Linkbait Articles & Is It Linkbait Or Link Bait?

Eric Ward mentioned link baiting in his
Link Week column
this week, which first got me
thinking, is it better to say linkbait or link bait? To answer, I did some
searches, which in turn brought up some good articles on the topic. And now
another good one has come out from Todd Malicoat. So here’s a rundown on a few
linkbait articles
and the “to linkbait” or “to link bait” decision I had to make.

The Art of Linkbaiting from
Nick Wilson dates from back November 2005 and continues to stand up as a
great read. In particular, Nick talks of needing a hook for your bait. Remember,
it’s like fishing. You want to pull those links in. Some fish like particular
bait. Links, to be baited, like particular hooks. OK, the metaphor is all
confused, but roll with it. Nick covers hooks like being a great resource,
providing news, being contrary to everyone else, attacking someone and being
funny. POSTSCRIPT: See also Nick’s updated 2007 Guide To Linkbaiting: The Year Of Widgetbait?

SEO Advice: linkbait and linkbaiting
from Google’s Matt Cutts in January 2006 offers three examples (I got to be one
of them) on how to bait for links through being an original resource, being creative or
being controversial.

Linkbaiting or Link
Baiting? from Aaron Wall in December 2006 shares a variety of nice tips on
targeting particular communities, controlling the message, having magnetic
headlines, tapping into the “me me me” factor of others and more. Aaron also
makes me laugh because like me, he’s clearly struggling with the “linkbait or
link bait” question and goes with both in the headline for no other reason than I can
see than to target both terms!

The Link
Baiting Playbook: Hooks Revisited from Todd Malicoat came out this week. He
picks up from Nick’s original hooks back in 2005 and adds some more, such as the
“ego hook” and the “incentive hook.” He also covers the importance of titles —
a great story title can make or break your bait.

Now back to the “is it linkbait or link bait” question. First I tried a
count of matches on Google:

• linkbait:
  255,000 matches
• link
  bait: 148,000 matches

So far, one word wins. Next I tried checking the Google
AdWords Keyword Tool but came away with no volume for either. That sent me
to the Yahoo keyword tool. And the
count says:

• linkbait, 124 searches in December 2006
• link bait, 120 searches in December 2006

Linkbait, one word, hanging in the lead!

Now both Nick and Matt go with one word, and since Nick seems to have coined
it, I’m coming down on the one word side as well.

Finally, I leave you with this funny thing from Google, from when I searched
on linkbait:

See! Google doesn’t want you to linkbait. They want you to link a bit!
Seriously, Google’s got no problem with linkbaiting.
Stop The Freak Out Over
Linking from me last month explains more about that.

About The Author

Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land, Marketing Land, MarTech Today and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.