Understanding Clickbait & Whether It Really Works
There’s nothing wrong with trying to grab attention with your online content. That being said, there are some ways of achieving this goal that can be a bit questionable and even outright deceptive. This is essentially what clickbait is. Clickbait refers to the practice of using misleading, emotionally-charged headlines or titles to inspire clicks. The team from Saba SEO, the leading experts on SEO in San Diego, explain what clickbait is and whether it’s a good idea to use it as part of your marketing strategy.
The Basics of Clickbait
Clickbait involves the use of facts or claims that tend to be on the more sensational or exaggerated side in terms of what’s stated. These headlines, banners, and titles for blog or social media posts often include claims primarily intended to generate a massive number of clicks. Examples include:
- “Get Super-Shredded Abs with This Amazing Fruit!”
- “You’ve Never Seen Something Like This!”
- “5 Guaranteed Ways to Double Your Earnings!”
The Potential Fallout from Clickbait
A telltale sign of clickbait is a URL that doesn’t match the headline. This is one of the things that generates suspicion from search engines like Google. Plus, if you’re relying too much on clickbait, the potential fallout could include:
- A bad online reputation if visitors are consistently finding your content irrelevant
- Backlinks from less reputable sources, which could affect your page’s authority
- A high bounce rate from people leaving your site after they discover your “trick”
But Does It Work?
The short answer is yes, but ultimately no. You may get an initial boost in clicks from a sensationalized headline or title. However, Google looks at more than just clicks when determining ranking on search engine results pages. If you’re getting a massive click rate boost but you have a high bounce rate and visitors aren’t staying on your site too long, you’re not going to see good ranking results.
When it comes to the big picture here, you’re not going to do yourself any favors by using clickbait to boost traffic to your website. You’ll be better off taking the time to present SEO-friendly titles that provide an accurate indication of what the related content actually offers.
If you’re curious about SEO and how to use digital marketing to boost the long-term growth of your business, call on the experts at Saba SEO. With more than fifteen years of professional experience in online marketing, web development, and search engine optimization, we’re proud to count ourselves among the leading San Diego SEO companies. Our team can help you create unique, first-rate content with high-ranking keywords and effective SEO tactics based on honesty and integrity. To talk to one of our SEO or web development experts, give us a call today.