In online marketing, link bait is the technique of creating content that other web sites and blogs will voluntarily add links to. Link bait often attracts links on message boards and social bookmarking systems as well. It eliminates the cost and/or effort of buying and exchanging links. However, what is considered valid link bait for web site operators to use?

Articles that are timely, original, and interesting often act as good link bait, especially if efforts are taken to make other web site owners aware of them before they become outdated. However, valid link bait of this type shouldn’t make exaggerations, use a deceptive title, or offer poor-quality content. Low quality link bait doesn’t benefit readers and may cause webmasters to eventually become wary of linking to the site in question.

Another example of link bait is to provide free web site tools (like a mortgage calculator) that people can add to their sites and have links embedded in them. A similar option is to give awards or certifications to web sites or products they offer (like software downloads), and hope for links in return. This type of link bait is more valid if the award is only given occasionally to deserving recipients, not to every site with a high PageRank.

Some blog and web site owners (sometimes including major news media) have sacrificed accuracy to produce sensational link bait. Unconfirmed “breaking” stories have sometimes spread throughout the WWW despite being partially or completely false. Most people don’t find this sort of link bait valid, as it distributes useless information and damages the source’s reputation (along with that of every site linking to it, to a lesser extent).

Other ideas for making valid link bait include analyzing or experimenting with something in a way that produces new data, reviewing a product which has just been introduced, or comparing different items in a unique way. Try using established facts to prove an unconventional but valid assertion about an interesting subject; just because data is publicly available doesn’t mean that anyone has drawn the most significant conclusions from it.

Basically, creating valid link bait is a good way to improve a web page’s search engine rankings and attract direct traffic. However, quality and accuracy shouldn’t be disregarded when applying this promotional method; the best and most valid approach is to write up-to-date content in an original style that effectively catches people’s attention.