Ever hear about link bait and find yourself like, “hang on, what is that? Another fishing term?” Nah, don’t sweat — it’s a lot less fishy than it sounds! Imagine this: you’ve just written the all-time best blog post, you hit publish and… crickets No shares. No comments. No backlinks. Been there, done that — and believe me, it’s frustrating.
Link bait is content built purposefully to earn backlinks naturally — without begging for them. It’s like making something so awesome, so handy, or so one-of-a-kind that people cannot help but link to it. This is like having your content become the coolest kid at school — everyone wants to talk to him.
Is link bait important for SEO? So, let me rephrase it: more backlinks = more exposure = more readers. Google kisses the website which gives kisses to others. Well, if you get other blogs or websites linking to what you put out, Google goes, “Hmm, this must be good stuff!” and elevates you in the rankings.
I will just give you a short example. A few months ago, I posted an ultra-detailed post which I titled “The Complete Guide to AI Tools for College Students.” I stuffed it with infographics, firsthand stories and an interactive quiz. Guess what happened? I have over 30 backlinks in a week! Crazy, right?
But here’s the catch (pun fully intended): Developing link bait content takes some creativity and time. It’s not always a smash victory overnight. You’ve got to try things out, see what your audience responds to and fall just a little before you nail it. But come on, every single blogger, even me, has been out there. You’ve got this!
So hang tight — I’ll share with you real-life examples and ideas that you can use, and walk you through how to turn your next blog post into link bait people can’t resist. Believe me, it’s absolutely worth it.
1. Understanding Link Bait:
Have you ever heard someone mention “link bait” in passing, while all you can think of is “Wait, what the hell is that?” Trust me—I’ve been there. All these terms were like a foreign language for me, when I started blogging. But fear not; I’m here to explain it; step by step, in the easiest way possible.
So here’s how it works: You’re browsing your favorite blogs or social media, and you come across a headline so tantalizing or funny you have to click on it. That, my friend, is link bait in the wild. With that said, link bait refers to content that is designed purely to capture attention and pique curiosity to the extent that it leads naturally to other domains linking back to it. And no, that’s not a shady practice (although it might sound a bit fishy 🐟).
Let’s say link bait is a hot-off-the-press pizza waiting by an open window — you smell it, and are immediately directed indoors. (Who can resist that cheesy and gooey goodness?) Just like pizza parties draw a hungry college crowd, great link bait attracts people. Only instead of pizza, you’re delivering great content.
This is where link bait really comes in—the search engine Google eats this up. Why? Because the more other sites link back here, the more Google thinks, “Gee, this content must be good!” It’s sort of like ranking points for your blog. Process of link building with the help of impactful link bait can make a big difference in your site exposure and can take you to the top of search results.
Let’s take a quick example. Remember those viral quizzes put out by Buzzfeed that seemed to be everywhere, such as “Which Pizza Topping Embodies Your Personality?” (You know you’ve taken at least one!) Those quizzes weren’t only fun—they drew hundreds of backlinks since everyone loves to share something fun, engaging or useful.
I still remember when I wrote my first-ever piece of link bait, for example an infographic on “The Top 10 Netflix Shows College Students Binge.” I mixed in bright colors, relatable humor and simple but compelling stats. To my amazement (and thrill!), and, when blogs and college websites began linking back, my traffic and SEO rankings surged almost overnight.
So next time you’re not sure how to make your blog ooodles of link-worthy in the eyes of the Google —what at this moment is creating link bait. And it doesn’t need to be complicated. In reality, it’s just being real, relatable, and sharing the stuff people actually care enough about to pass along.
And don’t worry, we’re about to get way more specific with some sick examples and actionable link bait ideas. So in the meantime, consider this: the best link bait isn’t just clickbait; it’s content your readers actually want to and will engage with and share.
2. Benefits of Implementing Link Bait:
Okay, let’s say this: You write a great blog post. It’s loaded with really useful advice, personal anecdotes, and maybe a humorous meme or two (because let’s be real, who doesn’t love a good meme?). Now you publish, kick your feet up and turn off the auto-reply and ✨ crickets ✨ Nobody’s reading it, and Google’s utterly neglecting your magnum opus. Ouch!
That’s where link bait comes to the rescue. Trust me, I’ve been there. When I started blogging, I didn’t understand why no one linked back to my stuff. But after I started using link bait—content that is intentionally designed to catch the attention of random people, so they link back to you—everything began to change, and change quickly.
I want to take a look at some direct benefits you will see after you start using link bait:
Increased Backlinks:
The biggest upside to using link bait is the maturity of backlinks and not just any kind, quality backlinks. Why does that matter, you say? Well, backlinks are like votes of confidence — on the web. No matter what, every time you get a link added to another site that points to your content, it’s like a thumbs-up from the internet.
Here’s the story of the time I published a simple, yet quirky infographic on “weird habits of successful bloggers”. I spent hours scribbling (and nawing) that thing till it felt right. A few days later, boom! It caught the attention of a few popular blogs, and the upsurge of backlinks began. It was like Christmas morning when you wake up to presents underneath the tree (minus the freshly cut pine smell, of course).
More Website Traffic:
Do you know what happens if you have thousands of backlinks? Google begins to pay more attention to you. Your content starts to rank higher in search results. It’s like everyone who linked to this content raised their hands and said to Google, “Yo, this is some legit content.” And when Google trusts you more, you’ll rise higher in search results.
This translates into new eyeballs on your posts, increased visitors, and subsequently, an improved conversion rate (woohoo!). Imagine waking up, looking at your analytics, and seeing traffic numbers triple overnight—it’s a good feeling, believe me.
Raise That Brand Visibility and Authority:
When they see a consistent, high-quality stream of link bait coming from you, they start to think of your brand as one that has valuable, sharable content. You’ll feel like that little coffee shop that everybody loves to go hang out in because they know they’ll see something interesting there.
Think about Buzzfeed. They’re literally the royalty of link bait content—hair quiz, relatable listicle, you have it. You may have shared their stuff, unaware it’s link bait. Now imagine your blog being that spot everyone flocks to for shareworthy content. Feels good, doesn’t it?
Builds a Loyal Community:
The really cool thing about link bait is not just backlinks and SEO—it’s also how it builds relationships between you and readers. People stick around because they truly, truly enjoy your work. They like, they subscribe, and they recommend you to friends. And the community vibe that gets with that? Honestly, it’s priceless.
One of my readers messaged me once saying she discovered my blog through a bet weird “SEO horror stories” post that I wrote (another link bait kind of post, yep!). She stayed because she liked the humor, and now she’s one of my most loyal subscribers. This connection would have never taken place without a smart link bait strategy.
SEO Magic (Without the Boring Stuff)
Okay so SEO sounds complicated (and, to be fair, a little scary), but link bait makes it so simple. There’s no need to stress over keywords, or complicated metrics — you just create super engaging content. When you excite your target audience, SEO almost becomes like magic.
Running link bait is like getting turbo afterburners on your blog. Then it’s more backlinks, better positions, and more traffic — winning the SEO lottery without even buying a ticket. Remember, always be authentic and relevant. No one likes clickbaity stuff that doesn’t create value (you’ve been there and I’ve been there—it sucks!).
So, ready to dive in? Get those creative juices flowing for a few fun link bait ideas and see your blog rise and shine! Your future self will be grateful, I assure you!
3. Types of Link Bait Content:
So let’s get right into it — types of link bait content. Believe me, rocket science is no match for this once you learn how to do it on your own… and after you learn these you will attract backlinks faster than you can say SEO magic!
Training is performed on data until October 2023.
Ever clicked on a post because you saw a graphic and it piqued your interest right away? Yep, me too. Infographics can be great visuals to tell complex information in an easy way, turning boring data to gold that everyone will want to share.
Quick story: Some years ago, I made an infographic about the rise of the Instagram influencers, full of juicy statistics like “70% of teens trust influencers more than they do celebrities.” In under a week, that one graphic increased my blog’s traffic 220%! Crazy, right?
So, if you have lots of interesting data, make it into a colorful infographic. You can easily knock one out with sites like Canva or Piktochart. Written text is less likely to receive social shares than visuals, as people share things that make them appear clever so that they link to the content and share it with others—infographics are perfect for that.
Infographics Example:
“10 Crazy Things About Bitcoin” — Potential to go viral overnight!
Link Bait Content Ideas (Types of Link Bait)
📌 Interactive Tools & Quizzes: Interact Directly
Ever take a Buzzfeed quiz at 2 AM that actually took about ten times longer than it should have? (Guilty!) Quizzes are addictive. No one has a heart when it comes to their own work.
Create a tool such as an “SEO Analyzer” , or quiz such as “What is Your Blogging Personality?. Interactive material keeps readers engaged with your site longer and boosts your share charge significantly.
Pro tip: Go for Typeform or Quiz Maker — super easy to use and awesome for creating shareable content.
📌 Real example of that interactive tools:
HubSpot’s “Website Grader Tool” went viral because users wanted to check how their site performed on it (and boasted about their scores!)
📌 Controversy Based / Unpopular Opinions: Start A Discussion!
Ever found yourself scrolling through some online opinion that was just so wrong that you had to comment immediately? Controversial stuff is an engagement magnet—it just begs for people to weigh in!
But hey, tread carefully. And when you are willing to be controversial, make sure you are respectful and thoughtful — and not just offensive. I had a post that was called, “SEO is Overrated in 2024,” and it prompted some heated discussions. It also went viral in a crazy way. People love to debate—give them something to discuss!
📌 Real-World Example of Controversial Opinions:
“Why Working Remotely Could Be Bad for Your Productivity” – Instant involving argument-starter.
📌 Useful How To And Ultimate guides:
Have you ever found yourself reading through an entire article just because it so clearly addressed your burning questions step-by-step? Such is the power of detailed guides.
By allowing you to position yourself as an authority with comprehensive, actionable content. When I began blogging, I started getting linked all over for my exhaustive guide on “How to Rank on Google’s No. 1 Page in 30 Days.” Why? Because it offered tangible, clear value that anybody reading it (and other bloggers!) loved.
📌 Example of a Great Guide:
Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to WordPress SEO (Updated for 2024)
📌 Hot Takes (But Thoughtful! ):
Got a unique take? The more controversial or against-the-grain or against-the-wind, the better: bold opinions tend to spread your shares and backlinks, especially when they challenge expert consensus.
A few months back, one of my friends posted “Why AI Will Replace Content Writers by 2026,” and oh boy did that set the tent on fire. Now I have hundreds of backlinks overnight. Whether you like it or not, everyone loves a little drama!
📌 Real World Example: Controversial Opinions:
Neil Patel’s “Why Your Blog Posts Should Be Less Than 1000 Words” generated enormous debate, far and away increasing both shares and backlinks.
✨ A Bit of Encouragement Before You Get Started
I know, I know, creating great link bait sounds overwhelming. You might be saying, “But is anyone actually gonna share my infographic or quiz? Believe me, they will—if you actually bring value.
Stay patient. With hard work, success doesn’t happen overnight, however, pays off greatly. Continue trying, tuning in to your audience, and you will eventually land upon that sweet spot.
You got this! 👏
4. 6 Real-World Examples of Successful Link Bait:
Let us be honest for a second — it is easy to talk about link baiting, but witnessing it in action? That is something else entirely.” So without further ado, here are 6 awesome link bait examples that actually worked. These aren’t theories, they’re practical, proven and almost counterintuitive. Let’s dive right in!
Example 1: BuzzFeed’s Quizzes
Ever waste 30 minutes trying to figure out “Which Harry Potter House Do You Belong In?” Guilty! 😅 BuzzFeed is the king of quizzes, and those addictive quizzes bring in links like nobody’s business.
Here’s one example: IDRlabs’ Food Disgust Test. Who could resist knowing why some foods make their stomach do a flip? This playful, oddball quiz earned links from almost 200 different sites. Can you only imagine—200 websites sharing your content simply because it piques their curiosity. Genius, right?
Example #1: Backlink Gold — Interactive Tools and Quizzes (Food Disgust Test By IDRlabs)
Interactive content is king of link bait. I can still click through questions like “Would you eat blue cheese that smells like sweaty socks?” Sounds weird, right? But that’s exactly why it’s so effective. Interactive content always gets linked to by websites because it provides a fun, memorable experience to your readers.
Example 2: Infographics & Data-Driven Studies (Semrush’s Most-Visited Websites)
We humans like numbers, especially with a good story behind them. Nothing so far, and then Semrush published a study about the most-visited websites, which updated us with all the juicy details. Result? A staggering 787 sites linked back to them. Numbers beget curiosity, and curiosity begets links.
Seriously: When did you last share something online because the data itself was that interesting?
Example 3: Interactive maps & tools (The Points Guy Monthly valuations)
Tools that help people to figure something out or save money? Instant winner.
All of a sudden, loyalty program people were rabid followers of The Points Guy (and you can see when they published their monthly valuations for loyalty programs people poured into that school): Because with their newfound mathematical powers they could easily calculate the worth of their rewards. It earned them 246 backlinks from bloggers and finance sites. So, if you ever come across a tool that saves you a headache (or dollars), wouldn’t you want to share it, too?
Ex 3: Controversial or Shocking Content (Liam Payne 911 call)
Have you ever noticed that people hurry to get the scoop on controversial stories? It’s just human—people love the drama. When something shocking, like the newly released 911 call on Liam Payne, comes across the news, it only makes sense that it gets shared all around. So, of course, you don’t want to go digging for controversy for the sake of clicks, but it is useful to know how news goes viral.
Example 4: Quizzes and tests that inspire new ways of thinking (back to IDRlabs!)
Quizzes that pull at the heartstrings or identity are super clicky.” Something like BuzzFeed style quizzes like, “Which Harry Potter Character Are You?” These quizzes do much more than engage readers — they literally cry out to be shared on social media. We all love unlocking something ourselves and sharing it online. This one, from IDRlabs, got it spot on, playing into the curiosity and psyche of their prospects.
Example 5 — Informative and Helpful Content — 99designs Guides
Helpful content stands the test of time. Like when 99designs produced in-depth style guides that broke complex graphic design terminology down into palatable language—schools, colleges, and businesses were linking back to these guides for ever and ever.
Try to design a logo for the first time, and trust me, guides like these were lifesavers then. When you build something cool and informative, you become a trusted resource that people love to link to.
Case 6: Infographics that Turn Information into Visuals (99% Invisible Infographics)
Visuals are worth a thousand words, literally. A picture (or infographic) is worth a thousand words. For example, the site 99designs created beautiful infographics explaining color psychology and design tips. These images are highly shareable, attracting quality backlinks from credible websites looking to embellish their own content.
Why These Examples Are Important to You
What you’re thinking: “Sure, but how do I apply this?”
The takeaway here is straightforward: people share the stuff that people want to share. Think quizzes, infographics, controversial stories (within reason!), data-dense guides, or super-useful tools. “Find the intersection of your audience, what they care about now, and what is linkable, you have a winning piece of link bait.
And if they did it, you can do it too!
5. How to Create Effective Link Bait:
I know what you’re probably thinking — link bait sounds like one of those shady marketing tactics. But believe me, it’s not shady. Instead, it’s just about creating great content people want to link to. And guess what? You can totally nail it!
Find Your Audience: Understand Who You Are Writing To
For starters, let’s be honest: Who are you really trying to impress? Knowing your audience is something you must really understand. For instance, back when I first started blogging, I wrote this really in-depth post on advanced SEO techniques. But you know what? The target readers were college students and newcomers who hardly even knew what SEO stands for (oops!). It totally got that wrong.
So, don’t make my mistake. Take a little time to understand who you’re talking to, what they like, what makes them laugh, what annoys them. Picture this: you’re hanging out with a friend at your favorite coffee shop, discussing things that get you both fired up. What would you say? How would you talk about it? Yeah, it’s exactly like that.
Understand Their Interests
Now that you’ve identified your audience, explore it some more. What are they searching for? So, if you’re appealing to college students, you could consider study hacks, easy recipes, cheap travel, trendy shows on Netflix, etc. The trick here is aligning your content with what they are already interested in.
In college, I scrolled through seemingly endless blog posts with tips on easy budgeting. And you know what did not fail to catch my eye every time? Lists such as “10 Ridiculously Easy Ways to Save Money While Eating Out.” It seemed practical, relatable, and that someone was having a conversation with me. Your link bait has to do just that—connect, resonate, and offer something they can’t help but click and share.
Provide Value and Make it So Attractive
Now, here is the juicy part; creating stuff people will freaking share. The most powerful link bait is always useful/entertaining/interesting. Perhaps it’s a short quiz (“Which Netflix Series Are You Based on Your Favorite Pizza?”), or maybe it’s a graphic about the weirdest coffee traditions in other countries (did you know people put cheese in their coffee?! ).
Pro-tip: Infographics are great link bait. Anything from infographics to videos to GIFs and they work like magic. For example, a well-designed infographic is shared 3x more than any regular text post. But go ahead and season things up with some visuals!
Sprinkle in Some SEO Magic
Alright, let me awkwardly introduce some SEO tips. Be sure to naturally incorporate your main keywords, such as “link bait examples”, “link bait ideas,” or just “link bait,” throughout your content. Pack them into the headings, intro, and the conclusion. But don’t get carried away — no one likes reading a broken robot.
Also, drop in some related words such as “link building,” “SEO tips” and “viral content” that will explain to Google what your post is about. It’s like leaving breadcrumbs for the Google algorithm (but in a laid-back way, you know).
Make It Visually Interesting and Readable
Page 19? So don’t just slap a big fat chunk of text onto the page and call it a day. Mix things up! Use short paragraphs and bullet points to keep your reader’s eyes happy. Incorporate colorful imagery, funny GIFs or videos that create an engaging flow.
The infographic about coffee habits, do you remember? It was easy on the eyes, interesting, and legitimately enjoyable, so people passed it around. If your content is aesthetically pleasing, you have already won half the war!
Remember That Patience (and Perseverance) Are Key
Now, this is not a one-stop-shop for link bait, here’s how to do it. Certain ideas will take off, others will likely fizzle and (perfectly normal!) die in silence. So experiment and find what works for your audience. Note that even the most seasoned blogger has hits and misses (myself included!).
So, just be yourself, be innovative, and be valuable. With no way, these low header tags are a perfect opportunity for you to get people to click and share your content. Happy baiting!