By Alyssa Udall (@udallyss)
Many people do not understand the art of linkbait. In fact, the term is most often associated with negative connotations! However, there are many classy ways to use linkbait principles to gain inbound links to your blog.
Inbound links are extremely important for SEO. The links that are pointing to your blog, and the greatest variety of links at that, will greatly increase your organic rankings in search engines like Google or Bing.
The negative connotations surrounding linkbait are usually generated from spammers, as usual. Here are some great ways you can use linkbait to optimize your blog rankings:
1. Have an activity: Create an activity relevant to your niche. For example, a quiz or interactive generator of some kind. Then, have the ability for those that complete the activity to post the results on their blog or website. This is a fun way to create inbound links!
2. Socialize: Being involved in social media can also create valuable inbound links. Try picking one or two social networks that appeal most to your genre and interests. Be sure to spend time interacting with others and not just promoting your own content! This will help you create influence in that community and will power up the links you post.
These are just a few thought-starters! Try coming up with other ideas of how you can create inbound links to your blog through linkbait. This is one of the essentials of SEO and is often overlooked!