Key Takeaways
- Link bait is an SEO tactic involving creating high-quality content—such as infographics, studies, and guides—to attract backlinks from other websites.
- Link bait enhances SEO by significantly increasing organic traffic and boosting authority. Learn more about its role in SEO below!
- Moz’s SEO Guide for Beginners exemplifies successful link bait, earning over 233K backlinks. Scroll down to learn about link baiting, how to create it, and five inspiring examples to elevate your SEO strategy.
What Is Link Baiting?
Link baiting, or link bait, is an SEO tactic that involves crafting high-quality content to attract links from other websites. Link bait comes in various forms, including interactive games, infographics, studies, statistics, provocative content, original research, guides, and more. Linkbait significantly enhances your website’s SEO in two powerful ways:
1. Increase organic traffic: By crafting compelling linkbait around trending or widely discussed topics, you attract a surge of third-party websites seeking to link back to your content, driving a substantial increase in organic traffic.
2. Boost authority: When other websites link to your content, it signals to Google that your site is credible and authoritative. These backlinks elevate your site’s authority and relevance, improving its position in search results.
Johns Hopkins University’s global COVID-19 statistics are a prime example of link bait. This authoritative resource attracted numerous backlinks from top sites like Forbes and The Guardian, thanks to its timely and visually compelling data that matched the public’s intense interest in the pandemic.
The global COVID-19 statistics by Johns Hopkins University
Forbes cited the statistics.
This statistic has garnered over 1.63M backlinks from over 45.9K referring domains.
5 Best Practices To Create Effective Link Bait
Making link bait is about making your content so appealing that everyone wants to link to it. Here are some smart moves on how to do link baiting in SEO:
1. Make Your Content Practical
Creating practical linkbait means providing readers with immediately usable resources, including tools, templates, calculators, and checklists. For instance, Ahrefs offers a variety of free tools that are essential for any SEO expert.
Ahrefs utilizes free tools to create compelling linkbait.
2. Stir Up Some Controversy
Controversial topics can attract significant attention and serve as a valuable asset for generating links. However, your opinions don’t need to be extreme to gain attention. Even if you share facts that go against what most people believe, you can still make waves. Only talk about stuff you care about, and always use facts to support your opinion.
3. Create Your Link Bait Unique And Eye-Catching
Here’s a four-stage process for encouraging others to link to your content:
- See: The potential linker discovers your content.
- Consume: They engage with it.
- Enjoy: It leaves a strong, positive impression.
- Link: They decide to share it by linking.
If your link bait isn’t visually appealing, this process often breaks down between “Consume” and “Enjoy.” Visuals help people absorb content more quickly and easily, increasing their likelihood of liking and liking it.
For example, instead of a simple listicle about the most popular beer in every country, present the information with an engaging visual map to make it more exciting and more shareable:
Map: The most popular beer in every country
4. Make Your Content Easy To Find
Excellent link bait gets noticed by many people through search engines. Here’s how to ensure your content is well-suited for Google:
- Use relevant keywords that your target audiences often search for.
- Include visuals, videos, or tools (like calculators) in your lengthy blog posts to provide context for search engines.
- Craft enticing titles and descriptions to attract clicks from searchers.
- Enhance your website’s loading speed for better user experience and search engine ranking.
5. Keep Your Resources Fresh
While some linkbait stays popular over time, others lose their appeal. For instance, articles relying on statistics can become outdated with new research. So, review your resources yearly and update them when necessary.
5 Linkbait Examples: Successful Real-World Campaigns
1. JustPark – The Reaction Time Test
JustPark’s “The Reaction Time Test” is an example of link bait through an interactive game. Though simple, the game has captured the attention of major media outlets like The Daily Mail, Metro, and Huff Post Spain. So, what makes this game so viral and irresistible?
Justpark’s Reaction Time Test
Firstly, the game is accessible to everyone. Players press a key to make an emergency stop when a red sign appears, revealing their “driving age” based on their reaction time. The unexpected challenge keeps players hooked. Often, the game shows that their driving age is older than they anticipated, prompting them to try again for a better score.
Moreover, the game’s shareability enhances its appeal, as players can easily challenge friends and share their results on social media, igniting friendly competition.
Daily Mail’s article featured the game of Justpark.
As a result, this clever use of gamification not only entertains but also effectively targets JustPark’s audience, attracting potential users of their parking service. Click here to try the game and discover your best score!
The game earned over 6K backlinks from over 800 referring domains, greatly enhancing JustPark’s online visibility.
2. Asher & Lyric – Top 35 Countries To Raise A Family
Asher & Lyric, parenting bloggers, created a highly engaging and controversial link bait with their study The Best Countries to Raise a Family in 2020, using reliable statistics from 30 reputable international sources, focusing on safety, happiness, and education, aimed to guide readers in choosing the best countries for raising children.
Top countries to raise a family in 2020 studied by Asher & Lyric
The study went viral due to the unexpected low ranking of the USA, which surprised and displeased many Americans. This controversial result drew significant attention from major media outlets like Business Insider and the New York Post.
The United States was ranked 34th out of 35 on the list.
Business Insider cited the study.
Asher Fergusson, one of the creators, explained the success of the study:
“The popularity of my 2020 study on the best countries to raise a family stemmed from its originality and relevance to many people’s lives. On top of that, with the USA not ranking so high, it was very controversial for most Americans. This controversy propelled it to the front page of Reddit, leading to its viral spread in the press, resulting in millions of high-quality links and 35,000 daily hits for a while.”
Specifically, the study resulted in 529 backlinks from 273 referring domains.
Backlink statistics for the study
3. Solitaired – How Much Would Game Characters Earn In Real Life?
Solitaired, a popular gaming platform, created engaging linkbait with fusion infographics exploring real-life salaries for favorite game characters. This creative approach helped Solitaired’s homepage attract links from major publications like Express, Techiazi, and Houston Press.
“Video Game Characters’ Income” infographic
To execute this link bait, Solitaired assembled a list of over 50 popular game characters, mapping their in-game roles to real-life occupations. They then collected online average salary data for these roles from trusted sources like Salary Expert. Finally, this data was transformed into an engaging infographic.
Various significant media outlets covered Solitaired’s list.
Many experts assumed that three key factors drove the widespread coverage of this link bait include:
- Innovative Idea: Comparing virtual characters’ roles with real-life salaries sparked curiosity and discussions among gamers.
- Strategic Media Outreach: A compelling press release targeted at technology and gaming journalists ensured the content reached relevant audiences.
- Timely Relevance: The study’s alignment with ongoing U.S. minimum wage debates made it particularly relevant and shareable.
This example shows how leveraging free online data, combining creative concepts with strategic media outreach, and ensuring timely relevance can create compelling linkbait.
4. Moz – SEO Guide For Beginners
Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO is an example of a practical link-bait-using guide on a specialized topic. This guide covers everything from basic SEO principles to advanced techniques, earning an impressive 233K backlinks from over 11K linking websites.
Moz’s SEO Guide For Beginners
So, what made this linkbait so successful?
First of all is the educational value, the guide provides clear and concise explanations of essential SEO topics such as keyword research, page optimization, link building, and SEO reporting. This approach allows learners to fully understand SEO principles and apply their knowledge to set up online businesses or serve clients effectively.
Besides, the suggested engagement encourages active participation by promoting Moz Academy’s SEO Fundamentals Certification, which includes a 6-part in-depth course. Additionally, it offers a free trial of Moz’s SEO toolkit and invites learners to join the Moz Community, connecting with over 500,000 digital marketers.
Numerous high-DR websites, including Forbes, have linked to Moz’s guide.
To create a buzz with a guide-style linkbait like Moz, highlight your expertise in a comprehensive and practical manner. Engage your audience with interactive mediums such as tests and certificates or by integrating them with your products and services. This approach will establish you as the leading authority in your field over time.
5. Rover – Top Dog Names
In this example, Rover, the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care, created effective link bait with its original analysis, “Top Dog Names.” By examining millions of pet names, Rover uncovered intriguing trends, patterns, and cultural influences shaping how people name their pets.
This insightful analysis led to over 1.6K backlinks from more than 980 referring domains, including major outlets like the New York Post, CBS News, and Daily Mail.
Rover’s Top Dog Names
The New York Post featured an article showcasing Rover’s analysis.
Why is this linkbait so successful? Rover’s analysis stands out by tapping into the deep emotional bonds between pet owners and their pets.
Kate Jaffe, a trend expert at Rover, explains that pet names reflect our passions and lifestyles and mark the moment we welcome our pets into our lives. By examining names inspired by food, celebrities, movies, and even COVID-19-related terms, Rover’s analysis explores these personal stories, making the content deeply relatable and engaging.
This emotional resonance appeals to pet owners and provides compelling material for journalists and bloggers, driving widespread interest and shares.
Rover’s analysis garnered over 1.6K backlinks.
This link bait exemplifies that creating quality content isn’t solely about educational material. You can produce engaging content by utilizing your own data and internal resources, as Rover did. The key is ensuring it aligns with your target audience’s interests, making it noteworthy and shareable.
Best Way To Find Good Link Baits
To develop good linkbait ideas, look at what’s working for your competitors. Here’s how to do it using Ahrefs:
1. Put your competitor’s website into Ahrefs’ Site Explorer.
2. Check out the Best by Linked report.
Use Ahrefs’ Site Explorer to research link bait ideas
Look through the list to see what content and topics are prevalent in your field. For instance, Ahrefs’s report from the image above shows that data research is the most common linkbait form.
Bonus tip: If you need expert help with your link baiting to enhance your SEO strategy, contact us, and we’ll promptly schedule a free consultation call to assist you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What’s The Quickest Way To Check If Your Link Bait Is Working?
The quickest way to check if your link bait is working is to monitor key metrics such as:
- Backlinks: Use tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to track the number of backlinks your content is receiving. An increase in backlinks is a strong indicator that your link bait is attracting attention.
- Traffic: Check your website’s analytics to see if there is a spike in traffic, particularly from referral sources. This can indicate that your link bait is being shared and visited.
- Social Media Engagement: Monitor social media platforms for shares, likes, comments, and mentions related to your content. High engagement levels can be a sign that your link bait is resonating with audiences.
- Media Coverage: Look for mentions of your content in other media outlets or blogs. This can provide additional validation of your content’s impact.
- How To Create Linkbait?
Creating effective link bait involves producing content that is valuable, engaging, and shareable. Here are some key steps to create compelling link bait:
- Pick an Engaging Topic: Choose relevant, trending, or evergreen topics that interest your audience.
- Offer Unique Insights: Use original research, data, or expert analysis.
- Craft High-Quality Content: Ensure it is well-written, informative, and free of errors.
- Use Visuals and Interactive Elements: Include infographics, images, videos, or interactive tools.
- Appeal Emotionally: Evoke emotions like humor or nostalgia to enhance shareability.
- Optimize for SEO: Use relevant keywords and optimize meta descriptions and URLs.
- Promote Widely: Share on social media, and reach out to influencers and media.
- Encourage Sharing: Include social sharing buttons and invite discussion.
Monitor Results: Track backlinks, traffic, and engagement to gauge success.
