Clickbait: it’s the content that seems to go viral almost overnight, generating an unbelievable amount of clicks in a short period of time. Yet, search engines and social media platforms adjust their algorithms to suppress content that looks like clickbait.
You’ve seen the headlines: He was broke until a mysterious stranger taught him this one weird trick. These headlines elicit enough curiosity to click, but the article rarely has anything to do with the headline.
Stories published to Facebook (that include links) are ranked based on a multitude of factors, including how much time people spend reading the content after they click. When users click away and come right back to Facebook, the algorithm presumes the person isn’t interested in the content.
Despite the slap-down from social media sites, clickbait continues to generate hordes of traffic for sites like Buzzfeed and Upworthy.
If it works for them, should you use clickbait as part of your SEO strategy? Does it harm your brand? The answers depend on your understanding of what clickbait is and how you use it.
What is clickbait really?
Rob Steffens from Bluleadz.com defines clickbait as “content calculated to maximize reader clicks, attention, and shares.” By this definition, clickbait isn’t inherently misleading. It’s simply the art of enticing users to click. Unfortunately, clickbait is synonymous with unethical marketing thanks to the intentional disconnect between headline and article.
Sensational headlines are ethical when they’re true
It’s possible to make ethical use of sensational headlines when you have a sensational story and write the headline to match. For instance, say you’re writing an article on a startup that reached one million dollars in revenue. The story naturally lends itself to a sensational title like Solopreneur Bootstraps Million Dollar Enterprise From His Mobile Home. In this case, the title is sensational but it was accurately derived from the content.
Misleading headlines diminish trust
A misleading headline will get clicks, but those clicks will be worthless. Once you’ve misled a visitor, you’ve lost their trust. They won’t be likely to make a purchase and you can bet they won’t come back.
You’ll start ranking for low-value or even worthless search phrases
Search engines serve up results based on what’s relevant to a user’s search query. If your headlines don’t match your content, your pages might get buried for not being relevant. Clickbait is often not a way to improve your site’s SEO.
Clickbait makes it hard to rank for specific keywords and phrases
Unless sensationalism is relevant to your content, clickbait will diminish your ability to target specific keywords and phrases. If you’re using clickbait templates for headlines, you’ll be tempted to plug in your targeted keywords even if it doesn’t work.
Vague headlines in the search engines don’t do well
To rank well in the search engines, your headlines need to be specific so they convey clarity to the user. People won’t click on vague page titles in search engines like they will on social media.
Unethical clickbait will make your bounce rate spike
If you care about your bounce rate (and you should), using clickbait to generate traffic is a bad idea. The last thing you want in your SEO campaign is to generate a ton of traffic only to have people bounce. Tricking people into clicking on your ads and search results won’t produce quality leads, returning visitors, or sales.
Think of headlines as bait – not bait-and-switch.
Clickbait articles have a reputation for disappointment. Titles like Ten Shocking Things You Never Knew About Cats often turn out to be nothing more than a collection of general facts. This is pure deception, and while it might be forgivable for entertainment websites, it won’t be forgivable for your business.
When you can back up your claims, clickbait provides an advantage
Marketing expert Neil Patel explains how he uses clickbait tactics to his advantage by following the golden rule of backing up his headline claims. Patel insists that clickbait works when done factually. Using large impressive numbers, making controversial claims, and using words like ‘shocking’ and ‘unbelievable’ are acceptable when the content delivers. For example, Patel wrote an article titled Why I’m Spending $144,000 on Video in 2018 (And Why You Should Too). Sensational? Yes. However, it’s all true, and the content delivers that truth.
When your content can deliver, clickbait is a genuinely useful SEO tactic.
Hook people with headlines ethically
Whenever you can get a user hooked with a headline, that’s good news for SEO. Hooks get attention in the search engine results pages (SERPS) which leads to traffic. What good is it being on the first page of Google if your page title reads just like everybody else’s? Your titles need to hook people at first glance.
Say someone searches for “how to win a game of checkers.” They’ll see multiple versions of the same page title like, “How to Play Checkers And Win,” “How to Win A Game of Checkers,” and “Tips to Win at Checkers.” When your page title reads, “Beat Your Opponent At Checkers In Five Moves” you’ll get the lion’s share of clicks regardless of rank.
Clickbait’s reputation
Many people are hesitant to click on sensational titles due to past experiences of disappointment. If anything looks like clickbait, it’s not getting their attention. As a result of this scrutiny, many popular headline formats and phrases are off limits for serious content. Phrases like:
- You Won’t Believe This…
- What Happens Next Will Blow Your Mind
- His Response? Priceless
- Then This Happened
Are you averse to using sensational headlines? Perhaps you should reconsider
It’s understandable if you’d rather skip sensational headlines completely. Your target audience might mistake your ads for the kind of clickbait that turns out to be a wild goose chase. However, consider that 80% of readers never make it past the headline, and traffic can increase dramatically due to headlines alone.
You can write a sensational headline without using the typical clickbait formats. Rather than generate curiosity with vague language, be specific. Derive your headline from your content and tell people what they’re going to learn. Now that people know how to spot clickbait, if you’re going to use it, make sure the content is worth reading.
Timothy Carter
Over the years he’s written for publications like Marketing Land, Search Engine Journal, MarketingProfs and other highly respected online publications.