While others, they bait them. Linkbait them, that is.

Don’t be put off by the name. Though it sounds nasty, Linkbaiting is a kind of a misnomer. In a sense, you “bait” people with something that they would want to link to. The result: you get to reel-in more traffic and an increase in popularity. But of course, just like in real fishing, you can’t catch fish with rubber as bait. The bait must be something that the people would want. So what can you use as linkbait?

It’s A Scoop! – No, you don’t need to shout “Extra! Extra! Read All About It!” with this kind of bait. If you have breaking news, share it! Couple it with an in-depth commentary and watch as the school of users flock your site. The tip: pick your own fishing spot. Be the first to cover news on a specific niche and avoid being too broad. It also helps to check if other bloggers have covered the topic in the past.

Hear, Hear! Shame, Shame! – One of the best ways to get attention: be different. When they say ‘yes’ to a topic, say ‘no’ instead. With luck, this can spark a lively debate and those who think so can link to you. Be careful though. Make sure that when you take a side, you defend it with facts; otherwise people will just dump you like the trash you put in your site. The tip: research, research, and more research.

Laughter is Still the Best Medicine – Funny pictures, hilarious posts, tickling stories, these things easily catch juicy links. People love them for that moment of amusement everyone needs. Apart from being great linkbait, this has a lot of potential for social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon or Digg.

These are just a few of the many ways to bait links. Once you get the hang of it, get ready for the steady increase in traffic and, hopefully, a great catch of links. Happy Fishing!