How To Use Goverment Website Information To Create Sticky Link Bait

If  you have a tiny marketing budget but need big links, this sticky link bait tactic might be for you!

A recent report from the Pew Research Center found 61% of all American adults (or 205 million people)  look for or completed a transaction on a government website in 2009. This information alone is impressive, but what made the report priceless from a link building standpoint was the breakdown of what people were looking for.

As I read through the report, I realized the information had potential to be used to create a great piece of  sticky link bait. I say “sticky”  because the content in the report not only provided useful  information, it also provided the kind of information  people would return to over and over. While  “regular” link bait is written to attract one-time links, “sticky” link bait does the same plus keeps them coming back for more.

Here’s a sampling of what the report found:

• 48% of Internet users have looked for information about a public policy or issue online with their local, state or federal government
• 46% have looked up what services a government agency provides
• 41% have downloaded government forms
• 30% have gotten recreational or tourist information from a government agency
• 25% have gotten advice/information from a government agency about a health/safety issue
• 19% have gotten information about how to apply for a government job
• 11% have applied for a recreational license, such as a fishing or hunting license

This is great information because it’s very specific and outlines in detail what people are looking for. When you know what people want, you can create content they’ll visit and link to. For example, if you owned a site selling office furniture and knew a large number of people were looking for information about a “federal public policy,” you could create content and link resources such as:

• How to Depreciate Office Furniture
• What The IRS Say about Business Use of Your Home
• Tips for Year-End Donations of Office Equipment
• ADA Guide for Small Business – Fixed Seating

Once you have a sizable resource center on your site, half the work is done. The other half  lies in the promotion of what you’ve created. Send a note to your customer base and announce the resource, gently recommend they link to it. Issue a press release, focus on promoting your resource as the premier location for governmental policies in your industry. Drop the articles in social media outlets like Digg and Reddit, bookmark the information on Delicious and encourage your customer base to do the same. Offer article excerpts to bloggers and industry newsletters, keep plugging away.

Become the source and the links will come.