What Is Linkbait?

Writing by Nick Stamoulis Tweet

Are you a linkbaiter? Should you be?

Linkbait is an attempt to build content on your website blog, forum, or other Internet property for the sole purpose of attracting links as part of a link building and search engine optimization program. It’s not something you do by accident. You set a plan, build your “bait” and wait for the links. Does it work? Should you do it?

First, yes, it does work – if you do it correctly. Many a would-be linkbaiter has tried to build linkbait and failed. Just putting something on your website that you think is cool is no guarantee that you’ll attract the links. But if you do put something on your website that a lot of other webmasters would like then it can attract a tremendous number of inbound links.

Optimally, you want your linkbait to be something that a broad number of type of people from various niches might want to link to. That way you can build a diversity of inbound links from a variety of types of sites. But even if your linkbait appeals solely to people within your own niche you can still build a good solid number of inbound links.

But should you? That’s a question that only you can answer. It isn’t easy to build linkbait. You have to have a good understanding of what people WILL link to. People won’t link to just anything. If there are already a million widgets online just like yours then you are fighting stiff competition. You want something that is unique and that isn’t available anywhere else. The more unique and the more valuable your linkbait is the higher the chance that others will link to you.

With those two things in mind, if you think you’ve got what it takes to build the linkbait then build away, build away!