. This means your title has to be truly compelling to get that action out of a busy person.

Here are some ‘don’ts’. Don’t use all capital letters in your headline. You want to talk to people not yell at them. It could also mean that some site administrators might have to edit your title or might even reject your article outright.

Make sure your headline can stand on its own. If your title only makes sense if you read the article then it won’t attract attention because people won’t know what you are talking about. They are not going to stop to find out. Intrigue is good, but confusion is not.

Here are some to do tips. One good way to write a compelling title is to offer a benefit. These generally start with words such as ‘How’ or ‘Top 5 ways to… In other words your title will promise to meet a need.

A good title may create controversy or debate and your reader will want to get involved in the topic. If your title states that Obama did not deliver on his election promises you might want to read on as to why not and see whether you agree or not.

Ask a question. In the reader’s mind he will want to answer it especially if you direct the question at the reader. ‘Are you wanting to lose weight painlessly?’ will attract a reader who is battling with weight issues.

Use the title to speak directly to the reader. An easy way to do this is to use the word ‘you’ or ‘your’. Titles such as ‘Make your business a success’, or ‘10 fun bath games for your baby’  will get you many readers.

Keywords are great to have in your title. These are especially invaluable if you are using your articles to drive traffic through. Search engines particular love keywords. If your keyword is hayfever for instance then your title could be ‘Great ways to prevent your hayfever’.

Use some power words and phrases. Find these on magazine and front pages of newspapers. Just to give you some to start off with here are a few power words – free, for less, stunning, discover or easy.  Lists are always popular. Use – top 10, the hottest, best ways, reason to. Also try intrigue. Use words such as – secrets, best kept secrets, little known and behind the scenes.

Keep your titles short. Many search engines and RSS feeds only display the first 65 characters or even less. You don’t want your titles to be chopped off and not make sense anymore.

Don’t use punctuation. You don’t want to stop the reader. A full stop can make the reader think that’s the end. The whole point of the headline or title is to ensure the reader continues into the first paragraph.

Your title is your sales pitch. Don’t underestimate the importance. Your title is what draws your traffic. Your content is what will bring them back for more.

This is a post from: The Digital Archives

10 fail-proof ways to convert Browsers to Readers