When you write a blog, you want people to read it. So, obviously, you’re going to want to write content that people actually want to read. When you write an article for the purpose of generating traffic and getting links to your site some people refer to this as “linkbait”.

Some of those same people also talk about linkbait like its a bad thing. These are the same types of people I suspect who stop liking a band once they’ve signed a record deal, or who only like independent filmmakers who also work at Taco Bell.

There are two types of linkbait...good linkbait and bad linkbait. Here’s how you can tell the difference.


Good Linkbait - An entertaining or informative article that is well written, well researched, and highly linked to because of its entertainment or educational value.

Bad Linkbait - An inflammatory or poorly researched post written on solely to generate traffic to a blog - sometimes even going so far as to lie to the reader.

If you write Bad Linkbait, ultimately it will come back to haunt you. You may see a short term gain in traffic, but you will not retain readers for the long haul with this kind of tactic. DO NOT WRITE BAD LINKBAIT! It’s one of the worst things you could ever do to the long term success of your blog.

I hope I’ve made that clear.

Now, let’s talk about the kinds of articles that people like to read, that can generally result in links to your blog as well as a nice traffic boost.

1. ‘Best of’ Lists - You’ve seen them everywhere...you love them, and you know it! Top 5 hottest super models, Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies of All Time, Top 5 Punk Rock Albums of the 70s... The list goes on and on.

2. ‘Worst of’ Lists - Again - it’s just like the ‘Best of’ lists - only in reverse. Most of the time these lists are more humorous than their ‘Best of’ counterparts. Top 5 Worst celebrity nose jobs of All Time, 10 of the Worst Movies in History, 5 TV Shows that never should have been made!

3. ‘Info’ Lists - People love learning new information. Especially when that information is presented in an entertaining way and is easy to absorb. Lists are perfect for this. You should keep things shorts, however, because if your readers wanted to read a novel...they’d buy one. 5 Things you didn’t know about the Spanish Inquisition, 10 Animals that shouldn’t exist, but do!, 10 Historical facts that will blow your MIND!

4. ‘Resource’ Lists - The Resource list is a close cousin to the ‘Info’ list, but with one big difference. The Resource list is filled with stuff you can actually use. Sometimes it could be a list of organization software for your OS of choice, or a list of things you need to do before starting a business. These still need to be kept short, but they can be a bit longer, because the people seeking this information are generally looking for solutions to a problem. 5 Must Have OSX Applications, 8 Things to do before starting your own business, 5 Mistakes every first-time Podcaster Makes, and how to avoid them.

5. ‘Humor’ Lists - The ‘Humor’ List can fit into any of the list types mentioned above, because you can always write your lists in a humorous fashion, but sometimes, depending on the blog, a list purely written to make a reader laugh. That is something different. That is the only list you can lie in. You can make up whatever you want, as long as the list is clearly satire....but there is a fine line there, and you better make it clear this list is meant to be funny, or it can backfire on you. 5 Reasons I am convinced Steve Jobs is my father, Top 10 things that make you a bad person, 8 Sandwiches that will kill you from the inside out

You see what I did here? I wrote a list about writing lists. Why? Because people LOVE lists. Lists are easy to digest in the limited amount of time that our attention spans will give a website. Readers can get in, get out, and get back to filing their TPS reports.

Writing lists is a great way to generate traffic to your blog, but - again - I want to stress the importance of writing good, valuable content. Research your lists, make sure you have the facts right. Write good content, promote that content, and you will be successful.

Now...how do you go about promoting that content? Well, that’s another article all together...

About the author: Michael is a professional blogger and podcaster. As well as problogging tips offered here at Blogflux you can also find Michael on Bloggy Network sites Apple Gazette, TV Jab, and other upcoming projects. He also spends way to much time on Twitter.