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Link Bait for SEO

Posted by Marios Alexandrou, SEO Resume.

For the last few years or so, reciprocal links were all the rage when it came to search engine optimization (SEO). The idea behind reciprocal links was that since Google valued external links, it made sense to trade links with other sites. It was a win-win situation for both sites since both benefited from the external links. And as with other SEO techniques, link exchanges were over-used (or abused depending on your perspective). Now, Google and possibly other search engines are examining links more closely to see if site A links to site B and vice versa. The value of such links is then discounted to reflect the likelihood that the links aren't "natural".

Since reciprocal links aren't as effective as they used to be, then the next logical step is one-way links. That is, a link coming from site A and going to site B without there being a link from site B to site A. Of course, the trick is getting that link on site A. And that's where link bait comes in. Link bait, quite simply, is something that encourages other sites to link to your site.

This something can take many forms including content that is controversial, news-worthy, useful, or fun. Another popular form is a contest with prizes that includes a link to the site as part of the criteria to win. The key is to have what people are calling a "hook". The cynics among us might think the term hook comes from the phrase hook, line, and sinker usually used in reference to someone that was duped in to doing something.

There is an SEO contest running right now. This contest has prizes in the thousands. That might seem like a lot of money to an individual, but to even the smallest company it really isn't all that much. And in return, the sponsors of this contest have 1,000,000 new external links showing in Google. That's 100 links per dollar in prize money in less than 2 weeks. Not a bad deal. What will be curious to see is if this sudden influx of links is considered natural or if Google will choose to ignore these links.

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