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Linkbait Analysis – The way to create content

Linkbait Analysis is a long-forgotten topic, and it is great recently that Joshua Hardwick has an insightful article about Linkbait in Ahrefs. VietMoz Education quickly contacted PersoTrans’s translators to support the translation of this article for VietMoz’s dear students.

Have you noticed that some pages on your website tend to attract links better than others?

Did you find out why this is happening? In the world of SEO, we call these pages “linkbait” (Linkbait Analysis).

In this article, I will discuss the following:

  • What is the bait link?
  • What makes a Linkbait Analysis ‘bait links’ piece successful (hint: there are five main principles);
  • How to find great examples of ‘bait links’ (and how you can easily get ideas);

Our favorite Linkbait Analysis ‘bait links’ snippets (plus special insights from link creators about what makes them successful).

Let’s start by going into detail about that definition.

What is “linkbait” (Linkbait Analysis)?

Linkbait Analysis – “Linkbait” is the content that is built specifically to attract links. This is such a wonderful, valuable and special thing that (if given the chance) every influential blogger / person can’t help but link to it. These links then help improve the site’s ranking on search engines.

It can be any kind of content but usually one of the following:

  • Information graphics;
  • Comprehensive instructions / resources (such as this thing);
  • Interactive content (such as computers, puzzles, etc.);
  • Photo / animation / video (s);
  • A specific side project (niche-specific) (more on this form later!).

Links not only increase the authority of your website, but also help the site to drive more organic search traffic. However, most of the “linkbait” passages also rank very well for many related phrases. This link brings a ton of traffic to the “linkbait” itself.

I currently have about 2k links from over 700 referring domains and rankings for 1,900+ keywords, helping to bring in about 74k organic hits per month (thanks to the “linkbait” itself!)

And these links also help promote the entire site, this site ranks for hundreds of keywords on many different sites.

But why does this site have so many links and why is it successful?

What makes an effective Linkbait Analysis paragraph?

If you have ever read the book “Contagious” by Jonah Berger, you might be familiar with the concept of “share triggers” (the psychology of sharing).

The same principles also lead people to link to the content.

Therefore, according to this book, people tend to share or link to things:

  1. Help them look better (or help to protect their thesis or story);
  2. Make them more emotional (for example, frustrating, frightened, happy or smiling, etc.);
  3. Immerse yourself in the story of “top of mind” (first brand awareness) and ongoing events (this is how “newsjacking” works);
  4. Provide useful value or utility (for example something useful, something useful as a reference for a specific topic, such as a research project);
  5. Has been shared or linked by many other people (yes … commoners.)

NerdFitness’s article follows many of these principles. The article is useful and a good reference source (# 4). The article is also entertaining (thanks to the custom image and crazy details in the post) and fascinates human emotions (# 2).

Because “linkbait” success often appeals to one or more of these principles, you will find that “linkbait” will at least be a detailed guide with customized illustrations or images in beautiful formats. and a special perspective (example above).

However, the most useful, it may be a “side project”, you will successfully create a small product to attract links. CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer is a good example on this topic.

Whatever your “linkbait”, you need to consider building some of the following “triggers” to ensure that the link bait will follow at least a few of the above principles.

Linkbait Analysis – Make sure the link gives real value or utility

Most people understand the concept of value completely; they consider individual attributes (for example, the length or the depth of content, word count, etc.) and consider it a measure of value.

These are important, but remember that values ​​are relative. Something that is valuable to one person but may not be valuable to another.

In the world of SEO or marketing, people often consider the value of case studies and other particularly detailed content.

However, if we look at backlink information for a popular design blog, Hongkiat.com, we can see that people who work in the design world value building, collecting and presenting content (curation) (for example, inspirational lists) is much higher.

Linkbait Analysis – “Linkbait” is about creating content that captures the value of your potential customers; no one is unrelated.

Additional note: If you are going to improve an existing piece of content, do not be afraid to make it better. That content needs to be raised to a new level to be more valuable.

That does not mean you have to make it longer or deeper. Value also exists in tackling a topic from a particular perspective and adding something special to the conversation.

For example, there are millions of posts about procrastination (there are actually 2.7 million) but this article by WaitButWhy.com addresses this topic from a completely new perspective (you will understand what I want to say when you read that article).

Make sure it is funny (or at least evoke a little emotion!)

If I told you the best jokes ever, would you keep it to yourself forever or would you guys tell all your friends?

Probably you will tell all your friends right?

People are proven to share the things that they find interesting.

In the real world, they share verbally (for example, telling a funny story to friends in pubs) but online, people share humor on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, own website them, etc.

Making something both topical and interesting will always be an effective way to get a ton of links. This fact is clearly illustrated by TheOatmeal.com.

Although some of these headlines may sound quite serious (for example, “how to use a semicolon”). If you view the actual content, you will find them hidden but refined humor.

If you do not like putting humor into your content (or simply you do not like it), try to hook other emotions like:

  • Fear;
  • Surprise;
  • Excited;
  • Upset;
  • V.v.

Linkbait Analysis – Create multiple images

Remember – to get someone to actually link to a piece of content – a four-step process must be followed:

  1. “Seeing” – the potential affiliate jumps in your  “linkbait” for the first time;
  2. “Consumption” – they click and consume content;
  3. “Enjoy” – they enjoy content very carefully and have a lasting impression in the mind;
  4. “Links” – they take bait links and links to content.

If your Linkbait Analysis does not have a lot of images, this process will be interrupted somewhere between “consumption” and “enjoyment” (for example, they never go where they intend to link).

The reason is because images help people consume content faster and easier, it increases the likelihood that a person will enjoy consuming that content and will eventually share or link to it.

So, if you are going to make a piece of content with no images (or even a standard blog post) to get tons of links, chances are that the content will create a great “linkbait” in that slap a little more.

For example, most of the pages that rank for “Photoshop shortcuts” are just standard posts. However, assuming that, almost all those pages also have a bunch of links.

If someone is going to create interactive and well-designed “linkbait” Linkbait Analysis on this topic, that bait link can drive the link crazy.

This is exactly what FastPrint did a few years ago when they created this interactive “shortcut map” for Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Currently this diagram has 200+ links from 80+ referring domains.

Being “topical”

If you want to link from major news sites, your content needs to integrate some topical elements.

I do not discuss in detail what those components are (there is a full list here if you are interested). However, I will mention a “strategy” that you can use to make almost everything topical: newsjacking.

Newsjacking is when you leverage news to enhance your brand message.

In other words, it is a smooth process of combining a topical story or topic with the purpose of your brand.

In 2014, there was a time when the movie The Walking Dead rocked our TV screens, MarketWatch stole the news with this genius article.

 That is not too sensational (basically just a list of 7 management tips), but journalists took bait links and drew 33 more links from 22 referring domains.

How to find great examples of ‘linkbait’ (and turn it into your own “linkbait” idea)

The easiest way to find great “linkbait” examples (which will help you get your own ideas) is to screen out what is successful with your competitors.

For example, let’s assume that you run a travel company, one of your biggest competitors is Thomson holidays (at least in the United Kingdom).

If you enter their domain name into Ahrefs Site Explorer and then view their most linked pages (note: you can do this by selecting the “best by links” option in the “Pages” submenu at on the left of the page), you will see this page.

This is a surprising piece of content with 650+ referring domains. However, to be honest, it is quite difficult to take this piece of content to a whole new level.

If that is the case, try searching again; it would be useless to compete with something perfect like this.

I did the same steps as above with another settlement competitor (smartertravel.com) and I found this.

This page basically introduces hidden costs (for example, luggage, food, etc.) to some airlines.

Great idea, but unfortunately, it is just a standard article (remember what I said about articles that are rarely “linkbait”?) With a link to a bad PDF file. It also looks outdated.

If you are going to take this article to a whole new level and turn into a “linkbait” paragraph, the article is likely to attract a lot of links.

You can do this by:

  • More airlines;
  • Updated articles;
  • Improved format or design (perhaps a “standard” graphic would be more efficient?);
  • Improved writing content (slightly sketchy).

But what if there are not enough examples of ‘linkbait’ in your field; what is the process then? It is very simple; you can find inspiration from other fields.

For example, this is one of my favorite interactive graphics about infographic

This article has 11,400+ backlinks from 1,170+ RD and it is easy to see how to convert this concept into another field.

Here are a few suggestions or ideas:

  • 13 reasons your brain craves pizza (if you run a food blog);
  • 13 reasons your brain craves for carbohydrates (if you run a health facility);
  • 13 reasons your brain craves for adventure (if you run a travel / adventure services company);
  • 13 reasons SEOs crave links (if you run a SEO blog).

However, although it may still be inspired by random, completely unrelated “linkbait” passages, it is often advisable to get ideas from relevant areas.

If we stick to the example of travel or vacation, this can be done easily by taking inspiration from areas like, “adventure”, “food or cuisine”, “sightseeing ”, etc. (for example, areas related to the reason (s) people actually travel).

It would then be the case to find a highly linked “linkbait” in these somewhat relevant areas.

I find that finding infographic is often a good way to get an effective ‘linkbait’ concept because the infographic will likely attract many links.

Images are the best place to start your search; just select your category and sort the results by favorite. This arrangement will show the most popular content first and that content is likely to have a bunch of links.

It does not take too long to come up with great ideas here.

For example, see the first infographic (it is the “beer world”) with 110,000 views and 280+ likes. There are also 240+ links from 59 referring domains.

Here are some travel link ideas that I thought of when I saw this graphic:

  • An infographic drawing each of the country’s favorite beers on a map;
  • An independent “guide for beer lovers [INSERT LOCATION HERE]” (can be easily replicated for many other countries or localities, each map can attract tons of links!);
  • An interactive segment with the name, “beer history” (similar to the Thomson I mentioned in this article before).

I searched Google a bit and got these ideas and found this.

 If you include this article in Site Explorer, you may find that it has links from 300+ referring domains.

Additional note: These ideas form and are thought to find ideas in minutes. If you are going to spend an hour or two searching visual.ly or sifting through rival sites, I believe you can easily find hundreds of great “linkbait” ideas.

How to promote your Linkbait Analysis

“If you have the merit to build something, that thing will come to you” (If you build it, they will come) is an approach, unfortunately, it is rarely true for “linkbait” (or any other form of content).

Why? Because if potential linkers never really interpolate your content, how can they link to it? (think about “watch”, “consume”, “enjoy”, “link” graphics above)

Here is a 3-step promotion for your next “linkbait” in Linkbait Analysis segment:

Tell your existing potential customers about the bait link (eg “your own means”)

If you have subscribed to Ahrefs blog, you will know that when we post new content, we will notify you (and 50k + other marketers).

We also posted tweets from our official @ahrefs Twitter account and shared them on Facebook.

Both are our own distribution channels and have two benefits from this:

  • These accounts are free (or at least extremely cheap);
  • It only takes a few minutes to share content through these channels.

Below is a quick win tip when promoting Linkbait Analysis.

Additional note: If you do not have your own extremely potential customers right now, try partnering with someone who already has one. Similar to what Klientboost recently did when working with us to introduce this infographic.

Pay to get in touch with your potential customers (it means “paid media”)

Let’s imagine that you are trying to promote this link, which is called: The World’s Longest Invoice (The longest bill in the world).

With paid media platforms (such as Facebook ads), you can easily target those who are able to enjoy content, for example the following:

  • Freelance workers;
  • Living in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, etc. (English speakers);
  • Administration of Facebook Page (this is an appropriate indicator they have on their website and may have the right to link).

But that is not all about advertising; you also need to consider about:

  • Sponsored posts;
  • Paid promotion (for example, paying an “influencer” to post to Twitter your content from their account);
  • Content discovery networks (for example, Taboola, Quuu, Outbrain, etc.).

Outreach (such as “earn media”)

If you are new to outreach, it basically includes targeting people who may be interested in your content and letting them know about its existence.

The purpose of this idea is that, if they like it, they can link to it (or at least share it).

I will not discuss the complex aspects of the approach process in this article because there have been many guides to solve this problem already (refer here).

However, I will mention one important point: if your goal is to build links, your prospect customers must be the people with the power to link.

That does not necessarily mean that they have to have their own website or blog but they need to be active on the blog space. For example, they have to at least join the blog somewhere, even as if it was a blog. It is a category from another site.

6 classic examples of linkbait (and why these bait links work)

OK, before I wrap up this section, I want to share 6 of my favorite “linkbait” passages, each of which has attracted a ton of links, shares and attention.

I also reach out to the people who created those links and asked “what do you think has helped your link succeed or become popular?”

I present their answers below.

“13 reasons your brain craves for infographic” (11,400+ links from 1,170+ referring domains)

 “I think timing plays an important role here; we posted it when infographic was still a topic that caught a lot of attention in 2013. I think the interactive format also contributes to success – many people do not watch it at all but later they come back and like it.

I also make sure we only use scientific research to support each point because most of our other staff out there have a lot of fake science and opinions.

And the fact that we have made so much publicity has also contributed positively to the success!”

Danny Ashton, Founder, NeoMam Studios

“Inception Explained” (997 links from 447 referring domains)

“I think the link was successful because it conveyed a topic of interest to people in a new way that could make people excited.

The site has exploited a movie that millions of people know and love, but most of them do not – you just have to check the Google search trend for ‘Inception explained’ and so on to understand the need for a brief explanation.

I also used the parallax scrolling effect, a very new technique at that time. I think this is the result of applying that technique in the most sophisticated way, so it has resonated greatly in the technology or design community ”

Matt Dempsey, Author of the site, Inception-Explained.com

“The Blogging Food Groups: A Well-Balanced Diet of Content” (327 links from 91 referring domains)

 “Image composition makes the article a compelling piece of visual content (out of the traditional visual design of many infographics), accurate, clear and easy to implement data. with bloggers and marketers, and it’s a green theme that goes through the test of time.

Initially we also received positive pick-ups, allowing for simultaneous display and continued to spread and receive over time.”

Brian Wolford, Marketing Manager, Column Five Media

“Distance to Mars” (6,570 links from 1,270 referring domains)

 “The real success is due in part to the timing and a lot of luck!

I noticed that there was a lot of talk about the Redemption program at the time and people yearned to know more. There were dozens of websites before that and they were all the same (my inspiration was Eames’s Powers of Ten movie). Maybe it was just a lucky occasion because on the day the movie was released, it was also the day that everyone wanted to see that movie.

I also think that concept has an appeal to a specific part of the brain dedicated to a vague form of curiosity. I mean, how far is Mars? That is not useful knowledge, so people really want to learn about it, but knowing that information will help improve the knowledge, so people visit the site and find out, they want to spread that feeling to others. “

David Paliwoda, Co-author, DistanceToMars.com

“How a Car Engine Works” (Principle of operation of a car engine) (429 links from 177 referring domains)

Personally, I think there are four main reasons why that content is successful:

  • The content of that article is “forever green”: The content of that article will remain relevant for a very long time.
  • Articles with a completely new format: The article has the format of a medium no one has done before, helping to learn very quickly. The article combines animation and text, but no video. The video needs to have audio and it takes time to explain some information, a speaker or headset, etc. The process of learning can be entangled or somewhat ineffective. With Animagraffs, text is available if you want to read or learn what the word is about, right now.
  • Meticulously designed: Large, bold animations that grab your attention first, then support the images, and then the fine print of a particular spot to attract your interest. The article is engaging for all ages and levels of interest and intelligence.
  • We do not make fake articles: We do not retain “smart, boring” things. We designed the most fastidious crowd first. For example, if they were to impress automatic mechanical machines, we would have succeeded. Do not sacrifice quality in return for cheap views. This is different from many marketing activities that focus only on the external first and then the inside. No one would recommend trying to make friends by pretending to like what others like … why do marketing in this way? It is better to take the initiative with real and quality work, regardless of the temptation that may cause you to reverse this process to quickly make money.

Jacob O’Neal, CEO, AnimaGraffs.com

Web Browsers and Resolutions (97 links from 45 referring domains)

 “I believe the marketing team has studied the failures of others and came up with a topic – in my opinion, the relevant topic is as important as the content.

We also recognize that without a thorough study of the solution and a concise conclusion, the result will be a brief piece of content. We have therefore decided that the content is not only about problems but also solutions. And because this was a scrawl, we decided to focus primarily on statistics.

Content marketing is a difficult problem and our team has solved it very well.

Basically, I think success is due to a combination of the following four factors:

  1. Find an area that often fails and focus on that area when building your topic;
  2. Statistical data must be standard;
  3. Aggregate and put that statistical data into an interactive masterpiece design (not boring) — this design is appealing and pleasing to potential customers;
  4. Market your design work well and send the message to the right audience.”

David Paliwoda, Co-author, DistanceToMars.com

OK, now it is time to sum up everything!

Linkbait Analysis is not just about creating something special or visually appealing.

For successful bait linking (i.e., getting lots of links), you will need to combine well-built content, a specific set of leads (this must have the right to link to you), and a well implemented marketing plan.

It does not make sense to create the best piece of content in the world, but you will not get any links if no one knows the existence of that link.

Reference details: professional SEO course

Source: Ahrefs

Author: Joshua Hardwick

Translated by: PersoTrans

Edited by VietMoz Education

Linkbait Analysis – The way to create content

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