Why Clickbait is Bad For Your Website
It feels as though we go on ad-nauseam about the need for writing high quality content that engages your audience in a meaningful and informative way. At the risk of repeating ourselves, building credibility with your audience doesn’t happen overnight. The old fashioned form of bricks and mortar; customer subordinate to brand type of marketing should be a thing of the past.
Brands should be focusing on engaging their audiences by making themselves experts in the industry or sector they work in, not just their own businesses. Clickbait, while ubiquitous and possibly successful in the short term, is a return to the old fashioned form of marketing we just referred to.
If you are not completely familiar with clickbait it tends to go a bit like this: Shocking: Will blow your mind or blew my mind; Unbelievable or you won’t believe what you’re hearing … or seeing, as the case may be.
If you can remember some of the tabloid headings that appeared in sensationalist publications at the end of the last century, clickbait in some cases is not dissimilar. Of course some marketers use it to great effect. They may use clickbait to attract an audience and then redirect to a more serious article or content.
But here’s the thing; and this is where the whole credibility argument commences. If you are using clickbait to promote sub standard content then you will be recognised as such and people will avoid your content and your site. You may even arouse suspicion for hiding malware or initiating a scam. Content on the internet in the coming years will increase exponentially. You cannot not afford to lose your reputation with sensationalist headlines – it will be incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to get it back again.
Bottom line; well written, consistent posts choosing keywords for SEO are the best ways to increase website traffic and search engine rankings. Most importantly it will give you a great reputation for providing great content on a subject matter that matters to your audience.
If you want a digital marketer who won’t let the temporary good become the enemy of the permanent best, contact Online Consulting for all of your digital marketing requirements.