How to Increase Your Blog’s Traffic with Link Bait Articles

I was supposed to write this post on Friday, but alas, got buried under some work. I’m still buried, but the weekend gave me some breathing room. Sorry for the lateness, here’s the post.

What is Link Bait?

If you’re not a techie, you may be wondering what the heck link bait is.

Link bait is content created for the specific purpose of driving traffic to your site. “But,” you may be thinking, “isn’t that the goal of all content?” Yes, it is. However, when most of us write, we write to update, inform and/or “because it’s time to update my site,” etc. We don’t write with a defined traffic-building plan in mind.

As explained in the article What is Link Bait and How Can It Help Me? “Specifically, linkbait is used to attract visitors to your website whether through interest, anger or knowledge seeking. Linkbait is content that is specially written to either educate, entertain or inflame your readership and prospective readers. These articles create buzz, and the buzz spreads virally from site to site in the form of links and comments that others make about what is written on your site.”

Now that you have an understanding of what link bait articles are, I’ll tell you a little technique I sometimes use to increase traffic to my blog and website.

Use the news!

How to Use the Media to Create Link Bait Articles

I wrote the link bait article, Avoid High Gas Prices: 3 Easy-to-Start, Online Work-from-Home Careers, after watching the news one morning. Why?

Every morning when I get up, I turn on CNN while preparing breakfast. I usually watch for at least half an hour before I start my day. What’s been in the news a lot lately – the price of gas. In fact, I swear for like three days straight, I turned on at the exact moment the announcer was saying something to the effect of, “Gas prices have hit another record high. For the sixth day in a row, gas prices have hit new highs . . . “

One morning – before I even had coffee mind you – the article idea above came to me. I was standing sleepily by the coffeemaker trying to decide if I had enough time to run upstairs and brush my teeth before the coffee finished brewing and the idea came to me in a flash. I quickly sat down and fired it off (I brushed my teeth after I’d finished the article and had my coffee ).

This article makes good link bait copy because it capitalizes on a hot topic that is already in the news. This means it’s already getting good search engine traffic. Taking a hot topic and making it relevant to your niche can increase your website’s traffic easily.

Why Link Bait Content is Good SEO Practice

And not for nothing, this is what writing SEO (search engine optimization) content is all about, ie, creating content that drives traffic to your site. Using the media to create link bait articles is a simple marketing technique anyone can use to drive more traffic to a website or blog. And, it’s free!

Here’s another link bait article I did, just so you can get your juices flowing: Why a Recession is a Great Time to Start a Freelance Writing Career. Does it get your “link bait” wheels turning?

To read more on link bait, click here.

Article Marketing Contest Update: I didn't post to any directories on Thursday or Friday. I posted the article, Freelance Writers: Why SEO Content Development is the Next "Hot" Thing in Freelance Writing to IdeaMarketers last night (so I made up for one day). Want to know more about article marketing? Click here.

Useful Freelance Writing Links
Get "How to Write from Home" Ebooks
Need to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Get Affordable Content for Your Website, Ezine, Etc.
Advice, Tips, Case Studies & More on Freelance Writing

Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career Newsletter
P.S.: Want the liberty of working from home as a freelance writer in your PJs, getting assignments via the internet? Click here for more on How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. All you need is a computer and an internet connection to get started.
***********************************************
Freelance Success Stories! There are freelancers who make very good livings at what they love. Inkwell Editorial’s newsletter features these successful professionals who put to rest the phrase, “starving freelancer.”

Previous Issue. Spotlight on How to Make $75,000 to $100,000/Year as an SEO Writer. In this issue, I dispense the 8 keys to my success as an SEO writer. There are some definites that must gel to find success in this field. I outline them all here. And of course, it’s based on my own personal experience. Subscribe to read this, and all previous, issues.

Current Issue. Spotlight on Newbie Freelancers. Wanna learn how one freelancer landed enough clients to quit his job in just 12 hours! And, there's also some blog warning tips if you're looking to move your blog from one platform to another -- and more. Subscribe to read this, and all previous, issues.
***********************************************
Copyright © 2008 InkwellEditorial.com: Freelance success stories, e-courses, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Except where noted, no part of this site may be reproduced in any manner without the express, written consent of the publisher. Violators will be prosecuted.