21 Keys to Link Bait Success

1. Don’t Self-Indulge
Although it may be tempting to place other advertisements on your home page and other high-traffic areas – DON’T. Avoid the temptation, and it will undoubtedly make your site more link-worthy.

2. The Value of Popularity Didn’t Die in High School
A recurring suggestion found everywhere is to become genuine friends with influential and well-respected people in your niche – links from them are always beneficial.

You then have the opportunity to pick each others minds and eventually link to one another.

3. Become a Blogging Aficionado
Post quality content frequently and consistently. This is how you develop a following.

Make certain that your posts vary in length and the content in the extensive articles merit the time it takes to read them.

Problogger offers some great tips on building blog authority.

Keep in mind that blogging is not a free for all opportunity to write and do what you want… if you want to remain respected. There are in fact deadly sins of blogging that you must be aware of.

4. Know the Tough Stuff
Aaron Wall from SEObook reminds us that…
“the harder it is to find a piece of information, the easier it is to grab a chunk of the market if you provide a quality answer to that associated problem.”

Do everything you can to be informed and ensure you have all the answers to the ultimate questions facing the industry.

5. Be a Social Butterfly
Subscribe to various social networking sites like digg, del.icio.us, and reddit.

When you are creating your profile on the various social networks, make it legitimate. Using a “codename” will get you nowhere. Use your full name to ensure that you develop a reputation that will benefit your site.

Jim believes that Digg’s algorithm looks at the articles you digg in relation to the success it eventually sees. If you begin to digg quality articles that make it to the front page of Digg, you gain credibility. Then, when you digg your own work, you carry more weight than someone who is so self-involved that they only digg their own articles.

Digg others’ articles, and they are likely to return the favor. People want to know who is taking the time to validate their efforts. They will turn to your site to figure out who you are, and then digg your articles in return.

Also, reading the top stories will contribute to the generating ideas of your own for your site. You instantly get a taste of the content captivating readers – right now, not last month.

6. Broaden Your Horizons
Don’t get stuck in a rut of only writing content about real estate.

People care about what affects them, and there are a million things you can tie into your site’s content. Give people what they want. Talk about life and give your readers the opportunity to connect with you.

7. Reach a Nationwide Audience
You may be tempted to focus all of the attention on your site to your local prospective clients. Do not, however, discount the benefits of writing for a national audience. The Real Estate Tomato has a wonderful article outlining the countless benefits of writing to a broad, national audience.

You are opening doors to the opportunity to offer your expertise to REALTORs and their clients across the country. And don’t forget… you never know where your next client is coming from.

8. Swallow Your Pride
Talk up your site and your business with friends and acquaintances. Get them to digg your blogs or post on Reddit.

Maybe you’ll acquire a few new, devoted readers.

9. Interacting With Your Readers is Overrated
WRONG!!!

If you’ve ever read the above statement, disregard it - it’s bologna. Building a relationship will result in loyalty – loyalty will result in links.

Chat it up. Then… Invite interaction from your readers.

Allow comments on your blog posts. Set up a forum for interaction. Then INTERACT.

10. How Do I…Where Do I???
You know how to find what you’re looking for on your site. That means zilch.

Sit down with someone who doesn’t know your site and see how easy or difficult it is for them to navigate the site. If they need a map and compass, you may want to consider revamping it and making the site more user-friendly.

Remember, once you hook ‘em, you’ve got to keep them there. They won’t stay if they can’t figure out how to get from one page to another. Once frustration sets it, they are gone.

11. .Gov & .Edu – What’s the Big Deal?
Credibility, credibility, credibility.

Virtually any average Joe can link to your site, but who’s going to trust them? Get a .gov or .edu link however, and your site must have something substantial to offer.

It’s a complicated task. But if you can pull it off, the integrity your site immediately gains is priceless.

12. Mary Had a Little Lamb
That’s right folks, it’s back to basics.

Remember in elementary school when we had to sit through tedious grammar lessons and take excruciatingly mind-numbing spelling tests?

Good news - it wasn’t for nothing. People don’t want to stumble through content because you opted against running spell check or ensuring you are grammatically correct.

Know the difference between accept and except, affect and effect, it’s and its, and there and their.

If a 10 year old can do it, so can we.

13. Direct Your Audience Right to Your Doorstep
Submit your site to various online directories.

This is a great link for global and general directories. If more specific is what you’re looking for try a regional or niche-specific directory.

14. Real World Relationships
Develop ‘real’ relationships with your peers when you have the opportunity.

At conferences and training sessions, meet as many people as possible, and begin communicating with them on a regular basis. Then, take a good look at their site. If it’s something you want to be associated with, link to it.

They’ll most likely link to your site as well. Chances are they have a reader base that will then be introduced to your work.

15. Readers Have Needs Too
Get a feel for what your readers are passionate about and USE THAT KNOWLEDGE.

Cliffhangers, up-and-coming posts, and articles that will leave your loyal readers chomping at the bit for more are incredibly effective… if you know what they like.

The interaction that we are advocating will assist you in figuring out what your readers want.

Remember… if your promise a follow up to an article or a series, you must deliver. Otherwise their abandonment of your site is imminent.

16. You’re not Always the Center of the Universe
Just because an idea is not your top priority doesn’t mean it’s not important to your audience.

Plain and simple: “Ideas spread because they are important to the spreader… not the originator.” –Jennifer Laycock “Give Them Something to Talk About”

Making yourself an active part of other blogs that transcend your focus will make you a stronger link baiter. Know what others want to know, and expand – making it relevant to real estate is what sets you apart from others.

17. Strong Post – Even Better Headline
Understand the importance of a good post, but don’t discount the time you put into developing your headline.

If your headline isn’t compelling, you might as well write about what you ate for dinner.

You must take time to develop a well-crafted headline that hits your readers with a strong dose of curiosity. Don’t be afraid. Be bold. Check out these suggestions from Brian over at Copy Blogger.

REMEMBER: Your article better live up to its magnetic title. If your headline reads: “Arizona Runs Out of Water,” you are obligated to tell your readers exactly what kind of crisis you are talking about.

18. Be In The Know
A RSS feed will effectively bring you information from the sites of your choosing.

Going over current events allows you to distribute information to your readers at the drop of a hat. It’s also a brilliant way to come up with blog ideas.

Google Reader is our reader of choice.

19. Maintain Your Good Name
Your reputation is at stake every time you link to another site.

When you link to a site, think of it as an endorsement. Your readers will follow the links you bring them because they have confidence in your ability to sniff out the noteworthy material. Be certain that you will not regret the backing of another site.

A link is an endorsement; don’t get your self in a sticky situation.

20. Here’s My Card
It may seem obvious, but it’s my job to remind you.

Make sure you list not only your email address, but also your WEBSITE on your business cards.

We live in a world where you can order pizza on the Internet… and people do. So why not give your contacts the option of initially checking you out on your site rather than taking up your valuable time on a phone call?

21. Get the Remedy…. With No Side Effects!
There are a million places to go for the cure to the dreaded “there’s nothing to write about” plague.

Rand suggests an effective list of the 10 Web Tools to Help Generate Blog Content Ideas.
Your readers depend on you to bring them what they need to know. So visit other sites. We are definitely NOT suggesting that you steal content, but it’s amazing what can spark a new idea.

Take a look around and suddenly, BOOM you’ve got an idea for a blog post that’ll knock your readers right out of their seats.