There are a few dos and don’ts that determine the success, or failure, of a link baiting project. Link baiting can promote and generate more inbound links than a professionally managed campaign.

• Do not link between your websites.
• Link in the article, not a signature line
• Do not build more than 50 inbound links a week
• Do not swap links
• Do not put links on websites with no-follow code
• Do not waste time putting links on pages which will have a PR0 forever
• Do not use ambiguous keyword anchored links
• Do not link to pages that may never be indexed
• Do not link to blogs or ‘deep’ websites where the link will be dropped
• Avoid generic directories, small search engines, word cloud sites, and link farms
• Avoid all but the top 10 article directories
• Try link baiting
• Headlines sell

Link Baiting

Link baiting is writing something that other people will want to link to. Long lists, such as ‘101 ways to ____” is a prime example. However, do not bury the list in blog posts, but make a static page to prevent the page from being buried, and to increase its value.

Write cutting-edge news type articles that are longer than the typical 400 words. Try to get people to agree or disagree.
When link baiting, do not:

• Be argumentative, abrasive, hostile
• Sound like you are the ‘authority’ on the subject
• Quote what everyone else is talking about
• Post news without making it relevant and adding your views
• Attack someone, something
• Self indulge/self promote
• When contradicting someone else’s view point, do not make derogatory comments toward the theory, ideal, or person.
• Don’t insult/contradict a guru hoping they will link to you to post a retaliatory post.

Things to try:

• Make the audience feel that there is a threat they need to overcome. Fear is a great motivator.
• Build links from Social Traffic sites to your article
• Interact with readers – often
• Build a reputation for yourself
• Solve a problem for your audience
• Talk about other gurus, email them, and then post snippets of the conversation – as long as you do not sound like you are best friends with the guru.
• Give your readers an opportunity to promote themselves on your site. One way is to interview them and post it on your website.

Titles that have proven to work in link bait articles:

• 10 myths…
• Extensive resource lists
• 10 easy tips to help you….
• List of gurus/experts
• List of _____ resources
• How to succeed
• Step-by-Step guide
• Best and Worst list
• Beware of____