If you have spent any time at all on the internet, there is a good chance that you have participated in or observed the effects of link baiting. Link baiting is the process where a site does things to garner unsolicited links from other sites and these "hooks" can range from putting up information to using negative reviews of popular products. In terms of internet marketing, link baiting can be a terrific way to make sure that your website achieves good notice from the search engines and from people who are just surfing the web.
Informational link baiting is quite popular and has the added benefit of giving you a reputation as an expert in your field. People will want to link to you because you provide good information, especially if it relates to their own site. Though it will require some effort, you will find that this type of link baiting draws you a healthy degree of traffic that is relevant to your business and services. Some informational hook will show thee browsers how to do something, or explain the history or workings of your type of service. You may also want to provide news hooks in the form of a news feed of some sort.
Entertainment hooks are quite popular as well. The prevalence of online quizzes, especially quizzes that can be posted in places like personal blogs are an excellent form of link bait, though they often prove to be quite ephemeral. A good internet quiz or meme is terrific way to take advantage of the viral nature of the internet. You'll give people a favorable impression of your site and your services in this way. If you make sure that the entertainment is geared towards aiming people at your services, you can make sure that though they might come for the entertainment, they'll stay for your sales pitch!
Depending on your services, you might also want to provide tools for the use of those browsing your site. You'll find that people will happily link to tools that they think their friends will find useful and that this is a great way to get whole networks of people interested in what you have to offer. For instance, a financing firm might offer a mortgage calculator, while a makeover site might have a tool that allows users to "apply" makeup to a picture that they upload.
The one of the most important things to understand about link baiting is that there are both good ways and bad ways to go about it. Often, when you read about link baiting, you will see that people are quite negative about, and there is a reason for this. One popular method when it comes to link baiting is to post something negative about someone or something famous. While this can pull everyone from people who strongly support your point of view, to people who strongly disagree with it to people who are just hoping to see some internet drama to your site, at the end of the day, this is essentially a counterproductive type of link bait. You will achieve a rather nasty reputation as well find that there are plenty of people who might like your services, but despise your attitude. If you decide to make link baiting a part of your website marketing plan, do it responsibly!
Related Articles
You Need Effective Adwords Management
By: Ben Norman | 04/11/2007 | Internet
Are you looking for a way to make sure that news of your business gets to more than 75% of the internet? One of the best ways to do this is with the use of Google AdWords. This unique and highly prolific pay per click advertising is one of the...
How To Find Your Ideal Keywords
By: Norman Vincent | 04/11/2007 | Internet
Whether you are first entering the field of website marketing or you have been using techniques like pay per click advertising and link building for a while, the need for good keywords that are relevant and attractive to search engines cannot have escaped you. Keywords bring searchers to your site...
Google Adwords - A "Has Been"?
By: Dylan Loh | 14/05/2006 | Advertising
Many advertisers are suffering from huge advertising costs, potential click fraud and little to no return on investment. But on the other hand, there are a small percentage of people who use Adwords profitably, so much so that this is their sole source of income.
Why Is It Good When More Advertisers Are Competing With You On Google Adwords, Forcing Costs Up And Saturating The Niche?
By: Dylan Loh | 14/05/2006 | Advertising
There are tons of advertisers out there utilizing and over utilizing it even when they should not. So what's the deal? Do you continue to use Adwords? You read on.
Top 5 Mistakes Of The Frustrated AdWords Advertiser
By: Steve Iser | 12/07/2006 | Communication
Many frustrated Internet Marketers have abandoned their conquest into Google Ad Words after being robbed left, right and center due to their inability to run a successful campaign.
Discover how you can, with 3 simplest of tips, boost your Adwords click through rates and ultimately income!
By: Dylan Loh | 23/05/2006 | Advertising
By no means are these 3 steps the end. It is only the tip of the tip of the iceberg. For you to use adwords successfully, you must continually improve, change, test and refine methods. Listed below are the briefest of tips that can get you started on Adwords.
Real Google Adwords Management
By: Ben Norman | 20/11/2007 | Internet
One of the main benefits of advertising online is the immediacy, and one of the best ways to take advantage of the current nature of the internet is through the use of Google AdWords. Through efficient Google AdWords management, you can make sure that your products or services are found...
Rescue your Adwords campaign now! Apply these 3 little know "life saving" techniques
By: Dylan Loh | 23/05/2006 | Advertising
Truth to be told, I have been very frustrated with Adwords. There are always the constant problems with sudden stoppages of ads, potential click fraud, high costs and yet I love them so very much!
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Youtube videos don't play on my computer, why?
By: HEMPIST69 | 23-07-2008
Actually no videos of any kind will play. The video and sound are choppy and it stops and starts every 4 to 5 seconds. I have windows xp on a new laptop. It's never played videos since I bought it 2 weeks ago. First I thought my connection to the internet wasn't strong enough but even when I am plugged in it doesn't play. Any advice?
How do I set up my own PHYSICAL DNS??
By: Reloaded | 20-07-2008
How do I set up my own PHYSICAL DNS??
I want a physical one, as in Modem, Firewall and Server, not a virtual one.
Ending of Dr. Horrible
By: triciamcdent | 20-07-2008
What did you think of the ending of Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog?
[SPOILER ALERT! Avert your eyes, if you haven't seen Act III.]
Did Penny have to die? Does Dr. Horrible belong in the Evil League of Evil? Is Joss Whedon messing with our minds?
Are there any entirely IM or VoIP -based p2p ...
By: drabsv | 18-07-2008
Are there any entirely IM or VoIP -based p2p support services? That is services like Yedda, only that the communication happens in real time, on chat or via Skype?
I know of IRC software support rooms and http://qunu.com but I am looking for something more advanced, for instance a database where you can tag yor question (without writing it, tags alone), leave your IM details, take advantage of a tag-matching system like here on Yedda and wait to be contacted on your personal IM client.
Since you have Internet, you write less or more?
By: qzmaster591 | 09-07-2008
Since you got internet, the number of postcards and letters increased, decreased or stayed the same?
Child Pornography on Craiglist
By: Marcie | 02-07-2008
Child pornography is arguably one of the worst things that enjoy the internet and the web 2.0 rage. If Craiglist insist on having a pornography section, are they in part at least responsible for perpetrating the porn trade? Are they doing enough to redeem themselves?
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Internet Articles
Do You Want to Optimize Your Own Web Site?
By: Jennifer Horowitz | 25/07/2008
Think of the engines like teachers handing out gold stars for everything that you do well. Google currently has about 200 factors in their algorithms that determine how your site will rank. Imagine your teacher with a clipboard and checklist with 200 items on it and she assigns you gold stars for each of the things you do well.
Multi-level Marketing and Potential Income Stream
By: Dock J Murphy | 25/07/2008
MLM is the kind of business that works best for self-starters and those with dedication and initiative. Traditionally good employees might not make the best MLM team members as they might not have the go-to to get the job done without prodding.
Three Steps for a Successful Business Making Money Online
By: Stephen Meyer | 25/07/2008
Many people search for a work at home opportunity because they want a business making money online. With finances up in the air and an unstable economy making money from home seems to be the key. The good news is there are many ways you can have a business at home and make money online. This article will discuss three steps to making money from home in affiliate marketing.
How to Start a Website
By: Paul Guzman | 25/07/2008
How do you start a successful website.
Here is the information you need to get started on making your own professional or hobby website.
1. You need a Domain Name: Gotta have a domain name like...whatismywebsiteabout.com
If you know about real estate in New York City...Maybe "newyork-city-realestate.com."
It's easy and only cost about 10...
How Much Traffic Do You Need to Make Money With Your Online Home Business?
By: Matt Helphrey | 25/07/2008
How much money you make online relies ultimately on the amount of traffic you get to your site. Just how much traffic are we talking about?
Creating a Profitable Blog Starts With a Good Plan
By: Edward Lomax | 25/07/2008
If you want to make money from your blog (and who doesn't?) you need to plan for your success. You are not popular enough to write about whatever you like and think people will read your posts. You need a plan.
Is Domain Name Registering Good For Company Branding?
By: Doug Milton | 25/07/2008
Domain registering, when done wisely, can do wonders for company branding. A well-named domain will bring visitors to your site and make selling your products that much easier. There are a few simple rules to follow when registering domain names, though, and they are essential points to remember.
Before you begin...
3 Super Powered Ways to Drive Traffic to Any Website in Any Niche
By: Mal Keenan | 25/07/2008
The top 3 internet marketing strategies to send traffic to any web business. The methods are basic but powerful and can be applied to any niche market...
More from Norman Vincent
How To Find Your Ideal Keywords
By: Norman Vincent | 04/11/2007 | Internet
Whether you are first entering the field of website marketing or you have been using techniques like pay per click advertising and link building for a while, the need for good keywords that are relevant and attractive to search engines cannot have escaped you. Keywords bring searchers to your site...
Do You Do Link Building?
By: Norman Vincent | 25/10/2007 | Internet
When you start trying to improve your websites rankings on the search engines search results, one method that you will come across is that of link building. As the search engines become more sophisticated, one thing that they look for is what sites have linked you (the search engines will...
Keyword Keepers And Losers
By: Norman Vincent | 25/10/2007 | Internet
Christmas comes up faster than we'd like, and before we know it, it's time to hand out those Xmas presents! Whether you're a last minute shopper or you like to have everything taken care of before December, buying Christmas presents online can make your life a lot simpler. Christmas is...
Are You Sure You Are Selecting The Right Keywords?
By: Norman Vincent | 16/10/2007 | Internet
When you are writing copy for your website, one of the first things that you need to think about is selecting the right key words. When you think about the fact that the majority of the people who come to your site are going to be getting there through search...
One Way Link Building Works
By: Norman Vincent | 16/10/2007 | Internet
When it comes to good internet marketing, one of the best ways to get people to come through your site is through search engine results. People use search engines to fill almost every need they have, and when they are interested in acquiring goods or services online, that is the...
Keyword Identification
By: Norman Vincent | 08/10/2007 | Internet
Having a web site that is high on the list of natural search results can be an enormous benefit for your business, but the question is, how to get your website there? You may already have some knowledge about the use of keywords, but to get your website on the...
Link Building Essentials
By: Norman Vincent | 08/10/2007 | Internet
At the very heart of search engine optimization and the ability to get relevant hits to your website is the concept of link building. Whenever a site links to yours without your site linking to it, your ranking with the search engines goes up. Besides just the search engine benefits,...
Choosing Correct Keywords
By: Norman Vincent | 03/10/2007 | Internet
If you are working with programs like Google AdWords, or you are just looking to bring more relevant traffic to your site, one thing that you need to be concerned with is choosing correct keywords. Keywords are what draw searchers to your site and when you use the right...
Internet 
