Link Bait

Link Bait

Definition: Link bait involves creating a piece of content which is specifically meant to get links. Traffic and social shares usually come as a natural result of good link bait, but the whole point is to get links. The goal can be to get lots of links, or it could be to get links from specific websites or even a single website.

Types of links you get: A good piece of link bait can get you lots of links which means great domain diversity. On the whole, they tend to be editorially given which means they are exactly the type of links Google wants to see. If you are targeting specific sites with your link bait, then chances are these will be very high quality too.

One thing that you probably will not get from link bait is anchor text links. This is a trade-off that happens naturally when you try to get high quality, editorially given links. High quality websites will link to you how they see fit, which is usually a 100% natural looking link and hence, no anchor text. Chances are the anchor text will be branded rather than a keyword.

The process: The full link bait process is potentially huge and can involve a lot of time and research. I'm going to simplify the process massively here but I'll provide more resources below where you can read more on this.

1. Concept research and brainstorm

2. Refining ideas and pre-outreach to judge quality of ideas

3. Concept sign-off and start of creation

4. Target outreach list put together

5. Sign-off on final piece of link bait content

6. Pre-outreach and exclusives offered if relevant

7. Launch of link bait and full outreach with social shares

Additional reading:

Here are some additional resources and reading for link bait:

★ Link Bait Guide by Ed Fry

★ Creating Link Bait with Zero Budget by James Agate

★ Link Baiting Guide by Wiep Knol