Linking is Important, Link Baiting Even More

Linking was unknown to me before coming into Sweet’s class, but it is very important for the SEO of a website. Linking means a reputable website has a link that leads people to your website. That can be through a positive review, or a referral, or even a collaboration. When customers see a website they already trust recommending yours, it puts a good image on your brand. Link baiting is where you leverage the other websites, usually reputable, from in your industry into sending traffic and links to your site. It sounds negative but is really important and helpful for the site.

There is a process on baiting links for your website. The first one is to develop a strategic content concept. What are things that you are an expert in that is attractive to customers? What is their pain? Any unique angles you can offer? An example of this would be the Oreo commercial that was sent out during the 2015 Superbowl blackout. It stated, “you can still dunk in the dark”. It took a problem, something that was on everyone’s mind, and turned it into a content strategy. It can be hard to jump into a trend because they are so short lived, but if you are aware of that, then the process should be easier.

Second is to connect with a well-known publisher and give them an “exclusive.” Pretty much what this means is that when you give them a sneak peek, they can help grow your business by writing about it or help you create your website. Big sites want to discover great content before creating their own.

Thirdly is to promote your content to other businesses, publishers or bloggers. Getting your site out there is important, and you can do so through email. Be selective, don’t send it out to everyone, and when you send emails out, be concise, personal, and use a pragmatic subject line and persuasive content.

Overall, links and link baiting will help the website and business grow, and is not something to be overlooked, or seen as negative.