In the field of SEO, it can be tempting to drive up your audience’s attention by means that are not necessarily proper. One of the oldest tricks in the book predates even the digital era. Now known as clickbait, this strategy has gained a negative connotation over the years as a cheap trick to sell ultimately hollow or pointless content. However, clickbait is now masking itself under a more subversive title: the appeal to emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the surface, this may seem like the entirely white hat strategy: the appeal to emotion. Confusing, I know. This is because clickbait is looking to smuggle itself through the appeal to emotion. So why is clickbait such a pervasive strategy and how do you know when it’s click bait or appeal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Clickbait is helpful to an SEO manager because making outlandish or exaggerated statements sparks curiosity within the average viewer. This can help drive organic clicks and lead to other links on a website. You can see why the technique is so popular, it’s cheap and effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what’s the difference? The truth is, the line is blurry. This is one of those grey zones where what is and isn’t clickbait can be very situational. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself “Would my prospective reader feel that their expectations were met after reading this?” If the answer is yes, you likely are using an appeal to emotion. If the answer is no, you’re being deceptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, use discretion. When looking around for other advice on the internet, be careful of what you choose to use and what you choose to discard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In the field of SEO, it can be tempting to drive up your audience’s attention by means that are not necessarily proper. One of the oldest tricks in the book predates even the digital era. Now known as clickbait, this strategy has gained a negative connotation over the years as a cheap trick to sell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n