Link-Baiting: Easier Said Than Done

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The idea of link bait is a valid one. That’s why everyone is, and has been, doing it. Since incoming links have always had such a premium in Google, anyone who wants to rank highly will eventually hit upon the idea of leaving some “link bait” out there for people to bite on. But, like anything else, the idea is only as effective as the execution.

Using content for link bait is tough. The main reason is: there is almost no barrier to entry when it comes to writing content. People love to write text, and some of them have a ton of time on their hands to bang it out all day, like good like content cobblers. If they take enough time, focus on honing their presentation, and really put some effort into being unique and interesting, they have a shot at the page going viral. But not everyone will actively promote a content page in the same way they will an application or tool.

Tools are easier to serve as linkbait, but they still need to be unique. There are tons of tools and applications already out there. That’s why it’s better to try and think of a new idea rather than spend your time copying others. How many more PageRank checkers can the internet really support? If you do plan on making one, make sure it’s a lot better than the other ones out there or you can forget getting the type of traction you need to “go viral”.

Really, videos and funny cartoons or pics seem to be a great way to produce link bait. That said, you need some real talent to pull it off. There’s funny and there’s not funny, and anyone looking can recognize the difference. If you have a talent at making videos (how tos or humorous) or can do original artwork of any sort, you have an advantage over a lot of people.

No matter what you try, just do your best. Even though link baiting can be tough, truth is, lots of junk gets link baited every day, too. If you stick with something you’re knowledgable about and do your best, you too can receive the bounties of your efforts.

What type of link baiting do you do?

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