Search Engine Optimization Tips Blog

Linkbait is basically an attraction that guides people to link to your site. It’s something to share, that will grab people’s attention, and make them feel like sharing it with others. It can be a piece of breaking news, a funny picture, a joke, a hilarious video or a cool on-site tool that people will just have to check out.

If you don’t like the term linkbait, you can call it content - although I think there is a slight difference between the main entrée and the parsley on top.

Keeping the bait relevant to your site is a huge big plus. My (fictional as of yet) site devoted to pet clothing could run a video of a animal dressed up in my clothes, doing something hilarious.

A human interest type story could generate interest as well - perhaps a look at abandoned dogs and their plight - this isn’t as funny, but people to feel strongly about such things and you could get some attention there. Sponsor a animal charity, and send out a press release about their newest activity.

What if your site is rather dull? A financial site, say…

Lyndon Antcliff made the news earlier this year with a shocking take on linkbait - he posted a story on a site belonging to a large financial UK company warning about credit card fraud, and making his point by using as an example a boy who had used his fathers credit account for a shopping spree, hotel room and hookers.

Later of course, the notation was added to the story that it was a complete fabrication and not to be taken seriously, but not before the story had been picked up by major networks in the US and UK, and links to the site had reached the stratosphere.

This was frowned upon by webmasters everywhere, and was considered rather blck-hat! A better way to retain trust and credibility would have been to try a different approach - and here are a few.

Take a survey. Ask a question to engage attention, then invite their input. “What kind of bank account do you really need? Our survey tells you how!”

Or, simply set up a poll: “Do you worry about identity theft? Check Yes or No!”

Maybe you want to run a contest. “Best 300 word true story about mortgage woes wins free coffee mug or t-shirt!”

See? Even banking can be baitable. (And baitable isn’t a word, I just made it up. Baitworthy is also good.)

Above all, keep it simple. If you are serious about baiting your site for links, set it up so that they are reminded and encouraged to link at every turn. Don’t forget to keep the social network buttons by your bait to promote the buzz - sometimes getting Dugg is enough to catapult you into fame.

Also, let bloggers know they are welcome to carry your bait - in return for a link. Most bloggers are not as worried about PageRank, and will gladly give you a backlink.

Spread the word!

For those of you who have never heard of Michael Wesch, I strongly suggest you watch his informative video on the media-scape. It is an unbelievably good example of how the various resources on the web worked together to boost this formerly unknown anthropologist to the forefront of the web, via YouTube, Digg, De.li.cio.us and Technorati.

If you think that all the talk about the importance of social networking, blogging and bookmarking to obtain back links and traffic (and hence search engine rankings) is hooey, watch the video and then get back to me.

If you make a really, really good YouTube video or Squidoo lens, or manage to come up with an amazing piece of link bait, the viral possibilities might just blow your mind.

The idea that people are the best filters of content on the web is one that is finally getting more attention. Scour, a search engine based on the concept that users should determine relevancy directly, started ‘paying’ searchers to use their engine and rank results.

Digg has been responsible for more than one webmaster’s sudden claim to fame, and a mention in the right blog can work wonders. People share info by Twittering, and Squidoo lenses offer information in a fun format that anyone can master. The ability on many sites for a thumbs up or thumbs down allows the good stuff to rise and the bad to be buried.

Knol is spreading information to the masses on a one on one basis, while Wikipedia remains a slightly more authoritative source of information - but both have the capability for user input. This concept that users are actually the best qualified people to determine the value of information on the web is continuing to take flight, and the search engines are being forced to concur.

Get your content shouted out by enough of your fellow men, and the engines will basically be forced to list you based on their own criteria of relevance and links. You might even find yourself newsworthy, and you will definitely experience traffic if you make yourself easy to find.

So what are we saying? Just that SEO extends beyond the formulaic. You still have to generate great content, have good linking practices and run a solid, informed ad campaign. Just integrate social networking into your master plan. If you don’t, someone else will.

A perfect example is Michael Wesch himself, who watched a little YouTube upload he produced bounce past 200 views and accelerate towards the thousand mark in record time after being Dugg, then crash through all barriers and remain top of Technorati’s much sought after list even in the aftermath of Superbowl Sunday.

The video is an hour long, but even if you just watch the first twelve minutes you will gain a wealth of information about the phenomenon of the ‘media-scape’ as Wesch puts it. He’s funny, smart, and a thoroughly enjoyable speaker as well. Do watch this video if you are still on the fence on the media and social application of SEO.

You might just become a believer.

Backlinks, also known is inbound links or one-way links, are one of the top ways to get your site recognition for being a relevant source of valuable information, and cn pave your way to the top of the first page on Google.

You have to gather your links with care, however, using proper tactics and making sure your links are worthy. Google frowns on links that are paid for or obtained by trickery, so keep your nose clean!

There are many ways to links and many places to look, and what follows is a list of pure white ways to juice your site!

** Directories remain a great place to start your link building program. Ones that require a review and have strict standards for quality are the best - avoid directories that offer reciprocal programs or require payment, as these are unlikely to do you any good and could actually be detrimental.

** Articles submitted on a regular basis to article directories are a great way to build links - each time an article is approved you can gain another link. Make sure you have fresh content on a regular basis - submitting the same article to a bunch of different directories can cause you duplicate content issues.

** Press Releases are good for visibility and links from any site that picks up your story and publishes it. Both Press releases and articles submitted to the proper venues will also result in traffic to your site.

** Social sites are becoming a link possibility even search engines respect, as the links are considered to be more purely organic than other links - in other words, individuals are linking to you because they personally feel you are helpful, so it is coming straight from the consumer. Blogs and forums that end up mentioning you are also a great boost! You can do a little discreet maneuvering to get a buzz going about your site - but don’t overdo it - appearing to spam will send your site down the drainer quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.

** Satisfied customers can be one of your most valuable links of all. They link to you from personal experience with you and approval of your site, and they can often be had for the asking! Don’t forget to include a thank you note for their patronage along with the request.

Once you have started a link building campaign along these lines, keeping it going is all you have to do and you can generate new links on a regular basis.

Happy linking!

Content and linking comes together when you start a dedicated campaign to promote yourself on the web. By producing high quality articles and submitting them to directories you can increase links to your site and create a steady flow of traffic.

The absolute best way to do this can take some time. Ideally you should have a large amount of high quality articles to submit to the top directories. If you don’t have time to write all the content yourself, you can hire it done, and get a respected SEO company to submit it across multiple directories. This is the fastest way to get your content out there and noticed.

Once you have your initial articles driving traffic to your site, you can expand to some of the more selective directories. Some of these have extremely rigid standards for word count and format, but if you can write or buy high quality articles these can drive some very good traffic to your site.

It helps to know how to properly title your articles for maximum effect. Use your keywords judiciously but consistently, and make the anchor text for your links relevant and eye catching.

You can use articles on the web to provide deep links to relevant pages on your site for more targeted results. Don’t forget to make sure your internal linking is up to snuff - you would hate to lose a high quality visitor because they enter your site through a deep link and get lost before they can find ‘HOME’.

Remember to think big! You want selected articles to specifically target your niche market and send you customers interested in a very particular type of product or service, but don’t ignore the long tail of customers who just might drop into your site and stick around a while.

Have a few articles written specifically for crossover traffic from related fields and try to get them published in relevant directories. Don’t forget press releases as well - a lot of traffic can be derived by well thought out press releases on a monthly or bi monthly basis.

Increase your exposure on authoritative sites such as those run by respected clubs or groups of professionals in your field. You can give away content with the understanding that links will be kept intact, and this can be a great way to boost your own site’s link juice while gaining the goodwill of others who are weak on content.

Don’t forget that every piece of content you put on the web reflects on your site, and that shoddy or poorly done content could be worse than no content at all. If you feel that your capabilities don’t include content writing, find the budget to have a pro step in and help! It will be worth every penny.

All of us who have launched new websites do it with such great enthusiasm and hope and wait for the visitors to stream in. It is not all that easy isn’t it? Painfully, yes! No one likes to wait for months to get indexed by the search engines and get listed in the search engine results page; paradoxically the internet which facilitates fast transactions, fast communication etc., makes such a slow deal when it comes to indexing websites by the search engines.

It is still possible to drive traffic to your websites during this so called ‘dead-phase’. Lot of people immediately think of paid traffic in terms of Google adwords or overture pay per click etc. Yes, they too can help but you need not necessarily pay for what you are going to do now to drive traffic to your website. Others think of email blasts that will reach out to thousands of people’s inbox that will hopefully bring the desired traffic. Email blasts are such an old technique and it will not guarantee a steady flow of visitors; what it might bring about is a sudden surge of visitors as soon as the mailer is sent. This is not what we are taking about; we need to get constant flow of traffic which should increase day by day.

There is a very easy way how you can drive traffic to your website at free of cost. All that you need to do is a decent online research to find out free classified websites that are related to your business vertical and that are specific to your geographic location. You should also find general classifieds websites that allow advertisements from multiple categories. You need to write a crispy, short and sweet text promoting your website and add your logo, website URL. The advertisement draft should contain specific keywords which you think people who search for your services will use. You can either hire someone to do the postings of your ad in these free classifieds sites or you can do it yourself.

Once you draft the text it will be a mere copy paste work. However, take your time to post your ad in the correct category to see better results. The heading of the ad is the most important part of your advertisement and it must have keywords which you are targeting. When you start posting your advertisement in free classified sites, make sure to start with high traffic sites first because having contextual links in a high traffic web page is a sure way to invite the search engine spiders to your website quickly. By doing this your site will not only get indexed quickly, you can have your website, service, product promoted free of cost in these free classified sites and above all you are gradually building one-way links to your website free of cost. All that you are spending here is your time. Try this yourself or if you don’t have time, hire a professional SEO company to do this for you to get even better results.

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