What Is Clickbait & How does It Actually Work?

Generally, clickbait is basically referred to as the catchy and exciting content created for having page views. Clickbait is used to bring traffic to the website, so as to have more clicks, conversions or earn advertising money. 

The language used is likely to create curiosity and interest. Headlines towards building interest and curiosity lead to clicks. Moreover, clickbait can show up in different presentations, such as banner ads, articles, blog posts, etc. Clickbait marketing strategies are there to develop interest and some sort of curiosity, so as to have more traffic for the posts. The marketing strategy has become popular in recent years. 

In instances, articles, for which clickbait marketing strategy is accept by SEO guidelines. Furthermore, the page title and headline specifically go with the content. Although, the headline has words used together in a manner to build interest and curiosity to click on the link. 

In some instances, the headline and the URL might not match. However, the words in the headline are written in a manner to build excitement and interest. The words utilize together in the headlines to build some kind of curiosity to click on the link of the blog or thumbnail of the video. The objective is to have an eye-catching & curiosity building title along with a visual presentation for the post. So this will help in having more clicks and page views. 

Besides with application in blog posts and articles, clickbait language can use in the title and description of the video. So the content will have more views. More clicks and views obtain by using capital characters in the first place. The punctuation in the headline and exciting images or thumbnails. Sharing the posts on social media is advantageous in getting more page views.  

Whether clickbait is bad 

Engaging and informative content helps in driving more traffic to the website. There are several content marketing strategies that are helpful. However, with recent developments and search engine algorithm updates, rankings can influence in case of having a title, headline and URL for a webpage that does not match with the content on the webpage. 

Moreover, clickbait can even impact the following:

Brand reputation: In case a website gains recognition for showing outrageous claims and headlines to have more traffic, the chances of brand reputation getting impacted are there in the near future. 

Bounce rate: When someone clicking on the link after seeing the exciting thumbnail and headline does not find the content to be relevant and useful, chances of hitting the back button or closing the window are high, thereby increasing the bounce rate. 

Page authority: Having backlinks from less reputed websites can impact the page authority score.

Rankings: With inappropriate and irrelevant content on the webpage, rankings can also go down regardless of using marketing strategies. 

After all, content is the king. Irrelevant and feeble content can be useless regardless of using eye-catching titles and headlines and thumbnails. Therefore, it is important to have informative and unique content along with using the right and effective marketing strategies.  

Can higher rankings be achieved with titles and keywords only? 

The answer is no. Although clickbait titles could drive high traffic, search engines consider additional factors for ranking the page or listing for the search term(s). 

With the right strategy, it is possible to have more views and clicks. However, in case the viewers or readers click on the back button or hit the close because of not finding relevant and useful content. There are chances of ranking getting impact is high.   

Effective Techniques to avoid impact 

It is important to check out webpage titles and headings. Search engine algorithms can understand the content written on web pages. Therefore it is important to make sure that the content is relevant, appropriate and goes well with the title, headline and headings. 

The recent update allows the search engines to show a different title in case the webpage title does not match with the content on the webpage. In order to avert that, ensure that the webpage title and headings match with the content on the webpage. It is essential to make sure that page title and headings provide summarized information about the content on the webpage.  

Make SEO Friendly Titles and Headings 

It is important to have a relevant and appropriate title for the title tag. Also, appropriate headlines can and must match with the content on the webpage. Moreover, keyword research is helpful in finding and discovering relevant and target keywords to use in the title, headings and content. 

Furthermore, having the content with suitable placement of keywords in appropriate places in the content is good. It let the search engine know that the webpage is appropriate for the search term or keyword. There are different tools available to find appropriate keywords to have in the content or advertisement. These tools are useful to have information about short-tailed and long-tailed keywords along with their search volume and to see additional metrics. 

Also, these tools can be used for having lists of different keywords. These lists can be seen in order to see the keywords, the search volume and additional metrics. After selecting the appropriate ones, quality content can be created for different landing pages.  

Moreover, different SEO research tools can also be used frequently to include new keywords in the list with high search volume and relevance.   

Matching the search intent 

Along with selecting the right keywords, the content must be appropriate and pertaining to search intent. There are four types of search intent. 

Informational intent:

It is basically related to someone looking for information about a topic. The search queries are like questions, to gain information about a topic. These search queries can be used in content to provide detailed information about the topic to the visitors. Having informative content with a good presentation on the webpage is perfect to explain the search term being searched by the users. The information can be presented by having well-described written content as well as video tutorials with titles as well as infographics. Explaining the topic and conveying information in paragraphs. Using headings for sub-topics and associated benefits, etc and images appropriately is perfect to cater to the search-related requirements.   

Navigational intent: 

Navigational intent is basically related to someone searching for a particular service or company’s name in order to visit the website of the company. The search terms include the name of the service or company. Therefore, it is important to add the search terms or basically the name of the business at the appropriate places in the content as well as in headings & titles. This way visitors can find and visit the website easily. The brand name can be included in content and headings and page title so that visitors find no difficulty in finding and visiting the website of the service or company.  

Transactional intent:

It is actually related to someone looking forward to buying a specific product. The search query has the terms that show that the intent of purchasing a particular product. Moreover, the search queries signify the intention to buy a particular product and look for the best price for the product. By using buyer-specific keywords along with product description and specifications there are many benefits. It showcases product features, higher rankings and more visibility can be gained for the buyer specific keywords. 

Commercial Investigation intent:

It is actually associated with seeing the comparison between two products.  The search queries are related to seeing the comparison between two products as well as getting information about the best product or service. These search terms or keywords can be used in comparison based articles. It applies in reviews to have higher rankings and visibility for the related search terms. 

Conclusion

Clickbait is basically a sort of marketing approach to drive more traffic, have more clicks and views. However, the process can cause significant damage to the SEO plan in case the content is not appropriate and do not meet the requirements of the visitors and has backlinks from non-trustworthy websites. 

It is important to do keyword research, analyze the search terms and queries. It is useful to create quality content for homepage and category pages. Including keywords in the content appropriately in order to have higher rankings for the search terms and increased online visibility. Also, it is important to make sure that the page title, headlines and URL match with the content and the search intent. 

To restore your SEO plan get professional SEO services or any kind of assistance, you can reach us at GlobalHunt Technologies.  Contact us today!