When dealing with SEO, your titles and anchor text are the two most important elements of your strategy. What we want to say is that the words and phrases you use are there to attract more eyeballs to your website. It’s the essence of link building. But, should you go a step further? Should you use clickbait for link building?
For starters, we need to determine at what point an exciting title becomes a clickbait. You see, the word clickbait does have a negative connotation. The easiest way to explain it would be to say that it’s appealing-looking content that doesn’t do any good on the promises made by the headline.
We didn’t want to jump to any conclusions, so we researched. As there are different anchor text types, there is also more than one kind of clickbait. So, a tactic for using the technique more ethically does exist. Read on and find out what it is.
Right vs. Wrong
As we already mentioned, clickbait is associated with content that only has one purpose. And that is creating revenue through increased traffic. However, that’s exactly what pretty much every site owner wants. Therefore, if you look at it from that perspective, there’s nothing wrong here.
On the other hand, there is a difference between driving revenue and manipulating users into clicking on your link and visiting your website. The latter scenario completely prioritizes clicks over quality and it doesn’t stay true to facts.
The examples that get the most buzz usually involve almost completely unbelievable premises. For instance, How Eating Tomatoes Can Cure Cancer. These ”sensational guides and articles” are the reason why the term has such a bad reputation.
When it comes to link building, clickbait doesn’t necessarily have to be this kind of low-value thing. If you did all the keyword research for SEO, you’re probably luring people in with carefully crafted headlines. Here, you’re still using clickbait principles.
So clickbait can be done right if you can be sure that you’re speaking to your audience. Here are some examples:
- New Surprising Ways of Preparing Tofu
- These 3 Sites Were Decimated by Google’s New Algorithm
Why People Click on Clickbait
The researches have shown that most people are aware of the manipulation at hand. However, time and time again, a weird and ridiculous headline will grab your attention. Even a simple promise of something you know isn’t possible can get the job done.
Humans are by nature, curious creatures. So, we just can’t help ourselves. It’s a psychology trick that has always worked and always will. Once you get that, it’s on you to decide should you use clickbait for link building.
Clickbait vs Linkbait
In the realm of link building, there’s another term for this kind of deception – link baiting. It’s a term that describes what’s going on much better, so we’ll use it in this context.
Now, linkbait is a piece of content that is created exclusively to get the attention of webmasters or influential site owners. The goal is that they link to that article, blog, or whichever piece of content you have created.
Similar to clickbait, linkbait also can be subjective. Some people think that linking to a photo is a linkbait, while others don’t. On the other hand, if the primary goal of your content is catching links, you probably won’t have much luck.
Content Must Match the Headline
We already discussed the importance of a powerful headline. It’s a thing that makes people click. However, all that falls into dispair if what’s inside doesn’t keep the promises of the headline.
There are several reasons why clickbait headlines that fail to deliver are bad for your website. Firstly, they can and will increase your bounce rate. But, they’ll hurt your reputation, too. These give readers a reason not to trust your website in the future.
Although these might give instant results for your initial efforts, failing to operate with integrity can backfire. If you don’t think you can handle everything, know that there are ways to build high-quality links without creating fresh content. So, you can check those instead.
Content Must Offer a Benefit to the Reader
It’s important to remember that not only your headlines and anchor text must represent what’s offered on the page, but the actual content needs to be good as well. As always, the best way to use clickbait in link building is by creating reputable and engaging content.
It’s a smart idea to gravitate toward sources like industry studies, or expert opinions on the things that relate to your website. The more credibility you have, the higher the quality of your readers will be. Some of them may even link to you down the road.
Besides connecting your articles with reliable sources, you still have to create unique and interesting content. People should feel compelled to share it.
Now, we understand that sometimes this is not the easiest thing to do. But, that’s why sites and companies like Link Department exist in the first place. If you don’t know what to do with your content, they can create it for you.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, clickbait, in some capacity, can be considered a good thing for generating traffic. But, essentially, the clickbait you’re using isn’t really a trick. Snappy headlines are what attract customers not only to your but to any site.
So, the answer to the question of should you use clickbait for link building is yes. Knock yourself out. Just make sure to focus as hard on keeping those eyeballs on the page after clicking the link.