SEO Tactics
Update: 10/2013
The following article an SEO tactic called “link baiting.” Of all the SEO tactics that are currently considered best practices, the idea of link baiting is outdated in my view. However, the focus of this article is the emphasis on writing good website content, which has been the ultimate best practice in SEO for as long as such a term existed.
So, although the term link bait is out of use for the most part, the concepts presented here as as valid today and when the article was first written in 2007.
What is “Link Bait?”
Link Baiting is the process of writing website copy that is so compelling that the owners of other websites link to that online content. Examples include topical pages that offer articles providing expert advise or information about specific subjects, like a hobby or a medical condition.
As an example, let’s say you are a business startup consultant located in Reno, NV. and that you have identified your best prospects as males between 50 and 60 years old, with little to no business experience, but who’ve been in the job market for many years. These individuals likely have long dreamt about starting a business, but have recently gotten serious about taking the plunge.
For you, the Reno Startup Business Consultant, the aim is to attract as many visitors as possible to your website that fit this demographic. To that end, you know that high search engine rankings the key to reaching that prospect.
Link Baiting
With link bait, or those web pages that attract links, it is not the primary goal to sell a product or service. Obtaining the link is itself the key objective. This is because search engines use inbound links as a means of scoring a website’s relevance to a searched keyword phrase. In other word, websites with lots of related inbound links rank better than those with few to none.
That’s it. Simple right? Well not so fast. To be effective as link bait, the page must provide online copy that is genuinely worthy of those valuable links. Don’t expect to buy an article and have scores of webmasters direct their visitors to it. For starters, the link bait page must be able to be found in the first place, which presents a bit of an SEO catch 22. To earn that link, your brilliant article must first be found.
Link Bait is Really Just Good Website Content
In reality, a page that could be deemed link bait is really just a solid web page with information that your visitors value. So, getting back to our business startup consultant living in Reno example, a web page that takes a visitor step by step through the process of starting a business in Reno would be of significant interest to those thinking of doing so. If the information is accurate, others in related fields like accountants, point of sale system providers and others would have an interest in linking to such a page, because it adds value to the information that they provide.
Link Bait for Dynamic & e-Commerce Websites
Dynamic websites, usually written in PHP or Perl, present a host of challenges with regard to search engine strategies. This type of website assembles the web page only when a request comes in from the visitor’s browser. The pages are put together from pre-defined regions like a header, footer, side menu, top menu, etc., which makes individual pages difficult to modify and, consequently, difficult to optimize for search engine visibility. For this reason, it is often best to build link bait pages statically, using simple HTML code and effective SEO strategies.
This is not to suggest that eCommerce websites can’t serve the purpose of link bait. Quite often, items that are hard to find or offered at a very good price will attract links. This is especially true for hobby related websites in fields where people often form clubs or newsgroups to share information among members.
iPutty Link Bait Strategy
The good news about link baiting strategies is that if you have the time, you can do a lot of the work yourself. Effective link baiting starts with strong copy that people will find so interesting that they want to pass it along. Since iPutty offers SEO services at a low hourly rate, you can write an article and have iPutty develop a link bait optimized page from that in just a few hours. You pay only for the actual work-no monthly contract.
iPutty. Delivers honest search engine results without the high cost and mystery of a typical SEO. And, we can help your business grow in other ways too. Give us a call to learn how we will get your business the exposure it deserves for a fraction of what you’d expect to pay. iPutty, Search Engine Marketing the way business owners like it to be. 775.324.1644