What is “CLICKBAIT”?

Clickbait is a common method used on websites to attract attention, to hold the viewer on the website and lead him or her down a path of webpages. If this sounds a little vague, think about it and you will realize that you have probably been lured into some clickbait’s path a few times yourself.

Imagine that you are on the homepage of a national news organization’s website. As you scroll down, you will start to see banners or large icons with text messages like, “Best States for Veterans” or “Ten Best Investments for Today.” Sooner or later, one of these clickbait tags is going to make you curious enough to click on it. You start to go through a series of slides or webpages hoping to get to the interesting part, but along the way you are going to see several commercial messages about real estate, mutual funds or other vaguely related subjects. That is how many people perceive “click-on-me” advertising.

The term, “clickbait” has a negative reputation, but it is sometimes undeserved. There are legitimate, above-board ways to use this tactic. At Axiom we believe that branding strategies, SEO techniques and digital marketing solutions should all be straight forward, honest and objective. There are ways to utilize the clickbait tactic to build branding strategies, and maximize a small business Search Engine Optimization program while still being above-board. Let’s consider an example.

You operate a small business that does exterior and interior painting. Your website is devoted to your business essentials (name, address, location etc.), qualifications and experience. Those are essential elements for a good business website, but probably not enough to engage the viewer. Engagement is a key element in building branding strategy. You want the web viewer to associate your business with house painting in your city.

To accomplish this, you can place several links that lead the browser down specific paths. For example, one could start a slide show that answers the question “Water or Oil-Based Paint?” Another could be titled, “How to Prep a House.” Putting these on your website keeps the potential customer or client engaged with your company and its branding strategy giving you the opportunity to convert the curious browser into a customer or client.

In summary, click baiting is legitimate as long as the inviting banner, text, icon or other link-object is not deceptive and the material provided is relevant to the needs of the user. This material should –

Stay on the topic suggested by the banner and end with a ‘Call To Action’ like, “Contact Us Now for a Free Estimate.”
Be helpful to the customer or viewer, even if they do not convert.
Fit into your digital marketing solutions plan and SEO strategy.

Unfortunately, click baiting has earned a bad reputation because of the many deceptive or suggestive examples seen (even on nationally known webpages). People click away to find the “Top 10 Quarterbacks Ever” only to wind up on a magazine subscription page. If you are going to use this tactic, make sure you do it with the viewer’s best interest in mind.

At Axiom, we always keep the client’s best interest in mind. We know that creating content is difficult and time consuming. If you are struggling to find digital marketing solutions that work and branding strategies that make your business stand out, turn to Axiom. Your business deserves more than a cheap web design, and Axiom is more than an internet marketing agency. Axiom Administrative Services has the professional skill and small business SEO skills needed to get your web presence the ranking it deserves.

Our business marketing team can combine traditional marketing tools like direct mail advertising with local SEO services to build your branding strategy. Please visit Axiom’s small business services page or call Axiom at 800-888-6348.