Content is an integral aspect of online marketing. The content on your site increases your position in the search engine rankings and informs your customers about products and services. These are primary ways of using your content to your advantage. There are other ways to leverage your content. With some time and ingenuity, you can orchestrate your content into link bait. Link bait is a search engine optimization term referring to content (whether it be an article, video, blog post, etc.) that intrigues others with sites and inspires them to add a link from their content to yours. The benefit of inbound links results in more traffic to your site and an increase in search engine rankings. Search engines hold inbound links in high regards when weighing the value of your site.

So, how can you create link bait? Well, there is no concrete formula, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

Find a subject

Easier said than done; a writer searching for bait-worthy content will have to ponder a subject. The subject can be general (politics, world events) or a niche (401k, public relations). Regardless of the subject, it is called “bait” for a reason; it will have to be enticing enough to impress a party with another site to the point of them to want to refer their readers to it. You will have to use a good “hook.” First and foremost, the content must be interesting, but you will have to think about how it applies to a broad range of people in order to attract the most traffic. Current, controversial news stories are always a good choice, but not necessary. Breaking news is posted by a large number of sites; if you discuss or relate the information in a unique way, others will link to your post.

Staying in your neighborhood

Every industry, whether it is telemarketing, fulfillment services, payroll services, etc. will feature hot topics. Do your homework, write a riveting post, and create a stir in your particular industry. This occurs frequently within the “blogosphere.” Each industry hosts a bevy of bloggers providing their views on particular, industry-driven topics. This method works well if your goods and services are niche-oriented. Rather than attempting to gain the attention of a broad range of people (many of whom may not have interest in your niche product or service), you can direct your creative energies towards your particular industry.

King for a day once a week

It is difficult to write link bait. As aforementioned, there is no objective method and there is no way of telling what will be popular with Web browsers. It is good practice to make a valiant effort once a week or every other week. Study trends and analyze what articles have been previously popular. You do not have to smack a homerun every time at bat. If you generate a decent number of links with your efforts, then it could be worth it if they caused conversions.

Use social sites

Sites like Digg and Reddit showcase articles and other media. Others vote on the popularity/usefulness of the post. Use the sites to survey what is popular and what trends are of current interest. Read the most popular posts and emulate their style or write on similar topics. Many readers use social media sites. If you can get your content on one of these sites, expect surges of traffic to come to yours.

Take the opposing view

Sometimes it is beneficial to go against the grain. If you notice there is a popular topic that most seem to have similar views upon, take the opposing approach. Even if most are appalled or disagree in relation to your stand, they will refer to your post in order to refute it. Link bait’s purpose is to get others interested and landing on your site; whether others are in accord with your views or not, they can help your marketing efforts by linking to your content.