Link-baiting can encompass a wide range of blogging techniques including: contests, lists, research, usefulness, quizzes, tools, ask for a review; the list is endless. Here are a few link-baiting techniques I have used on many of my blogs with good results:

1. Lists - Articles with lists get a lot of love from Diggers and Delicious. Social bookmark site such as these love valuable lists. Lists have been done to death, so if you ARE going to use this technique, make sure you are adding some substance and knowledge for your readers. Lists get a lot of backlinks because they are actually tough to create. A well done list can take hours of research and many more to compose and format.

2. Podcasting - Podcasts are great baiting tools. Podcasts that give tips, tutorials, or news about something related to your niche or industry is a great way to get blogs to link to you. Blog a Podcast interview of a famous name in your industry. This is a really good way to get links and build your credibility.

3. Write about them - One of the best ways to get a link from a blog is to write about them. Say something nice about their blog or writing style. Try ellaborating on one of their blog posts and link to them a few times during the article. Then email the owner of the blog the permalink to let them know about the post. This technique has worked for me dozens of times. Make sure the post or review is thorough and not a lazy effort. Pro bloggers know this trick and won�t link to you if your article is lame (less than 300 words, no photos, 0-1 links, bad grammar) even if you praise them throughout the review.

4. Humor & Wit - Be funny; let your personality come out. One of the best ways to create linkbait is to be funny. People love humor, especially in these war times. Blog about a funny cartoon, take a funny picture, write a funny title, be sarcastic.

5. Research - Most of my blog post are between 300-500 words and take me anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours to research, write, proofread, etc. If I want to create a really special 1000 word, linkbait article, I will sometimes spend 2 hours on research alone, not including writing, editing, etc. I have found if you spend extra time on an article and pack it with useful information, people are likely to use it for their own research will link to it.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am and is filed under Online Business, Online Marketing, Link Bait Ideas, Blogging, Web site traffic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.