Link Baiting Tips and Practices
I really don’t like the term Link Baiting as it makes it look like you are trying to do something deceptive. This is not necessarily the case. I think of linkbaiting as more like fishing. One puts out good quality content or information and then see what you will catch. For those new to online marketing, the main purpose of link baiting is to have other websites want to link to your site or page. Good link baiting provides information or a product that will make your visitor want to come to your site, stick around, and ultimately return.
I just want to take a moment and stress I only advocate whitehat techniques. In the wrong hands, linkbaiting can be used to draw someone to what I call a spam website, or a website which is only out to create a quick buck. That is not what I am about or most of the people I know. It is important to create a quality website that will stand the test of time and deliver true value to the visitor.
With that said, lets talk how I may apply link baiting. On one of my sites for example I created a downloadable product. Say you have a site devoted to pregnancy for example. Would not a downloadable pregnancy calculator be desirable? Or an online one? How about a free resource book for your niche? Do you have a financial website? How about creating a currency calculator? Those are just some of many ideas. The key here is ‘free’ and also the key is to provide a valuable product your niche could use. Don’t worry if you are not a programmer, most people outsource these types of projects. One of many places to find programmers is at guru.com. If you go the outsourcing route make sure you thoroughly check out the person you are working with, and never give any money out upfront, only upon successful completion of the project.
Creating your own product of resource is just one example of linkbaiting. While I have had good success with products, by far the best success I have had is simply providing valuable content. All the sites I advocate should have rich content anyway and provide real value. These types of articles have inherent link bait. For example, I once wrote an article on healthy alternatives to Easter Candy. In this case, the article was timely, a month or so before Easter, and it got picked up and linked to from a .gov website. Such a link is golden, and gives you a great feeling inside about the type of site you have.
Other types of content that have worked are plain and simple resource lists. How about a list call Best Dog Resources. With my resource lists I try to add brief descriptions of websites I link to in order to add value to the reader. Or how about trying 25 Best Ways to Save Money on Gas? Thinking off the top of my head, another good one might be “10 common tropical fish illnesses and treatments”. I hope you get the idea, just make sure the topic is relevant to your blog or website.
Finally, how-to articles and videos are extremely popular. If you are into crafts, you could create an article or video about creating your own Christmas decorations, or one on handmade Mothers day gifts. Is your blog sport related? Create an video on Yoga tips, or skateboarding tips. If you are a fisherman and have a fishing website, you could create a little video on tying knots, or using a GPS system to find and mark your favorite fishing spots.
If you decide on how-to articles, it is helpful to have a lot of pictures. For videos, keep it concise and to the point so that it is easy to follow. Also make sure all videos have your website mentioned in it. Another alternative to videos is to use a screen capture software such as Camtasia, you could easily create a video on Tips for Creating Killer Power Point Presentations for example, or basically anything you can demonstrate on your computer.
I hope this has given people a flavor of Linkbaiting, what it is used for, and how it can help promote your blog or website.
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Comments on Link Baiting Tips and Practices »
Clay C @ 4:25 pm
Great article, I found it through Sphinn… I like the suggestion for the "healthy alternatives" article as a gateway to .gov links. Any other thoughts on media-savvy GOV departments who often link out to others' articles?
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Jason @ 1:58 am
Thanks for the concise article. I don't think that it is worth spending time working on a website unless you are adding useful content. There are enough junk sites out there that we do not need to add any ourselves.
Adding images is something I think I need work on. I love to take pictures so much that if you see how many pictures I take, you would expect everyone of my posts to have an image…. They do make it look snazzier, if nothing else.
It is often disconcerting when you create what you think is a great product and it sits there for months with only a few links. Sometimes it is entries that I am the least proud of that gain me the most links. I could just images how many more links I'd gain if I had spent a little more time on those pages. It is really a lot of work to get good links, but it is worth it.
Thanks,
Jason
http://shabamschool.com
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